The Chattanooga Mocs wrestling team represents the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) in NCAA Division I wrestling. The Mocs host their home matches at the Maclellan Gymnasium on the university's campus in Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States. The Mocs' current head coach is Kyle Ruschell, a former 2-time All-American at the University of Wisconsin.
History The wrestling team at UTC began competing in the Southeastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (SEIWA) in 1947. The program joined NCAA Division II, when the NCAA started the new division in 1963. Under five coaches during the Division II era, 40 Mocs won 62 SEIWA individual championships, with the team placing as high as second at the 1976 NCAA Division II national tournament. The team had seven wrestlers earn twelve NCAA Division II All-American honors, with three wrestlers winning a total of six individual national championships.
The Mocs moved to NCAA Division I and the Southern Conference in 1978 and is the only NCAA Division I wrestling program in the state of Tennessee. Since joining the SoCon, the Mocs have been historically the most dominant SoCon team, winning 186 individual conference championships, 13 regular season league crowns (only awarded since 1992), and 28 conference tournament titles. During the NCAA Division I era, nine UTC wrestlers have earned twelve All-American honors. The team has placed as high as 21st at the 2005 and 2007 NCAA Division I national championships. Eight of nine Division I head coaches have been named SoCon Coach of the Year sixteen times, including twice by current coach Heath Eslinger.
Head coaches The Mocs' current head coach is Kyle Ruschell. Ruschell joined the Mocs staff in June 2018 as assistant coach. He was elevated to Interim Head Coach on July 19, following head coach Heath Eslinger's resignation and earned the full-time position on Aug. 10, 2019. Ruschell's staff includes assistant coaches TJ Ruschell and Hunter Gamble. Coach Years W–L–T %age SoCon Tournament titles Ken Carpenter 1947–51 (5) N/A N/A -- Russ Scall 1952 (1) 3–5–0 .375 -- Andy Nardo 1953–67 (15) 77–30–4 .712 -- Joe Geri 1968 (1) 0–8–0 .000 -- Jim Morgan 1969–84 (16) 209–70–3 .746 6 Ethan Reeve 1985–90 (6) 57–38–2 .598 5 Ralph Manning 1991–95 (5) 33–26–0 .556 4 Mark Leen 1996–2001 (6) 43–35–1 .551 3 Frankie James 2002 (1) 9–8–0 .529 1 Terry Brands 2003–05 (3) 31–33–0 .484 1 Joey Seay 2006 (1) 16–8–1 .660 1 Chris Bono 2007–09 (3) 39–17–0 .696 3 Heath Eslinger 2010–2018 (9) 101–61–0 .623 5 Kyle Ruschell 2019–present (4) 22–20–0 .524 --
Southern Conference 100th Anniversary Wrestling Team The Southern Conference celebrated 100 years of operation in 2021. The league named 100th anniversary teams in each sport it currently sponsors and has sponsored for at least 25 years. Of all member schools (currently and former), the Chattanooga Mocs top the list with 23 wrestlers selected. Members of the 100th anniversary team must meet at least one of the following criteria: SoCon Hall of Fame Inductee (for primary sport), National Wrestler of the Year, National Champion, All-America in two different seasons (not including honorable mention or freshman AA), SoCon Male Athlete of the Year, Two-time SoCon Wrestler of the Year, Three-time SoCon Individual Champion, or 1st-team All-SoCon in three different seasons. Name Years David Barden 1992–1996 Scottie Boykin 2013–2018 Charlie Buckshaw 1985–1989 Cody Cleveland 2005–2011 Josh Condon 2007–2013 John Davis 2002–2006 Chad Dennis 1991–1996 Heath Esthlinger 1995–2000 John Feldhacker 1981–1985 Bret Gustafson 1987–1992 Bobby Hanson 1997–2000 Charlie Heard 1981–1984 Michael Keefe 2002–2007 Matt Keller 2005–2007 Javier Maldonado 2003–2008 Larry Meierotto 1979–1983 Pat Murphy 1979–1983 Bobby Orand 1976–1980 Ben Reichel 1984–1989 Jeff Rufolo 1983–1988 Nick Soto 2011–2015 Chris Thornbury 1985–1989 Cary Waller 1978–1983
References
External links