The Chattanooga wrestling team improved to 6-6 on the season with Friday’s lopsided win in Friday’s Southern Conference match against Gardner-Webb.
The Mocs finished with four pins and won nine matches in their 40-6 victory over the Bulldogs, an affiliate member of the SoCon in wrestling only.
Freshman Nick Soto opened the match with a 12-0 major decision over Cortez Starkes at 125, improving to 19-6 on the season.
Freshman Marvin Lopez increased Chattanooga's lead to 7-0 with a win at 133, and senior Dean Pavlou followed that up with the first of four UTC pins at 141.
Junior Alex Hudson captured his third straight with with a 4-0 decision over Ryan Medved at 149, which put UTC out in front 16-0, before Alex Medved finally got the Bulldogs on the board with a pin against Mocs sophomore Trey Stavrum.
Senior Josh Condon erased any GWU momentum, though, posting a fall of his own at 165. Condon put Justin Guthrie on his back in the first period to increase his team’s lead to 22-6, and senior Robert Prigmore clinched the match with his 2-1 overtime win over Gray Jones.
Senior Niko Brown continued his strong season with a his team-leading eighth pin of the year at 197, UTC sophomore Kevin Malone closed things out with a 3-0 decision over Travis Porter. Brown, ranked No. 19 in the nation, is a team-best 22-3 overall and 10-0 in dual action this season.
The Mocs return to the mat Sunday when they wrestle at Appalachian State.