The Chattanooga Mocs men’s wrestling team will compete at the NCAA Championships beginning Thursday, March 19, in Cleveland, Ohio. Two wrestlers from the team qualified for the national tournament after strong performances at the Southern Conference Championships held nine days earlier in Asheville, North Carolina.
This event is significant as it continues a tradition of success for the Mocs wrestling program. The team has produced multiple Southern Conference champions for five consecutive years and has achieved this feat 43 times in its 49 years in the league.
Coach Kyle Ruschell said, “I think it’s the expectation, right? We expect to win conference as a team and as individuals. When you do that, you get multiple qualifiers. It’s mainly the expectation from the alumni all the way down to the individuals when we recruit them of what we expect is we want to be the best on and off the mat.” Ruschell also commented on their goals: “We’re never satisfied. We want to get all 10. There were six teams that did that this year, but taking your whole squad is a big deal.”
At the Southern Conference Championships, both Flynn and Rule scored 17 points each, tying for most points at the event alongside Bellarmine’s Jeb Prechtel. Flynn secured his qualification with two first-period falls and a decision over defending champion Gylon Sims in the semifinals. Rule advanced through his bracket with back-to-back technical falls and won by major decision in the finals. Both athletes were among five champions who earned bonus points in their final matches; Flynn was noted as being the only wrestler to win by fall.
The NCAA Championships are scheduled for March 19-21 in Cleveland. The Mocs’ continued presence at this level highlights their consistent performance within collegiate wrestling.
