Javier Maldonado

125 pounds

Senior

Record: 18-7 (81-34 career)

Biggest win: He decisioned Missouri’s then 10th-ranked Tony Pescaglia, 9-7.

How he can be All-America: Making his third trip, Maldonado drew David Tomasette (25-6) of Hofstra for his opener. If he beats Tomasette, he’ll likely meet sixth seed Gabe Flores of Illinois (18-8). He’s in the same quarter bracket with defending champ and No. 3 seed Paul Donahoe (17-3) of Nebraska and the same half as second-seeded Jayson Ness (35-1) of Minnesota. As is the case with most of the Mocs, he’s going to have to beat a lot of people he isn’t supposed to beat. He needs to stay in takedown situations and must avoid being ridden for extended periods. He is 4-4 in NCAA tournament matches after going 3-2 last year.

Off the wall: He bumped 10th-place Matt Keller from the Mocs’ career wins list. Keller was 70-15 in his UTC career. Maldonado became UTC’s ninth three-time Southern Conference champ.

Steve Hromada

133 pounds

Senior

Record: 16-9 (26-25 career)

Biggest win: On the way to a seventh-place Midlands finish, he beat Indiana’s Andrea Hernandez 5-1. Hernandez (20-11) is the tournament’s 12th seed.

How he can be All-America: He’ll get to watch his opponent after drawing a first-round bye, meeting either Cory VomBaur (20-15) of Wyoming or sixth-seeded Lou Ruggirello (27-3) of Hofstra. Hromada lost 4-2 to VomBaur at the Midlands. He has proved he can wrestle with the best, but his fortunes depend on how he handled his weight leading up to the tournament.

Off the wall: Hromada hopes to get a sixth (hardship) season because of numerous injuries during his career. This is his first winning season. He is the only Moc in the tournament who didn’t have a pin during the year.

Cody Cleveland

141 pounds

Sophomore

Record: 25-6 (29-13 career)

Biggest win: He finished fourth at The Midlands, beating eventual Big 12 champion Nick Gallick (23-11) of Iowa while winning seven of nine matches.

How he can be All-America: They say the former McCallie School standout can’t get a takedown in the practice room but goes out and scrambles so well in live matches. He did so in the Southern Conference tournament, winning the outstanding wrestler trophy. He has been adept at recognizing and taking advantage of openings, and he’ll need to continue that trend. His first match is against Army’s Matthew Kyler (39-5), the EIWA champ who is 9-3 against NCAA qualifiers. A second-round win over seventh-seeded Kyle Ruschell (21-4) of Wisconsin may be a must.

Off the wall: Cleveland finished fifth nationally with eight technical falls, and his two SoCon tourney pins were only the second and third of the year for him.

Joey Knox

149 pounds

Sophomore

Record: 21-9 (25-13 career)

Biggest win: He decisioned Ohio State’s then third-ranked Lance Palmer 6-3.

How he can be All-America: Knox has let his weight bounce and it has caused him problems at times. Like Hromada, how he handled weight issues the past week may be key. He catches third-seeded J.P. O’Connor (20-2) of Harvard in his first match. O’Connor is one of five returning All-Americans in the field.

Off the wall: Joey is the only wrestler from the state of Georgia (Dublin) in the tournament.

Seth Garvin

157 pounds

Junior

Record: 23-5 (39-16 career)

Biggest win: He decisioned Northwestern’s Kyle Bertin 6-4.

How he can be All-America: A good start would be avenging a loss earlier this year to third-seeded Dan Vallimont (27-2) of Penn State. Vallimont, Garvin’s opening-round opponent, beat him 15-7 at the national duals. Garvin tends to waste time during matches; he needs to go from the opening whistle and force the action. A first-round upset would likely put him against Central Michigan’s Steve Brown, whom he beat earlier this year.

Off the wall: A four-time state champion who had just one high school loss, Seth is the only wrestler from the state of Alabama (Hoover) in the tournament.

Lloyd Rogers

174 pounds

Senior

Record: 26-3 (76-49 career)

Biggest win: He beat Northwestern’s 12th-seeded Nick Hayes 9-8 at the Midlands.

How he can be All-America: In his second NCAA trip, Rogers is listed first among the “bad draws” by InterMat, the NWCA’s Internet site. Coach Chris Bono said Rogers had the best week of preparation of any of the Mocs. A conditioning machine, Rogers must continue to hound opponents early and wear them down. He catches the No. 3 seed, Nebraska’s Brandon Browne (24-1), in his first match. He was 1-2 in last year’s tournament.

Off the wall: His current .897 win percentage would be the Mocs’ fourth-best single-season showing behind Charlie Heard (.976), Charlie Buckshaw (.917) and Heath Eslinger (.900).

Josh Edmondson

184 pounds

Senior

Record: 21-11 (39-19 career)

Biggest win: He beat Rider’s Doug Umbehauer 6-4.

How he can be All-America: Using his speed and agility and leaving his tentative side in the locker room. He cannot stand around, which he has done at times against quality opponents. Edmondson opens with the No. 8 seed, Minnesota’s Roger Kish (13-6), and a win would likely pair him with ninth-seeded Brent Chriswell (14-5) of Arizona State. With back-to-back wins, his quarterfinal opponent would probably be top-seeded Jake Varner (25-0) of Iowa State. He was 1-2 in last year’s tournament.

Off the wall: Seven of his 19 wins resulted in bonus points — five major decisions, a technical fall and a pin.

Matt Koz

197 pounds

Senior

Record: 18-7 (61-51 career)

Biggest win: He beat Indiana’s Joe Fagiano at the Midlands.

How he can be All-America: He has to stay aggressive and finish his shots. He lost several matches to ranked opponents by one or two points, and in most he had at least one good shot that he didn’t finish. A three-time qualifier, Koz was a win away from earning All-America honors last year at heavyweight. Of the tournament competitors at 197, Koz has wrestled seven. Penn State’s Phil Davis, the No. 2 seed, defeated him 4-2; third-seeded Mike Tamillow edged him 5-3 in OT; No. 4 Wynn Michalak beat him 5-1; fifth seed Max Askren clipped him 4-2 in OT. Koz opens with Cayle Byers (35-8) of George Mason and then should see Michalak in the round of 16 and, if seeds hold, Askren in the quarterfinals.

Off the wall: The first time he qualified, Koz was a 197-pound freshman for Minnesota. His NCAA record is 4-4 after a 3-2 showing last year.