The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga may have a coach in his first year as a college head coach, but Heath Eslinger's wrestling peers think he and the Mocs have enough to win the Southern Conference.

In a poll released Wednesday, four of the conference coaches gave UTC their first-place vote, making the five-time defending champions the team to beat this season.

"There aren't a whole lot of trophies given out for where you start, but it's a compliment to what last year's coaching staff did and what the kids did. It has very little to do with me," Eslinger said.

UTC received four of the first-place ballots and had four wrestlers selected to the preseason all-conference team. Those four were 2008-09 champions Bucky Johnson (125), Cody Cleveland (141), Joey Knox (157) and Jason McCroskey (184).

UTC has a streak of 25 matches without a loss and has won both regular season and tournament championships the last five years. The Mocs accomplished that feat under three different coaches - Terry Brands, Joe Seay and Chris Bono - and this year's team is currently working under coach No. 4 in that string, former Moc Eslinger.

"Any time you go through that many changes it's difficult, and that's quite a group to follow," Eslinger said. "But the kids have done a good job of taking something from each coach to make them better. I just hope there aren't any changes in the next five years."

He and the Mocs hope to continue the streak and perhaps even raise the bar.

"I think we're definitely moving in the right direction. Our kids have bought into the everyday, blue-collar mentality of this is what it takes to get it done and the seniors are doing a great job of leading the way."

Appalachian State got the other two first-place votes and was picked to finish second ahead of

North Carolina-Greensboro, The Citadel, VMI and Davidson.

Cleveland has twice won outstanding wrestler trophy at the conference tournament. He also earned All-America honors at the 2008 NCAA tournament. He, Knox, McCroskey and Dan Waddell (149) were named to last year's all-conference team. While Johnson returns at 125, Cleveland at 141 and Knox at 157, Waddell (149) will miss the season after having shoulder surgery.

McCroskey, the 2009 conference freshman of the year, has moved up to 184 pounds. He, Johnson, Waddell, Tyler Roberson and Ethan Winel were named to last year's all-conference team. Roberson, also a member of the conference's all-academic team, is currently behind McCroskey while Winel (197) has been sidelined with a broken hand.

Other members of the preseason all-conference team were Appalachian State's Frank Celorrio (133), Kyle Blevins (165) and Austin Trotman (174), Davidson's Daniel DeCamp (149), Odie Delaney (197) and VMI's Josh Wine (285).

The Mocs open their season Saturday at Virginia Tech. They'll wrestle Kent State at 3 and the hosts at 5. They will then compete in the Hokie Open on Sunday. The tournament has more than 470 participants.