UTC wrestlers roll at Gardner-Webb

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team won nine of 10 individual matches and scored bonus points in five of them in winning 40-6 Friday evening at Gardner-Webb, a Southern Conference member for that sport. UTC (6-6, 2-0) got an opening 12-0 major decision from 18th-ranked 125-pounder Nick Soto and a pin from Dean Pavlou in grabbing a 16-0 edge before Gardner-Webb's Alex Medved won by pin at 157. The Mocs responded to that with pins from Josh Condon and Sean Mappes, an overtime decision for Robert Prigmore and Niko Brown's 10th win and eighth pin in 10 dual matches. Marvin Lopez and Kevin Malone also won by decision for UTC, which wrestles Sunday at Appalachian State.

Tennis

• The UTC women's tennis team not only got its first win over Middle Tennessee State since 1999, a stretch of 13 matches, but did it in convincing 7-0 style Friday at the Racquet Club. The Lady Mocs lost at No. 2 doubles but won the team point and swept in singles, including freshman Kayla Jones with a 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 1-0 (10-5) win at No. 3. They play today at Lipscomb in Nashville, while the UTC men host Jacksonville State at 2 p.m. today and North Alabama at 10 a.m. Sunday at the Racquet Club.

Baseball

• Defending NAIA national champion Tennessee Wesleyan College, ranked No. 1 in the 2013 preseason poll, and third-ranked Lee University both begin their baseball seasons today. Wesleyan opens in Montgomery, Ala., in doubleheaders today against Faulkner and Sunday against Auburn-Montgomery, while Lee's Flames host Northwestern Ohio in a 1 p.m. doubleheader today and a 2 p.m. game Sunday. Wesleyan won 19 of its last 20 games and finished 53-12 overall in taking the 2012 NAIA title, and coach Billy Berry takes a 354-171 career record into his eighth season at the Athens school. Lee opens its last season as an NAIA instititution having been ranked in every poll, 63 in a row, since March 22, 2006. Flames coach Mark Brew begins his seventh season with a 326-77-1 record, including 56-11-1 and a fourth-place NAIA finish last year, following two seconds and two thirds in the World Series the previous four years.

• Bryan College opened the area baseball season Friday with a 7-4 home win over Toccoa Falls. The teams play a doubleheader today, starting at 1 p.m. Leadoff man Grant Zawadzki reached base all five times he came up for Bryan, officially going 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored, and No. 2 batter Chris Jeffries also scored twice, after a walk and a triple. The Lions were outhit 11-8 but used a five-run fifth inning to prevail. Matt Alligood, Zack Warner and A.J. Mussler each had two hits for the visitors, Alligood scoring twice.

Basketball

• The Sewanee men's basketball team scored only 14 points in the first half but reversed those digits by the end of the game for a 41-38 Southern Athletic Association win Friday night at Berry College. In its first game under interim coach Derek Taylor, Berry led by 15 points with less than 15 minutes to play, but the visiting Tigers made a 22-7 surge for a tie on Keshonn Carter's free throw with 3:32 to go. Trailing 40-38 in the final 10 seconds, the Vikings committed two turnovers. Valentino Bryant led Sewanee (12-7, 4-5) with 12 points and four steals, while Carter scored 10 points. Mac Whalen had 11 before fouling out for Berry (4-16, 1-8). It was Berry that had the strong finish in the women's game, making a late 19-5 run for a 70-56 win over Sewanee. Chanlir Segarra scored 24 points with 3-of-5 3-point shooting and 9-of-11 free-throw accuracy for the hosts (10-9, 5-4), and Megan Walsh had 18 points and nine rebounds. Kayla Sewell led Sewanee (5-13, 2-7) with 13 points, Jamie Chauvin and Paige Lowe adding 11 each.

• Covenant College junior forward Jessie Blankenship has been named to the Capital One Academic All-District 5 team for NCAA Division III, chosen by the College Sports Information Directors of America. The Lexington, S.C., resident is averaging 13.3 points and 7.2 rebounds a game this year and earlier this season surpassed 500 rebounds for her Lady Scots career. She's 61 points short of 1,000. She is excelling academically as a double major in art and business.

Track & Field

• The UTC indoor track and field teams will compete today in Murfreesboro, Tenn., in the Blue Raider Invitational hosted by Middle Tennessee State. The meet begins with field events this morning.

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