Wildcats Travel to WVU, Host No. 20 Chattanooga

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DAVIDSON, N.C. – The Davidson wrestling team will close out both its nonconference schedule and home slate this weekend, starting Friday when they travel to West Virginia for their final non-league opponent. After facing the Mountaineers in a 7:30 p.m. match at WVU Coliseum, the 'Cats return home Sunday to host SoCon foe No. 20 Chattanooga in their final home dual of the season at 1 p.m. in Belk Arena.

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Nation's Best
Kevin Birmingham continues to rank among the nation's best in wins by fall, moving up to third in NCAA Division I with his 13th pin of the season vs. Campbell. However, only 11 of his pins count in the NCAA rankings as two were of Division II opponents. Birmingham ranks as high as 17th according to Takedown Wrestling and is 31st in Gregg Henry's Wrestling Report.

Record Watch
Birmingham is also nearing the school for pins in a season this weekend. His tally of 13 ranks second-best in school history. One more would tie the Davidson mark of 14 pins, while two more would put him in sole possession of the record at 15.

Senior Day
Sunday will be the squad's annual Senior Day celebration. Prior to the contest vs. Chattanooga, graduating senior CT Talevi will be honored for his contributions to the program.

Powering Through
Nathaniel Powers has become a steady performer at 174 pounds for the Wildcats through their first SoCon duals. The sophomore is 3-1 in league action with a pair of pins and has won four straight bouts, claiming five of his last six.

Davidson Probables
125: Philip Elias (5-7) or Jordan Wang (1-0)
133: Anthony Elias (10-7)
141: James McCord (2-10) or Alex Paliniski (1-6)
149: Kevin Birmingham (16-5)
157: Nick Pappayliou (3-11) or Dan Hagemann (0-0)
165: Patrick Devlin (2-16)
174: Nathaniel Powers (9-10) or Ian Solcz (1-1)
184: Scott Patrick (17-3) or Josh Sawyer (0-3)
197: Michael Moore (6-9)
HWT: Ed Isola (5-14)

Scouting the Mountaineers
West Virginia enters the match up 9-4 on the season. WVU and Davidson have a number of common opponents, as the Mountaineers have previously faced SoCon members Gardner-Webb (W, 24-14), VMI (W, 38-3) and SIUE (W, 27-3) as well as Anderson (W, 46-0) and Pittsburgh (L, 33-6). Bubba Scheffel leads the squad with a 24-7 record at 174 pounds, while No. 17 Colin Johnston is 23-5 at 141 pounds.

WVU Probables
125: Cory Stainbrook (20-12)
133: Nathan Pennesi (14-7)
141: No. 17 Colin Johnston (23-5)
149: Mike Morales (14-5)
157: Brutus Scheffel (13-8)
165: Ross Renzi (18-12)
174: Bubba Scheffel (24-7)
184: Mac Mancuso (18-9)
197: Leo Trindade (13-11)
HWT: AJ Vizcarrondo (16-14)

Scouting the Mocs
Chattanooga travels to Davidson ranked the 20th-best team in the country with a
13-5 overall mark and a 4-0 record in SoCon action. At 133-pounds, Nick Soto ranks 11th in the country, going 31-7 this season. Corey Mock ranks ninth in the nation at 165 pounds, boasting a 27-2 record in 2013-14. Alex Hudson is also 26-6 at 157 pounds, while Scotty Boykin has gone 26-17 at 197.

UTC Probables
125: Byron Smith (5-11) or Campbell Lewis (2-5)
133: No. 11/12 Nick Soto (28-7)
141: Michael Pongracz (16-11)
149: Austin Sams (8-13)
157: Alex Hudson (23-6)
165: No. 12/9 Corey Mock (24-2)
174: Levi Clemons (19-12)
184: John Lampe (14-8)
197: Scottie Boykin (17-11)
285: Dawson Peck (7-1)

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