College Previews: Brands Looks To Lead Mocs To Another Southern Conference Title
<< Back to Articles
John Fuller (TheMat.com)
11/07/2002
TheMat.com Projected Southern Conference Finish: 1. Tennessee-Chattanooga 2. VMI 3. Appalachian State 4. The Citadel 5. North Carolina-Greensboro 6. Davidson Tennessee-Chattanooga will be led by new coach Terry Brands this season, who will introduce a new style of wrestling to the South. The Mocs return conference champions Matthew Pitts (125), Jared Sullivan (141), Quantel Langford (174) and Austin David (197) along with two other conference placewinners. This team is set up to dominate this season, making a good start for the new Brands regime. VMI and Appalachian State are on an even level right now. Conference champions and All-American candidates Adam Britt (157) and Matt Erwin (174) return to the lineup. These two have a strong supporting cast that could help them compete for a conference title, but they have to win the head-to-head matchups with the Mocs. Appalachian State will be led by NCAA title contender Mark Fee (174), who moved up in weight this season. There are a lot of youngsters in the lineup which may be enough to hold them back from competing for a title this year. The Citadel has picked up a couple of great recruiting classes over the past few years. With five sophomores, possibly two freshmen and no seniors in their lineup, the future is looking bright for the Bulldogs. North Carolina-Greensboro brings back conference placewinners Tony Stewart (125) and Wes Gibson (141), but there are a lot of new faces up and down the lineup. Depth is not an issue, but experience is. Depth is an issue for Davidson, though. This team's roster went from four wrestlers last year to 13 to start this season. Grant Doornbos (149) is the best wrestler on this team and is their main hope of getting out of the cellar. TEAM PREVIEWS: Appalachian State The Citadel Davidson North Carolina-Greensboro Tennessee-Chattanooga VMI