Mocs on the Mic 160 - Wrestling Blue-Gold and Season Preview

On the latest episode of Mocs on the Mic, host Chris Goforth delves into the volleyball seasons with Director of Volleyball and indoor head coach Julie Torbett and beach volleyball head coach Darin Van Horn.

Torbett is coming off a 2023 season in which she led the Mocs to a 19-14 record on the year, marking her second consecutive winning season at the helm of the UTC volleyball program.

Her tenure at Chattanooga has already seen her reach her 500th career head coaching victory, coach multiple all-conference selections, as well as lead the Mocs to back-to-back SoCon Tournament Semifinal appearances in her first two seasons with the team.

Van Horn is just kicking off the fifth season of Chattanooga beach volleyball, a program that was established by Van Horn back in 2020. Just a season ago he coached the Mocs to a 19-15 record, marking the program’s highest single season win total since its inception.

Last weekend, UTC beach volleyball kicked off its 2024 regular season at the Jacksonville Invitational, marking the beginning of the team’s 25-match schedule over the coming months culminating in the Ohio Valley Conference Championships, which are set to run April 25-27 in Morehead, Kentucky.

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On the latest episode of Mocs on the Mic, men’s tennis head coach Chuck Merzbacher and women’s head coach Chad Camper join host Chris Goforth to preview the upcoming 2024 spring season.

The men’s tennis team is coming off one of its most successful campaigns in program history after finishing the 2023 season with an 18-7 overall record, which included a 6-1 mark in league play and the program’s first-ever Southern Conference regular season title. The Mocs advanced to the 2023 SoCon title match for the first time since 2006 and eventually finished as runner-ups.

The women’s team put together another winning season in 2023 after finishing 14-8 overall and marking the sixth winning campaign in seven tries under Camper. The Mocs earned a national ranking early in the 2023 season after starting the year 10-1 which featured an eight-match winning streak, its longest since 2015.

Both teams have kicked off play against nationally-ranked opponents during the first week of action and feature numerous home events over the coming weeks and months. Follow Mocs on the Mic on GoMocs.com, Spotify or Apple Podcasts as we discuss all things Chattanooga Mocs! Click to subscribe to get notified when each episode drops.

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On this episode of Mocs on the Mic, host Chris Goforth delves into the men’s and women’s golf seasons with head coaches Colette Murray and Blaine Woodruff to recap the fall and look forward to the spring.

The Mocs golf teams had good starts to the season. Their respective falls included two team wins for the men and three individual titles between the two programs.

The guy are Top 25 in the mid-season NCAA Division I Rankings with two wins and two runner-ups in four fall forays. The team crowns came at Marquette and Furman with medalist honors for Samuel Espinosa (Marquette) and Paul Conroy (Furman).

The ladies came into the season with just two letter winners returning from 2022-23 and a nearly brand-new squad. They boast a win by transfer Makenzie Cooper at Old Dominion and solid beginning all-around.

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Chattanooga women’s basketball head coach Shawn Poppie and junior guard Addie Grace Porter check in with Mocs on the Mic presented by SmartBank host Chris Goforth to give an update on the team.

The women are off to a 14-3 start this season, including back-to-back victories over Mercer and Samford to open Southern Conference play. Poppie and Porter discuss the team’s hot start to the season, as well as preview Saturday’s in-state rivalry game against ETSU.

Under Coach Poppie, the Mocs have a record of 34-16 since he took over head coach responsibilities for the team in 2022. Poppie’s win percentage of .680 while at UTC ranks third in program history behind Jim Foster (.875) and Wes Moore (.760).

Porter is currently averaging 5.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game for the Mocs. The Lebanon, Tenn., native serves as one of the two captains for Coach Poppie’s 2023-24 squad.

The Mocs return to action this coming Saturday in a battle of the top two teams in the Southern Conference with UTC set to host ETSU. The game is scheduled to tip at 2 p.m. in the Roundhouse.

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On the latest episode of Mocs on the Mic presented by SmartBank, Mocs wrestling head coach Kyle Ruschell joins host Chris Goforth to recap the 2024 Southern Scuffle hosted by UTC.

The Chattanooga Mocs had its best finish in the recently completed Southern Scuffle since 2012. It was an impressive performance.

Four medalists, also the most since 2012, took the podium:

- 3rd place: Isaiah Powe (141)

- 4th place: Blake Boarman (133) & Noah Castillo (149)

- 7th place: Austin Paradice (157)

That led to the third top 10 ending coming in 8th. That also dates back to 2012.

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On the latest episode of Mocs on the Mic presented by SmartBank, host Chris Goforth welcomes Anastasia Zhukova, former member of the Mocs women’s tennis program and a member of the newest class of the UTC Athletics Hall of Fame.

Zhukova was a two-time Southern Conference Player of the Year in her two seasons in the program. She posted a 23-1 dual match singles record at No. 1 in 2006 and a 24-2 dual match singles record at No. 1 in 2007 for a .940 career winning percentage (47-3). She was an All-SoCon singles and doubles honoree both years and was an ITA Scholar-Athlete with a 3.9 GPA. Her No. 23 Division I ranking is the highest in UTC history and she was also No. 47 in the country in doubles. Zhukova was named to the SoCon All-Century team announced in 2021.

Tune in to hear about her time at UTC and what she is doing today.

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On the latest episode of Mocs on the Mic presented by SmartBank, host Chris Goforth continues his talks with the newest members of the UTC Athletics Hall of Fame. This week’s guest is current Mocs softball head coach Frank Reed.

Reed, in his 23rd year at UTC, was inducted into the 2023 Class alongside former student-athlete Michelle Fuzzard LaCourse. The six-time SoCon Coach of the Year has more than 700 wins at UTC and is on pace to top the 1200 career mark this spring. He has guided the Mocs to eight SoCon regular season titles and 10 SoCon Tournament crowns, the most of any school in the league. UTC has made 10 NCAA Tournament appearances. He has coached three SoCon Players of the Year, six SoCon Pitchers of the Year, four SoCon Freshmen of the Year and dozes of all-conference student-athletes.

The pair also discuss the 2024 Chattanooga softball season that includes 15 home games as well as two annual tournaments.

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On this episode of Mocs on the Mic presented by SmartBank, host Chris Goforth meets with football head coach Rusty Wright to recap an exciting season.

The Chattanooga Mocs completed the 2023 football season last weekend reaching the second round of the FCS Playoffs for the fourth time in school history. It was quite the campaign.

The Mocs won eight games for the 13th time and six in the SoCon for the fifth occasion. It was definitely a tribute to the character in the locker room.

The Mocs battled injury and 10 consecutive weeks of games before a rest to continue building the program on a solid foundation.

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On this episode of Mocs on the Mic presented by SmartBank, host Chris Goforth talks with the first of our UTC Athletics Hall of Fame inductees, Michelle Fuzzard LaCourse (2008-12).

She earned multiple accolades in her five years with Chattanooga. She was named the 2008 SoCon Freshman of the Year and Player of the Year in 2011. She was named to the league’s All-Conference First Team three times and is the first player in SoCon history to earn First Team (1B) and Second Team (P) honors in the same season (2009).

She, along with softball head coach Frank Reed, was honored on October 6. The UTC Athletics Hall of Fame was established to formally recognize outstanding contributions to the heritage and tradition of the University's intercollegiate athletics program. A total of 240 individuals have been inducted into the UTC Athletics Hall of Fame during special ceremonies held each year. 

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On the latest episode of Mocs on the Mic presented by SmartBank, host Chris Goforth catches up with former Mocs football player and wrestler Torrez Finney.

Goforth and Finney, also known as “The Punisher”, discuss his fight in Dana White’s Contender Series in Las Vegas on October 10 and his future in MMA. Finney is 7-0-0 and got a submission against previously undefeated Yuri Panferov.

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