Huffine lands pair of Southern Conference honors

from the Chattanooga Athletics web site --

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga junior and former Woodland High School wrestler Jake Huffine earned two Southern Conference weekly honors, the league office announced Wednesday. Huffine is both the SoCon Wrestler of the Week and the Student-Athlete of the Week for all competition from Dec. 19-25. The Cartersville, Georgia, native went 2-0 at 133 pounds. He defeated Edinboro's Richie Gomez by a pin at the 2:07 mark to give the Mocs a 17-15 lead in Tuesday's competition. The Mocs went on to win that match 23-15. On Thursday against Ohio, Huffine's 13-1 major decision over Trevor Giallombardo gave the Mocs a 16-13 lead after trailing 13-6. UTC could not hold on to that lead, falling 22-19. Huffine's two wins puts him at 13-4 on the year and a perfect 3-0 in duals. He currently leads the team with six pins. The wrestling honor is an on-the-mat award, while the student-athlete recognition goes to the top winter sports participant with at least a 3.3 GPA. Huffine carries a 4.0 as an Accounting major. It is Huffine's first career wrestling honor and the second for a Moc this season, after sophomore Fabian Gutierrez took the award on Nov. 7. Huffine is one of three in the league to win multiple student-athlete honors this season and joins football sophomore Bryce Nunnelly as the two from UTC to be recognized for their success in competition and in the classroom. The Mocs return to the mat on Jan. 1-2 when they host the Southern Scuffle.