UTC wrestler Demetrius Johnson awarded extra year of eligibility

Two-time Southern Conference champion Demetrius Johnson has been granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA after missing Chattanooga's 2011-12 season with a knee injury, the school announced Thursday. 

Johnson won a conference title in 2008-09 as a redshirt freshman at 125. As a junior he missed a large portion of the early season while recovering from a knee injury, but bounced back to earn a spot in the NCAA tournament by winning the SoCon at 133.

He was expected to drop back to 125 for his senior season and start for UTC, but the same knee plagued him again. In 2011-12, he competed once, earning a key victory in the Mocs’ upset of No. 12 Stanford, but couldn’t continue. UTC struggled to fill the gap at 125 until Manny Ramirez transferred from UNG Greensboro. 

Ramirez, though, is out of eligibility. Johnson has been given one more year.

“I am pretty ecstatic about the news," Johnson said in a release. "I thought I had a 50/50 chance at getting the extra year, and then I got antsy waiting to hear from the NCAA. I am so pumped right now that I want to start training today, but I am going to have to take it slow to make sure it doesn't happen again."

Johnson earned his undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice in May 2011 and is currently working on a Master's degree in the same major.

He has a 37-19 overall record, including an 11-2 mark in SoCon regular season matches.