This is the first of a two-part series outlining how Appalachian State Athletics "Defined The Moment" in 2017 and generated some huge momentum to carry into 2018 and beyond.
In this segment, we will take a look at the first half of the 2017 calendar year, which saw Appalachian take home a wrestling championship, make some big announcements and set the foundation for what would become another record-breaking fall at The Rock.
Wrestling Wins SoCon … Again
Under the leadership of head coach
JohnMark Bentley and behind the strength of several veteran wrestlers, App State claimed its second straight Southern Conference Wrestling Championship with a perfect 7-0 league record. Ranked among the top 20 teams in the country during the 2016-17 season, App finished with a 13-2 regular-season record and sent four wrestlers to the NCAA Championships, including SoCon Wrestler of the Year and All-American Denzel Dejournette.
App State Launches Mountaineer Impact Initiative
On Feb. 28, 2017, App State Director of Athletics
Doug Gillin announced the launch of
A Mountaineer Impact, A Drive for Excellence. After a comprehensive review and evaluation of the athletics program, needs of over $60 million were identified. Comprehensive in nature, the initiative was designed to impact every Mountaineer student-athlete and sports program.
A Mountaineer Impact, A Drive for Excellence will construct and enhance athletic facilities, provide critical scholarship support, impact the overall athletic experience for student-athletes and fans, while strengthening campus and community engagement.
UPDATE: As of Jan. 17, 2018, giving to A Mountaineer Impact has exceeded $28 million toward the $60 million goal.
New Video Board Project Announced
As the first project to be funded by
A Mountaineer Impact, A Drive for Excellence, App State announced in February 2017 that new video boards would be constructed at Kidd Brewer Stadium and the Holmes Convocation Center, greatly enhancing the gameday atmospheres for Appalachian football, men's and women's basketball and volleyball. At approximately 2,500 square feet, the 13HD football display is the largest of its kind among Group of Five conferences. Video boards were installed during the summer and have been a hit at their respective venues.
WBB Coach Angel Elderkin Receives Pat Summit Most Courageous Award
At the 2017 NCAA Women's Basketball Final Four in Dallas, App State head coach
Angel Elderkin was recognized with the prestigious USBWA Pat Summit Most Courageous Award. Elderkin shared the award with ESPN analyst Holly Rowe. The two recipients were honored after showing courage and strength battling cancer while continuing to work in their respective fields. Elderkin traveled to Chapel Hill for chemotherapy treatments from the summer until Nov. 14 after the team's season-opening road trip at DePaul. During her third season as App's head coach, she was on the court for all 31 games during the 2016-17 season and led the team to its first Sun Belt tournament victory with a first-round win over Coastal Carolina.
Apps Excel in the Classroom
App State student-athletes led the way academically among their Sun Belt Conference peers in 2017, winning the Sun Belt Institutional Graduation Rate Award in May. The Mountaineers had a league-most 237 combined student-athletes on the 2016-17 Sun Belt Commissioner's List (3.5+ GPA) or Academic Honor Roll (3.0-3.49 GPA). App State's student-athlete population achieved a 3.0 cumulative spring GPA for the 10th straight semester.
Football Series with In-State Rivals Announced
During the spring, App State announced upcoming football series with East Carolina University and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. They are the next two in a wave of attractive opponents that will have visited Boone since the team's transition to FBS, joining recent visits from Miami (2016) and Wake Forest (2017), among others. App State and ECU will square off for the 2021 season opener at Charlotte's Bank of America Stadium, followed by App road games to Greenville in 2024 and 2026 and a 2025 visit from the Pirates. The Mountaineers will visit Chapel Hill in 2019 and 2023 and receive a home game against the Tar Heels to open the 2022 campaign.
Other highlights from the first half of 2017:
- Football announces 18-member signing class that combined for a 3.47 high school GPA
- Softball wins first Sun Belt series over UT Arlington
- Under first-year head coach Kermit Smith, baseball takes the last two games at Little Rock to win a Sun Belt road series for the first time
- Tristin Van Ord wins her third straight Sun Belt outdoor 5,000-meter championship
- Elliott Graves chases down a Sun Belt outdoor title in the men's 400-meter hurdles
- App State hosts inaugural Legends Gala with keynote speaker Mack Brown and numerous notable sports dignitaries and personalities
