BOONE, N.C. - Dropping its second-straight dual last week
at Duke, Appalachian State University wrestling returns to its Southern
Conference schedule and the High Country with a key matchup with Chattanooga on
Sunday, Feb. 3. Action against the Mocs is set for 2 p.m. at Varsity Gymnasium.
MOUNTAINEERS
EARN NATIONAL ATTENTION
Last Friday, the NCAA
released its first of three coaches' panel rankings, as two Mountaineers
cracked the opening poll. Redshirt sophomore Dominic Parisi and redshirt freshman Zack Strickland were named to the poll at 125 and 165 pounds,
respectively. The poll is one of the tools used for the selection process to
place qualifiers into the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.
Parisi, who cracked
the rankings at No. 29, is 22-8 overall and 8-2 in duals for the season. The
Concord, N.C. native is coming off his sixth pin of the season, defeating
Duke's Peter Terrezza in the third period of last Wednesday's dual. Parisi is
one of three wrestlers within the Southern Conference to be placed in the rankings
at 125 pounds.
Strickland was ranked
No. 22 in the opening poll, as he remained perfect in duals with a pin over
Duke's Randy Roden last Wednesday. With the win by fall, Strickland tallied his
20th win of the season and has won his last five bouts.
THE APPALACHIAN
LINEUP
With his win on
Wednesday, Strickland became the first wrestler in the SoCon with double-digit
dual victories, moving to 10-0 on the season. Within the 10 wins, Strickland
has accumulated three pins, a technical fall and three major decisions.
Following Strickland
in dual victories is a trio of standouts as Parisi, redshirt sophomore Paul Weiss and redshirt freshman Colin Hedash are
tied with eight dual wins on the year. Hedash joins Strickland as the only
Mountaineers with perfect 4-0 marks in conference play, while Weiss follows
with a 3-1 record.
Senior Brett
Boston, who leads the active
roster with 49 career wins, is still searching for his 50th career
victory, dropping his last two bouts.
SCOUTING THE
MOCS
Entering Sunday's
dual, Chattanooga sits at the top of the conference standings and the only team
without a loss in league play. The Mocs picked up their second SoCon victory on
Friday when they defeated Gardner-Webb, 40-6 in Boiling Springs. Chattanooga is
6-6 overall with key non-conference wins over Ohio and Princeton.
In the opening
coaches' panel rankings, Chattanooga placed four on the monthly poll. Last
season's SoCon Freshman of the Year, Nick Soto, was the highest placed UTC
wrestler at No. 16 at 125 pounds, while Niko Brown was slotted No. 19 at 197
pounds. Rounding out the list was Dean Pavlou (No. 27) at 141 pounds and Josh
Condon (28th) at 197 pounds.
THE SERIES
Appalachian and UTC
are set to meet for the 52nd time on Sunday in a series that dates
back to 1946. The Mocs control the long-standing rivalry with a 33-17-1 record
against the Mountaineers.
In last season's
meeting, the Apps claimed a key conference victory over the Mocs, the first win
over their conference rival since the 2002-03 season and broke Chattanooga's SoCon
winning streak that dated back to Feb. 2004. The win was a stepping-stone for
the Mountaineers, finishing their conference schedule with a 6-0 record and a
regular season championship.
THE LAST
MEETING
Appalachian State
21, Chattanooga 17
Feb. 5, 2012 |
Chattanooga, Tenn. | Maclellan Gym
174: Levi Clemons
(UTC) dec. Carter Downs
(ASU) 7-3. (UTC, 0-3)
184: No. 12 Austin
Trotman (ASU) pinned Cory
Canada (UTC) 1:34. (ASU, 6-3)
197: Paul Weiss (ASU) dec. Robert Prigmore (UTC) 8-3. (ASU,
9-3)
285: Kevin Malone
(UTC) dec. Joe Cummings
(ASU) 6-4. (ASU, 9-6)
125: Manuel Ramirez
(UTC) maj. dec. Tony Gravely
(ASU) 13-1. (UTC, 9-10)
133: No. 13 Nick Soto
(UTC) maj. dec. Brett Boston
(ASU) 14-3. (UTC, 9-14)
141: Mike Kessler (ASU) dec. Shawn Greevy (UTC) 8-2. (UTC,
12-14)
149: Savva Kostis (ASU) pinned Kelly Felix (UTC) 7:48. (ASU,
18-14)
157: Daniel Waddell
(UTC) dec. Chip Powell
(ASU) 5-2. (ASU, 18-17)
165: No. 16 Kyle
Blevins (ASU) dec. Brandon
Wright (UTC) 6-3. (ASU, 21-17)
