As has become a summer tradition,?appstatesports.com?is counting down Appalachian State University athletics' 30 most memorable games, matches and meets from the 2015-16 academic year. This year's countdown begins on Tuesday, July 5 and will continue until Thursday, August 4.
Be sure to check?appstatesports.com?each day to relive all of the Mountaineers' most lasting memories of an exciting and successful 2015-16.
Weaver and Van Ord Garner SBC Postseason Honors
March 2, 2016
NEW ORLEANS -?Appalachian State University track and field head coach John Weaver was named the?Women's Indoor Track and Field Head Coach of the Year and Tristin Van Ord was chosen as the?Women's Indoor Track Athlete of the Year, as announced by the Sun Belt on Wednesday.
This recognition comes just over one week after the women's team captured the school's first ever Sun Belt team title by taking first at the league's indoor meet with 101.5 points, two points more than defending champion, Texas State. Weaver picks up right where he left off from the SoCon where he was named coach of the year 41 times (including cross country) and Van Ord continues to add to her impressive resume.
Since the 2014-15 SBC Indoor Championships, Weaver's Mountaineers improved their standing from sixth to first and point total 47.5 points from 54 to 101.5.
Van Ord played a crucial role in App State bringing home the title as she only competed in two events, but won both of them to put 20 points towards the team score. The junior took first place in both the 3,000 (9:43.54) and the 5,000 (16:47.37) and is now a three-time Sun Belt indoor champion as she also won the 5,000 last season.
For the 2015-16 indoor season, the Chapel Hill, N.C., native competed a total of six times amongst the mile, 3,000 and 5,000. Those six races ended with three titles, two second-place finishes and one third place. That production came at the heels of a cross country campaign in which?Van Ord won one meet, placed in the top 10 for four of the five meets she competed in and finished in 20th out of 235 total runners at the NCAA Southeast Regional.
For her career including cross country, Van Ord has been named all-conference five times, received a weekly honor from the Sun Belt five times, is a five-time SBC champ in both indoor and outdoor, has been named all-academic twice by the USTFCCCA, and was named a Division I Scholar Athlete by the USTFCCCA last season. Not to mention, her name is all over the program's record books for fastest times.
Weaver and Van Ord will lead the women's team into the outdoor season, which is set to begin on March 18-19 at the Wake Forest Invitational in Winston-Salem, N.C.
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Wrestling Claims Southern Conference Championship
March 5, 2016
ASHEVILLE, N.C. ??The 2016 Southern Conference Championship came down to the final period of the final championship match.?Denzel Dejournette?delivered in the final moments of the heavyweight match to claim Appalachian State University wrestling's first SoCon Tournament title since 2003.?
The Mountaineers (12-4, 6-1 SoCon) trailed 77-73.5 to five-time defending champion Chattanooga going into the championship matches. 2016 SoCon Champions?Michael Longo?at 141 pounds,?Nick Kee?at 174 pounds, and Dejournette all secured wins to snap the Mocs run as champions.?
"I'm so proud of this team, and how they battled today," said 2015-16 SoCon Coach of the Year?JohnMark Bentley.?"This Championship took a team effort! Our focus now on getting some All-Americans."
Longo used a first round pin of Billy McClelland of Davidson to advance to the semi-final match at 141 pounds. Longo was down early but fought back to pin John Muldoon of SIUE in the second round to secure his spot in the finals. Longo defeated Mike Pongracz of Chattanooga in a low-scoring contest for the second-straight year. With the win, Longo is headed to New York for his second trip the NCAA Championship in as many seasons.
Kee dominated his opening match against Nathaniel Powers of Davidson, winning by 17-0 technical fall. Kee marched on the 174-pound final with a 13-4 major decision over Conner McMahon. Like Longo, Kee completed his unblemished SoCon season in the championship match, winning by 14-6 major decision over Sean Mappes. Kee will head to the NCAA Championship for the first time in his career.
Dejournette cruised to an opening round technical fall over Will Cooley of Davidson, winning 17-2. Dejournette continued to roll with a 12-2 major decision in the semifinal to set up a rematch of the 2015 heavyweight championship with Jared Johnson of Chattanooga. A late takedown gave Dejournette a 4-2 decision win, his third win of the year over Johnson
App State had two wrestlers finish as runner-ups for the second-consecutive year.?Vito Pasone?placed second at 125 pounds while?Forrest Przybysz?placed second at 165 pounds.?
Pasone needed just over a minute to rack up a 16-0 technical fall victory over Zamir Ode of Davidson. In the semi-final, Pasone notched his second technical fall of the afternoon over Alonzo Allen of Chattanooga to punch his ticket into the 125-pound final. Pasone lead for most of the first two periods, but came up just short of a trip to nationals and had to settle for runner-up. Alfredo Rodriguez took control in the third period and went on to win 17-10.
Przybysz shut out Davidson's Adam Flatt 12-0 in his opening round match to advance to the semi-final of the 165-pound bracket. Przybysz won a nail-biting semifinal match with a takedown in the overtime period to advance to a SoCon final for the second consecutive season. Przybysz competed hard all match and used a late flurry to tie the match in the third period against Austin Trott of Gardner-Webb. Trott's riding time proved to be the difference as he used the extra point to win, 5-4.
Along with the five wrestlers that were in the finals, the Apps had another four third-place matches.?Irvin Enriquez?placed 3rd at 133 pounds and?Matt Zovistoski,?Taylor Jackson, and?Randall Diabe?all placed fourth.
App State's three conference champions will be headed to New York Ciy for the NCAA Championship held at Madison Square Garden on starting on Mar. 17.
Team standings
Appalachian State ? 83.5
Chattanooga ? 83.0
Gardner-Webb ? 61.5
SIUE ? 51.5
Campbell ? 46.5
The Citadel ? 34.5
VMI ? 27.0
Davidson ? 5.5
Individual champions/NCAA qualifiers
125 ? Freddie Rodriguez, SIUE
133 ? Nathan Kraisser, Campbell
141 ??Michael Longo, Appalachian State
149 ? John Fahy, SIUE
157 ? Kamaal Shakur, Chattanooga
165 ? Austin Trott, Gardner-Webb
174 ??Nick Kee, Appalachian State
184 ? Ville Heino, Campbell
197 ? Scottie Boykin, Chattanooga
HWT ??Denzel Dejournette, Appalachian State
Additional NCAA allocations
157 ? Neal Richards, VMI
HWT ? Jared Johnson, Chattanooga; Boyce Cornwell, Gardner-Webb
Southern Conference Coach of the Year
JohnMark Bentley, Appalachian State
Tournament Most Outstanding Wrestler
Kamaal Shakur, Chattanooga
Appalachian State Athletics' Most Memorable Moments of 2015-16?
No. 30: Women's Tennis 4, Georgia Southern 2 (April 20, 2016)
No. 29:?App State Knocks Off No. 24 Duke (December 15, 2015)
No. 28:?Another 8-7 Walkoff Win Clinches Series Victory (April 4, 2016)
No. 27: Apps Catch Fire in Resilient Win (January 28, 2016)No. 26: Mountaineers Receive Votes for AP Top 25 (October 15, 2015)No. 25: Men's Tennis Ousts Troy, Advances to SBC Semis (April 22, 2016)
No. 24: Apps Down GSU with Clutch Plays in Late Moments (Feb. 27, 2016)No. 23: Frank Eaves Nets 1,000 Career points in 76-67 Win over GSU (Jan. 21, 2015)
No. 22: Jalin Moore Breaks Freshman Rushing Record in 47-20 Win (Nov. 14, 2015)No. 21: Van Ord Leads App State with 10,000-Meter Win - Sun Belt Champ (May 13, 2016)No. 20: Broaden Claims Sun Belt Title in 400-Meter Hurdles - Sun Belt Champ (May 13, 2016)No. 19: Moriarty Cards Career-Low 65; Ties Program Record (March 7, 2016)No. 18: Pepper Butler Graduates During Special Ceremony (March 19, 2016)
No. 17:?Mountaineers Down NJIT, Advance to SBC Semifinal (Nov. 12, 2015)
No. 16: Women's Golf Wins Mimosa Hills Intercollegiate (April 4, 2016)No. 15: Men's and Women's XC Take Home Second at SBC Championships (November 1, 2015)
No. 14: Dawson Secures First Win as Head Coach (August 30, 2015)No. 13:?Mountaineers Walk Past No. 23 South Alabama, 4-3 (April 15, 2016)No. 12:?Apps Down Little Rock, Advance to Semi-Final Match (November 4, 2015)No. 11:?Denzel Dejournette Wins SoCon Wrestler of the Year (March 2, 2016)No. 10: Keller Named Offensive Student-Athlete of the Year (November 19, 2015)No. 9: Blair Headlines 13 All-Sun Belt Honorees (December 9, 2015)
No. 8: Gorham Throws Gem in Game Two vs. UL Lafayette (May 7, 2016)
No. 7: Mountaineers Belt Ga. Southern, End Eagles' Streak (October 22, 2015)No. 6: Volleyball Sweeps into SBC Title Match (November 21, 2015)No. 5: Men's Basketball Downs No. 35 RPI Little Rock (March 3, 2016)No. 4:
John Weaver and
JohnMark Bentley earn COTY awards (March 2 and 5, 2016)
