BOONE, N.C. — For the second time in the last three seasons, Appalachian State's wrestling team will face a top-10 opponent in Varsity Gym.
Coming off an 18-14 road victory against Ohio, App State (3-1) will take on No. 6 NC State (8-0) on Sunday at 3 p.m. The Wolfpack will be the highest-ranked program to visit Boone since No. 5 Missouri wrestled in Varsity Gym two seasons ago.
"Against Ohio, we executed and got ourselves together," App State junior
Randall Diabe said. "Going against NC State now, we feel like we can build our confidence going against a top-10 school.
"Whenever we have a big-time school come here and see the fans, it gives us more energy. Wrestling is the sport we love to do, and it's great having supporters out here to see all the hard work we're putting in."
The Mountaineers have one ranked wrestler in No. 20
Forrest Przybysz, a senior who likely will face redshirt freshman Daniel Bullard at 174 pounds. N.C. State has ranked wrestlers at 141 pounds (No. 2 Kevin Jack), 184 pounds (No. 3 Pete Renda), 197 pounds (No. 7 Michael Macchiavello), 157 pounds (No. 17 Hayden Hidlay), 149 pounds (No. 18 Beau Donahue) and 165 pounds (No. 20 Brian Hamann).
App State will be facing an ACC team for the second time this season, as
Laken Cook (157 pounds) and
Thomas Flitz (165) picked up wins in a 30-6 loss at North Carolina on Nov. 26. The following weekend, after falling behind 9-3 at Ohio, the Mountaineers stormed ahead 18-9 thanks to victories from Przybysz,
Alan Clothier (184), Diabe (197),
Cary Miller (heavyweight) and De'Andre Swinson-Barr (125).
"We had a lot of things go against us in that match and kind of got down early," head coach
JohnMark Bentley said. "More than anything, I'm proud of the way our guys battled and found a way to win, even when conditions weren't ideal. I think that's the mark of a good team — figuring out ways to get the win when things aren't perfect."
The Mountaineers came back with a lineup that includes four freshmen and three sophomores. Coming off a championship season in the Southern Conference, App State's young team took a step forward in Ohio.
"We're just using it as a momentum booster to show us we're doing the right things, that we're tough and we're a really good wrestling team," Przybysz said. "We're going to continue to work hard and do the things that make us successful, which is wrestling at a high pace, wrestling hard and hand-fighting hard, going out and scoring points and having fun."
