BOONE, N.C. — The first home appearance of the 2018-19 season for Appalachian State Wrestling will be a top-30 showdown with North Carolina.
The dual meet Sunday in Varsity Gym is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.
Tickets, which can be purchased by
clicking HERE, are $10 for adults and $5 for youth. The match will also be available to watch on AppVision.
After a 2-1 showing at the Northeast Duals in New York two weeks ago, App State is one spot outside the Top 25 of the NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll, leading the "others receiving votes" category. North Carolina jumped from No. 24 to No. 15 this week thanks to a 20-15 road victory against Arizona State.
At the 10 weight classes, the Mountaineers have eight wrestlers who started duals last year for a team that won a third straight Southern Conference regular season championship.
Randall Diabe is currently ranked No. 14 at 197 pounds by Trackwrestling, while
Alan Clothier is No. 21 at 184 pounds and
Codi Russell is No. 23 at 133 pounds. In addition to the experience of fellow returners such as
Cary Miller (heavyweight),
Irvin Enriquez (141),
Angel Najar (157),
Joe Accousti (165) and
Thomas Flitz (174), App State has received strong performances from up-and-coming redshirt freshmen such as
Jonathan Millner (149 pounds) and
Andy Richard (125).
Millner has a 2-1 dual record this year, and he won four straight matches during a sixth-place finish last weekend at the Keystone Classic. Richard has a 2-0 dual record, and he went 4-2 at the Keystone Classic to finish fourth in his weight class.
North Carolina's probable lineup includes standouts such as No. 6 Chip Ness (184), No. 7 Kennedy Monday (157), No. 15 Austin O'Connor (149), No. 16 Cory Daniel (heavyweight) and No. 25 Austin Headlee (141).
Two years ago, in Varsity Gym, the Mountaineers claimed an 18-16 victory against a 25th-ranked UNC team. Diabe and Enriquez were App State starters in that match, and the Tar Heels posted a home win against a young Appalachian squad last year in Chapel Hill.
Season tickets for App State Wrestling are also available for $35 (adults) and $15 (youth) by
clicking HERE for an online purchase, contacting the ticket office at
828-262-2079 or going to the App State athletics ticket office located at the Holmes Center.
PROBABLE LINEUPS:
Appalachian State
125:
Andy Richard
133:
Codi Russell or
Dawson Bates
141:
Irvin Enriquez
149:
Jonathan Millner
157:
Angel Najar
165:
Joe Accousti or
Michael Elliott
174:
Thomas Flitz
184:
Alan Clothier
197:
Randall Diabe
HWT:
Cary Miller
North Carolina
125: Joe Heilmann
133: James Szymanski
141: A.C. Headlee or Jaime Hernandez
149: Austin O'Connor
157: Kennedy Monday
165: Josh McClure or Sawyer Davidson
174: Devin Kane
184: Chip Ness
197: Chasen Blair or Hunter Queen
HWT: Cory Daniel
