CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — A trio of Appalachian State wrestlers reached the medal stand at the Southern Scuffle on Wednesday, as
Randall Diabe (197 pounds) and
Alan Clothier (184) won seventh-place matches and
Matt Zovistoski (149) placed eighth.
The Mountaineers' 43 points led three Southern Conference participants and ranked 12th among 23 teams in a field paced by Penn State.
App State had five wrestlers advance to the final day of competition in Chattanooga, and Zovistoski opened with a dramatic pin of Penn State's Jarod Verkleeren.
Trailing 5-4 in the closing seconds, Zovistoski worked out of Verkleeren's grasp by twisting his body in a way that enabled him to flip his opponent on his side. Zovistoski grabbed Verkleeren's left leg, rolled over the top of him for a go-ahead takedown with four seconds left and won on an improbable pin with time expiring.
Zovistoski's next match went to six extra periods, as seventh-ranked Jarrett Degen of Iowa State won 6-5 thanks to an escape in the first of two Tiebreaker-2 periods, and Navy's Jared Prince won by a major decision in the seventh-place match. Overall, Zovistoski went 5-3 in Chattanooga.
Clothier capped a 5-2 trip with an 8-5 decision against Lehigh's Chris Weiler in the seventh-place match, and Diabe closed a 4-2 tournament by winning a 3-1 decision against Navy's Josh Roetman in the seventh-place match. Clothier used a reversal with 54 seconds left to break a 4-4 tie, and he added a takedown in the closing seconds, while Diabe recorded a takedown with 30 seconds left to break a 1-1 tie.
Diabe began his 2-1 day with a 9-4 decision against George Mason's Eli Spencer, and Clothier's 2-1 day started with a 4-0 decision against Ohio's Hunter Yeargan. Clothier, who had lost a close match to Yeargan earlier this season, scored all of his points in the third period thanks to an escape, a takedown with nine seconds left and a bonus point for riding time.
Jonathan Millner (149 pounds) and
Cary Miller (heavyweight) also competed Wednesday but lost their opening matches. Millner went 4-2 in Chattanooga, and Miller was 3-2.
App State returns to action Tuesday in Varsity Gym with its first Southern Conference dual meet of the season. The Mountaineers face Gardner-Webb at 7 p.m.
Single-match tickets are $7 for adults and $3 for youth. Those can be purchased by
clicking HERE.
