BOONE, N.C. — Heath Gonyer's title in a 141-pound bracket with two App State finalists highlighted the action at the Appalachian Open in Varsity Gym on Saturday.
The Mountaineers' four official finalists included Gonyer and
Tyler Kellison at 141, with Gonyer claiming the title via a medical forfeit in a bracket that had three semifinalists from App State.
Wrestling unattached,
Ethan Oakley was the runner-up to North Carolina starter Joe Heilmann in a 133-pound bracket that also included three semifinalists from App State, and
Brett Mordecai used three wins at 174 pounds to reach a final against bracket champion Clay Lautt, the 14th-ranked standout from North Carolina.
Mordecai advanced to the semifinal round with a third-period pin against Virginia's Robby Patrick, who held leads of 6-0 and 8-1. Mordecai then won a 3-2 decision against Virginia's Hudson Stewart to reach the final.
Additionally, with only two entries at 125 pounds, App State true freshman
Chad Bellis went 2-0 with pins in 1:46 and 50 seconds.
The Mountaineers had 10 semifinalists, not counting Bellis' unblemished day at 125, and App State's third-place finishes came from
Sean Carter (133) and
Jacob Sartorio (285). They both went 4-1, with Sartorio winning the third-place match on a last-second reversal that turned a possible 4-3 loss into a 5-4 win against The Citadel's Jonathan Chesser.
Carter reached the third-place match alongside teammate
Kobe Early, who had three pins during a 3-1 start to his day, including one of 10th-ranked Jaime Hernandez from North Carolina. Carter capped his day with a 9-2 decision as Early finished fourth.
Isaac Byers joined Gonyer and Kellison as a 141 semifinalist thanks to a 2-0 start that involved a 4-3 decision and second-period pin. He finished fourth in that bracket.
The day's most dramatic match involved App State's
Will Miller and Ohio's Kamal Adewumi. They went to overtime tied at 14-all (despite Miller trailing 8-2 after one period), and Miller delivered a pin in the first 30 seconds of the Sudden Victory period.
Miller finished fourth in his bracket, as did
Tommy Askey (157). They both went 3-2.
The 2021-22 wrestling season is presented by Hungry Howies and Penn Station.
