BOONE, N.C. — With the final seconds ticking away,
Codi Russell could comfortably place his head on his opponent's right shoulder and smile toward the cheering App State fans.
Moments later, Russell raised three fingers on each hand.
It was a triumphant night for the Mountaineers' three most experienced wrestlers, with two becoming three-time SoCon champions and the other experiencing a rewarding breakthrough.
Russell (133 pounds),
Jonathan Millner (149) and
Thomas Flitz (174) all secured automatic berths to the upcoming NCAA Championships in Detroit by winning titles at the SoCon Championship tournament held Saturday in the Holmes Center. Unbeaten champions of the regular season, App State finished with the second-most team points and had nine of its 10 wrestlers place in the top three of their weight classes.
The Mountaineers have six wrestlers with top-33 national rankings, so there will be the potential for App State to increase its NCAA representation through the at-large selection process.
Cody Bond (157 pounds) and
Heath Gonyer (141) were runners-up Saturday via one-point losses, with the 141 final being decided in double overtime, and the Mountaineers went 4-0 in third-place matches with victories by 31st-ranked
Caleb Smith, 19th-ranked
Will Formato (165),
Barrett Blakely (184) and
Michael Burchell (heavyweight).
Ranked fourth nationally, Millner pulled out a 5-4 decision against ninth-ranked Josh Heil of Campbell to make it 3-for-3 in SoCon titles since he became a starter. Three more wins Saturday gave him a 31-0 career record in SoCon duals/championship tournaments, plus Most Outstanding Wrestler recognition.
Flitz reached the 174 final for the third straight year, and the second time as a No. 1 seed, before claiming his first title with a 3-2 decision against Campbell's Austin Murphy in a match that went to 30-second Tiebreaker-1 periods.
Tied at 1-1 after three periods, neither wrestler scored in a two-minute Sudden Victory-1 period. That meant a pair of 30-second periods with each wrestler getting a turn on bottom and the winner likely being the one who earned an escape more quickly. Flitz needed only nine seconds to execute his, and then he stayed on top of Murphy for 12 seconds to start the next 30-second stint.
A smiling Flitz rocked back on his knees and lowered his face into the mat with two hands on his head as he realized what he had accomplished. After raising two index fingers toward the heavens and burying his face into his hands, he walked over to hug coaches
Ian Miller,
Randall Diabe and
JohnMark Bentley.
Russell, a SoCon champion in 2019 and 2021, faced serious trouble in Saturday's final against top-seeded Brayden Palmer of Chattanooga. Russell was fortunate to give up only a four-point near fall in the second period, but he quickly turned that 4-0 deficit into a 6-4 lead with a reversal and four-point near fall. A riding time point gave him a 7-4 decision.
It was a special night for a trio of veterans who have combined for 264 college wins, including seven SoCon titles.
125 pounds: #2 Caleb Smith (Third place)
QF: def. #7 Cameron Chicella, VMI (W, Fall, 3:53)
SF: vs. #3 Korbin Meink, Campbell (L, Dec, 5-3 SV-1)
Consolation Semi: def. #4 Aedyn Concepcion, Gardner-Webb (W, MD, 8-0)
Consolation Final: def. #6 Benny Gomez, Presbyterian (W, Dec., 8-1)
133 pounds: #2 Codi Russell
QF: def. #7 Dominic Chavez, Presbyterian (W, TF, 18-2)
SF: def. #3 Jake Rotunda, The Citadel (W, MD, 12-4)
FINAL: def. #1 Brayden Palmer, Chattanooga (W, Dec., 7-4)
141 pounds: #2 Heath Gonyer
QF: def. #7 Jackson Bradford, The Citadel (W, Fall, 1:35)
SF: def. Trevon Majette, Gardner-Webb (W, Dec., 9-8)
FINAL: vs. #1 Shannon Hanna, Campbell (L, Dec., 10-4 TB-1)
149 pounds: #1 Jonathan Millner
QF: def. #8 Luke Fegley, VMI (W, Fall 4:35)
SF: def. #5 Brandon Bright, Gardner-Webb (W, TF, 18-2)
FINAL: def. #2 Josh Heil, Campbell (W, Dec., 5-4)
157 pounds: #2 Cody Bond
QF: def. #7 Taylor Parks, Gardner-Webb (W, MD, 11-2)
SF: def. #3 JoJo Aragona, Campbell (W, Dec., 9-6)
FINAL: vs. #1 Dazjon Casto, The Citadel (L, Dec., 5-4)
165 pounds: #2 Will Formato (Third place)
QF: def. #7 Jaden Hardrick, Davidson (W, Dec., 2-0)
SF: vs. #3 RJ Mosley, Gardner-Webb (L, Dec., 5-2)
Consolation Semi: def. #5 Blake Showers, VMI (W, Fall, 2:56)
Consolation Final: def. #6 Troy Nation, Campbell (W, MD, 11-1)
True 2nd Match: vs. #1 Drew Nicholson, Chattanooga (L, Dec. 6-2)
174 pounds: #1 Thomas Flitz
QF: def. #8 Lachlan Rosato, Davidson (W, TF, 17-1)
SF: def. #5 Jon Hoover, VMI (W, Dec., 6-1)
FINAL: def. #2 Austin Murphy, Campbell (W, Dec., 3-2 TB-1)
184 pounds: #4 Barrett Blakely (Third place)
QF: def. #5 Gavin Henry, Davidson (W, MD, 10-2)
SF: vs. #1 Caleb Hopkins, Campbell (L, Dec., 5-3)
Consolation Semi: def. #6 Cole Burke, The Citadel (W, Dec., 8-1)
Consolation Final: def. #2 Thomas Sell, Chattanooga (W, Dec., 6-4)
197 pounds: #6 Wyatt Miller
QF: vs. #3 Tyler Mousaw, VMI (L, Fall, 2:33)
Consolation Round 1: def. Ben Stemmet, The Citadel (W, Dec., 4-2 SV-1)
Consolation Semi: vs. #4 Anthony Perrine, Gardner-Webb (L, Dec., 3-2)
285 pounds: #3 Michael Burchell
QF: def. #6 Matthias Ervin, Chattanooga (W, Dec., 6-1)
SF: vs. #2 Michael McAleavey, The Citadel (L, Dec., 5-2)
Consolation Semi: def. #5 Peyton McComas, Gardner-Webb (W, MD, 10-1)
Consolation Final: def. #4 Mitchell Trigg, Davidson (W, MD, 16-6)
Team standings
1. Campbell – 100.5
2. App State – 95.0
3. Chattanooga - 79.0
4. Gardner-Webb – 51.0
5. The Citadel - 38.5
6. Davidson – 12.5
7. VMI – 12.0
8. Presbyterian – 6.5
Individual champions/NCAA qualifiers
125 – Fabian Gutierrez, Chattanooga
133 –
Codi Russell, App State
141 – Shannon Hanna, Campbell
149 –
Jonathan Millner, App State
157 – Dazjon Casto, The Citadel
165 – RJ Mosley, Gardner-Webb
174 –
Thomas Flitz, App State
184 – Caleb Hopkins, Campbell
197 – Matthew Waddell, Chattanooga
HWT – Taye Ghadiali, Campbell
Additional automatic NCAA allocations
125 – Korbin Meink, Campbell
133 – Brayden Palmer, Chattanooga
149 – Joshua Heil, Campbell
165 – Drew Nicholson, Chattanooga
HWT – Michael McAleavey, The Citadel
Southern Conference Coach of the Year
JohnMark Bentley, App State
Tournament Most Outstanding Wrestler
Jonathan Millner, 149, App State
Pinnacle Award (student-athlete with the highest GPA on the championship-winning team)
Levi Hopkins, R-So., Campbell
