BOONE, N.C. — App State wrestlers
Tommy Askey, a reigning conference champion, and
Will Miller, a returning NCAA Championships qualifier, have been named Preseason All-SoCon selections.
Coached by
JohnMark Bentley, the Mountaineers return starters from seven of 10 weight classes following a 12-2 season in which they earned a No. 20 final national dual team ranking, secured a SoCon regular-season title with an 8-0 league record, posted a SoCon sweep by winning the conference tournament and had six wrestlers qualify to compete at the NCAA Championships.
App State received one first-place vote and totaled 49 voting points to place second in the 2023-24 preseason coaches' poll behind Campbell, which totaled seven of eight first-place votes and 59 voting points. The Camels had five All-SoCon picks among the 10 weight classes, as eight of their projected starters are redshirt seniors or graduate students.
Askey finished last season at 157 pounds with a 30-13 overall record after going 11-1 in duals, 8-0 in SoCon duals and 3-0 at the SoCon Championship. He had five major decisions and two tech falls in his eight SoCon dual wins during the regular season.
Miller is projected to wrestle at 165 pounds this season after going 24-12 overall, 11-3 in duals and 7-1 in SoCon duals before being a SoCon finalist at 174 pounds during the 2022-23 campaign.
The 2023-24 season is presented by Hungry Howie's and Penn Station.
2023-24 Preseason All-Conference Team
125: Dominic Chavez, Presbyterian
133: Brayden Palmer, Chattanooga
141: Shannon Hanna, Campbell
149: Noah Castillo, Chattanooga
157:
Tommy Askey, App State
165:
Will Miller, App State
174: Austin Murphy, Campbell
184: Caleb Hopkins, Campbell
197: Levi Hopkins, Campbell
HWT: Taye Ghadiali, Campbell
2023-24 SoCon Wrestling Preseason Coaches' Poll
| School (First-place votes) |
Points |
| 1. Campbell (7) |
59 |
| 2. App State (1) |
49 |
| 3. Chattanooga |
44 |
| 4. Gardner-Webb |
37 |
| 5. The Citadel |
31 |
| 6. Davidson |
23 |
| T7. VMI |
16 |
| T7. Bellarmine |
16 |
| T7. Presbyterian |
16 |
