BOONE, N.C. — The pursuit of an 8-0 run to a SoCon regular season wrestling title continues for two programs.
They meet Sunday afternoon to open a high-stakes tripleheader in Varsity Gym.
No. 20 App State (9-2 overall, 5-0 SoCon) ends the regular season with a three-dual day, starting with a 2 p.m. showdown against Campbell (16-8, 7-0 SoCon). The Mountaineers need to defeat the Camels, then win duals against Presbyterian (1-5 SoCon) and Davidson (1-5 SoCon) at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively, to secure another league title.
Doors will open at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday for App State students (who are admitted free with a student ID) and season ticket holders. Other attendees can begin entering at 1 p.m.
A big crowd, with supporters of both the Mountaineers and Camels, is expected. Fans can purchase tickets in advance by
clicking HERE, with a tripleheader cost of $20 for adults and $10 for youth. Varsity Gym does have a clear bag policy for wrestling duals, with more info available by
clicking HERE.
App State home duals are streamed live at by Yosef Media, with access available by subscribing to
The Grind's Rokfin channel with a pay-per-view rate of $10 per App State dual.
The Rivers Street Deck across from Varsity Gym is the most popular parking option for wrestling events, with fans entering the corner of the gym adjacent to the loading dock area off Rivers Street.
The annual matchups between App State and Campbell are routinely filled with lots of action, intensity and excitement. Among the 10 weight classes, the Mountaineers and Camels each have seven starters with national rankings of some kind.
Since the start of the 2016-17 season, App State is 44-3 in SoCon duals and Campbell is 43-5. Of the previous six seasons, in addition to one shared regular season title, App State has three outright titles and Campbell accounts for the other two. The Mountaineers finished second during each of Campbell's outright titles in that stretch, and the Camels placed second during two of App State's three outright titles.
The head-to-match matchups are just as compelling as the championship races.
In the previous five duals between the Mountaineers and Camels, with 50 individual matches contested, App State has won 26 of them, compared to 24 by Campbell. Of those 50 matches, 26 have been decided in overtime, by one point in regulation or by two points in regulation.
App State is wrestling Campbell in Boone for the second straight season, after the Mountaineers had to make consecutive trips to Buies Creek in 2020 and 2021. Last year, the Mountaineers built a 16-3 lead in Varsity Gym before the Camels closed to within 16-13 thanks to three straight wins at the heaviest weight classes, but
Caleb Smith's overtime win at 125 pounds in the final match produced a 19-13 victory.
The recent final scores in this series, which App State leads 29-4:
2022: 19-13, App State
2021: 21-17, Campbell
2020: 20-13, Campbell
2019: 19-17, Campbell
2018: 18-12, App State
2017: 24-13, App State
After the emotional opener, no matter the outcome, the Mountaineers will have to shift their focus to the remaining duals against Presbyterian and Davidson. App State will recognize two managers and five wrestlers (
Cody Bond,
Will Formato,
Mason Fiscella,
Jon Jon Millner and
Chopper Mordecai) during a Senior Day ceremony between the Presbyterian and Davidson matches.
Presbyterian recently picked up its first-ever SoCon dual win, edging a Gardner-Webb team that's in position to finish fourth in the league, and Davidson is led by a first-year head coach in Nate Carr Jr. Carr, who finished his college wrestling career at Iowa State, is a member of a family that holds the NCAA record for most All-Americans within one family.
The 2022-23 season is presented by Hungry Howie's and Penn Station.
App State has posted its highest-ever ranking in the NWCA Coaches Poll this season — it was as high as No. 16 in InterMat's rankings, back in 2016-17, and is currently ranked No. 16 by The Open Mat.
