BOONE, N.C. – A busy weekend for App State Wrestling begins with a big dual at Campbell on Friday night at 7 p.m.
In the previous seven seasons, the Mountaineers have won four outright SoCon regular season titles, and the Camels have won two. They also shared a title during that stretch, and Campbell placed second in the league during three of App State's four outright title runs.
That's one way of saying App State and Campbell have been at the head of the class in the SoCon for an extended stretch — they are a combined 92-9 in SoCon duals since the start of the 2016-17 season, with App State holding a 48-3 record in that span. The losses were to Campbell in 2019, 2020 and 2021, including back-to-back visits to Buies Creek at the end of that streak.
When the teams meet Friday night at Gore Arena in Buies Creek, a talented but younger, new-look team from App State (4-2, 1-0 SoCon) will face a squad from Campbell (7-3, 1-0 SoCon) that could start as many as six redshirt seniors/graduate students who have been staples in the national rankings. Redshirt juniors could fill two of the other four spots in the 10-man lineup.
Tickets can be
purchased online in advance or at the door, and the dual will be
streamed via UFC Fight Pass, which carries a monthly subscription cost of $9.99.
The dual at Campbell kicks off a weekend in which App State also hosts SoCon foe VMI (6-7, 0-2 SoCon) on Sunday at 2 p.m. in Varsity Gym.
The Mountaineers were ranked in the NWCA Coaches Poll following a mid-December victory at then-No. 21 North Carolina, and App State is still at No. 22 in the dual team rankings from The Open Mat. The Mountaineers are unofficially 28th (third among others receiving votes) in this week's NWCA Coaches Poll, one spot ahead of Campbell, which has four straight victories since dropping back-to-back duals to No. 16 Stanford (19-17) and Purdue (21-17) to close the Fighting Camel Duals on Dec. 19.
Campbell's other loss is to No. 6 Nebraska, and the Camels do have wins against Army, Wyoming and North Dakota State — who are all ranked in this week's NWCA Mid-Major Poll.
In the previous six duals between the Mountaineers and Camels, with 60 individual matches contested, App State has won 32 of them, compared to 28 by Campbell. Of those 60 individual matches, 27 have been decided in overtime, by one point in regulation or by two points in regulation.
The Mountaineers' lineup includes four ranked wrestlers in
Ethan Oakley (133 pounds),
Cody Bond (149),
Tommy Askey (157) and
Will Miller (165).
Luke Uliano (174) is the reigning SoCon Wrestler of the Week, while
Carson Floyd (197) and
Jacob Sartorio (heavyweight) were SoCon runners-up last season in finals matchups with Campbell standouts.
Campbell currently has ranked wrestlers at 125 pounds (Anthony Molton), 133 (two-time NCAA qualifier Domenic Zaccone), 165 (Dom Baker), 174 (2021 SoCon champion Austin Murphy), 197 (2023 SoCon champion Levi Hopkins) and heavyweight (two-time SoCon champion and eighth-ranked Taye Ghadiali). Caleb Hopkins is currently unranked at 184, but he is a three-time SoCon champion.
Ghadiali, the Hopkins brothers, Molton, Zaccone and Murphy are all redshirt seniors or graduate students.
The 2023-24 season is presented by Hungry Howie's and Penn Station.
