BOONE, N.C. – After sweeping two duals on a travel-heavy Thursday, App State Wrestling hosts SoCon opponent Bellarmine and top-10 national power Cornell on Sunday in Varsity Gym.
The Mountaineers (8-3, 5-1 SoCon) will face Bellarmine (13-4, 3-3 SoCon) at 11:30 a.m., and the dual against the ninth-ranked Big Red (10-4) is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
There will be 1980s and student appreciation themes to the day, with a T-shirt giveaway to the first 75 students in attendance and free headbands from Alumni Hall for all fans in attendance, while supplies last.
A
ticket to Sunday's doubleheader, the last of three premium events on App State's home schedule, costs $20 (it's free for App State students who show a student ID). 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.
Free of charge, fans not attending will be able to watch on the
App State Wrestling Facebook page, the
App State Athletics YouTube page or the
Twitch.TV channel for App State Athletics.
Fans attending wrestling events should be aware that Varsity Gym has a clear bag policy for visitors. According to App State's clear bag policies:
- Approved bags include clear plastic bags that do not exceed 12" x 6" x 12" and small clutch purses no larger than 4.5" x 6.5".
- Bags that are not approved include diaper bags, backpacks, binocular cases, camera cases, tinted or printed pattern plastic bags, fanny packs, oversized tote bags & mesh bags, and purses exceeding 4.5" x 6.5".
The App State-Cornell matchup will be the first-ever meeting between the Mountaineers and Big Red. Cornell coach Mike Grey's wife, Kaille, is an App State alum, and App State assistant
Hunter Richard is a former Cornell standout.
App State already has faced No. 8 NC State and then-No. 21 North Carolina in Boone, plus No. 13 Virginia Tech on the road, this season.
Cornell won matches at 157, 165 and 174 pounds during a 24-9 loss to NC State on Friday. The Big Red already owns a 24-13 win against Virginia Tech, plus ranked wins against Missouri (No. 7), Little Rock (No. 18) and Pitt (No. 22). Its only losses occurred against Iowa State (No. 5), Ohio State (No. 6) and Lehigh (No. 15).
Chris Foca (184 pounds) and Jacob Cardenas (197 pounds) are returning All-Americans for Cornell listed as probable starters. The Big Red had two national champions last year in top-ranked Vito Arujau, who isn't listed as a probable starter at 133, and departed four-time national champion Yianni Diakomihalis, who ruled the 149-pound weight class where App State's
Jon Jon Millner was a multi-time All-American.
Bellarmine, which isn't eligible to compete at the SoCon Championship tournament as it completes its four-year Division I transition, is 3-3 in SoCon duals this season.
The Knights are 13-4 after starting the season with a 13-0 record that included eight wins against non-NCAA programs. That winning streak included a 3-0 start to the SoCon schedule, with victories against Presbyterian, Gardner-Webb and Davidson.
The 2023-24 season is presented by Hungry Howie's and Penn Station.
PROJECTED APP STATE LINEUP
125: Chad Bellis
133: #27 Ethan Oakley
141: Ike Byers
149: #21 Cody Bond
157: #19 Tommy Askey
165: #22 Will Miller
174: Luke Uliano
184: Tomas Brooker
197: Carson Floyd
HWT: Jacob Sartorio
PROJECTED CORNELL LINEUP
125: #15 Brett Ungar
133: Ethan Qureshi
141: Josh Saunders
149: #20 Ethan Fernandez
157: #7 Meyer Shapiro
165: #3 Julian Ramirez or Brody Oleksak
174: Benny Baker
184: #6 Chris Foca
197: #7 Jacob Cardenas
285: #16 Lewis Fernandes or Ashton Davis
PROJECTED BELLARMINE LINEUP
125: Damion Ryan
133: Trayce Eckman
141: Chase Hall or AJ Rallo
149: Zac Cowan
157: Gray Ortis or Jeb Prechtel
165: Grant O'Dell
174: Cole Nance
184: Sam Schroeder
197: Andrew Liber or Justin Hoffer
285: Thadd Huff or Will Muckler
