BOONE, N.C. — App State Wrestling clinched at least a share of a SoCon regular-season title in dominant fashion, setting the stage for a big rivalry matchup against Campbell to close the regular season next Sunday in Varsity Gym.
The Mountaineers improved to 8-3 overall and 7-0 in the league thanks to a 52-0 home shutout of Davidson on Sunday. They recorded six pins, including five in a row during one crowd-pleasing stretch, on the way to their Division I-leading 19th dual shutout since the calendar flipped to 2020.
With the six pins, one tech fall, two major decisions and one decision, App State also tallied its most team points in a dual that had no forfeits since
JohnMark Bentley became the program's head coach in 2009. Two seasons ago, the Mountaineers had six pins and no wins by forfeit in a 50-0 shutout of Queens.
It was the 10th time that App State has scored 50-plus points in Bentley's 16 seasons.
App State's home victory against Davidson (4-13, 2-6), coupled with a 24-11 loss at The Citadel by a previously unbeaten but shorthanded Campbell team Friday night, means the Camels (6-1 SoCon) would need to beat the Mountaineers next weekend in their 3 p.m. showdown to earn a share of the league's regular-season title and prevent App State from claiming an outright title.
With the Mountaineers ahead 8-0 against the Wildcats,
Logan Eller (184 pounds),
Carson Floyd (197 pounds),
Stephan Monchery (heavyweight),
Bryson Terrell (125 pounds) and
Chad Bellis (133 pounds) produced pins in rapid succession before the dual ended with a pin from
Jeremiah Price at 157 pounds.
Aldo Hernandez needed less than a full period to win by a 15-0 tech fall at 141 pounds, and
Kaden Keiser won an 11-5 decision against the most accomplished wrestler in Davidson's lineup, Tyler-Xavier McKnight, who arrived in Boone with a 22-11 record.
The dual began at 165 pounds, with back-to-back matches involving ranked App State wrestlers, and No. 7
Will Miller won an 18-5 major decision before No. 29
Luke Uliano prevailed by a 14-0 major decision.
Eller got the ball rolling, needing only two seconds to get in on a successful shot and 11 seconds to finish his first takedown. He won by fall midway through the first period, and Floyd finished his match in 2:08. After a scoreless first period, Monchery immediately followed an escape with an emphatic bullrush of a takedown that precipitated his second-period fall.
Terrell recorded a fall in the first minute of the second period, and Bellis needed only 1:46 to finish his match on a day in which he was one of seven wrestlers to go through Senior Day recognitions. That group also included Miller, Uliano,
Dalton Battle,
Oren Bost and
Riley Edwards.
Hernandez followed an early takedown with three sets of four-point near falls to end his match with 17 seconds remaining in the first period, and Keiser finished strong after giving up the first takedown to McKnight. Keiser trailed 3-1 after one period but had two second-period takedowns, including one with three seconds left in the period, before adding another takedown in the third.
From there, Price needed just 3:32 to close the dual with another App State victory.
The 2024-25 season is presented by Hungry Howie's and Penn Station.
App State 52, Davidson 0
165: #7
Will Miller (APP) def. Bryce Griffin (DC), 18-5 maj. dec.
174: #29
Luke Uliano (APP) def. Marc Koch (DC), 14-0 maj. dec.
184:
Logan Eller (APP) def. Josh Lange (DC), fall (1:30)
197: #29
Carson Floyd (APP) def. Savoy New (DC), fall (2:08)
Hwt:
Stephan Monchery (APP) def. DJ Spring II (DC), fall (3:18)
125:
Bryson Terrell (APP) def. Luke Passarelli (DC), fall (3:43)
133:
Chad Bellis (APP) def. Hale Robinson (DC), fall (1:46)
141:
Aldo Hernandez (APP) def. Marley Washington (DC), 15-0 tech fall
149:
Kaden Keiser (APP) def. Tyler-Xavier McKnight (DC), 11-5 dec.
157:
Jeremiah Price (APP) def. Matt McLaughlin (DC), fall (3:32)
Attendance: 750
App State duals with 50-plus points under Coach Bentley
2011-12: 50-0 vs. Belmont Abbey
2014-15: 50-3 vs. Campbell
2015-16: 51-0 vs. Anderson
2016-17: 50-0 vs. Belmont Abbey
2018-19: 55-0 vs. Sacred Heart
2020-21: 54-0 vs. Presbyterian
2022-23: 50-0 vs. Queens
2023-24: 51-3 vs. Greensboro College
2023-24: 54-0 vs. Presbyterian
2024-25: 52-0 vs. Davidson
