Black & Gold Tribune Story: Cary Miller
Career: Two-time SoCon champion went 95-39 as a heavyweight to finish No. 8 on App State’s career wins list … Finished career with 31 pins … Two-time NCAA Championships qualifier won a match at the NCAAs as a junior … Won SoCon titles as a junior and senior … All-SoCon as a junior … Capped career and qualified for the canceled NCAA Championships in 2020 with a dramatic OT win against a top-15 opponent in the SoCon title match … In following heavyweight Denzel Dejournette, they formed the winningest combo of back-to-back wrestlers from one weight class in App State history, combining for 208 wins … Finished career with a 34-9 dual record and a 19-2 record in SoCon duals.
2019-20: Capped a 32-5 season as a heavyweight with a dramatic victory in the SoCon Championship match … Posted a 5-3 overtime decision against 13th-ranked Jere Heino thanks to his takedown with 37 seconds left in the one-minute Sudden Victory-1 period … Named Co-Most Outstanding Wrestler at the SoCon Championship … Seeded 17th for the NCAA Championships that were canceled by the coronavirus pandemic … With 32 wins as a senior, ended career at No. 9 on App State’s single-season wins list … Ranked No. 16 in the RPI and No. 20 by the Coaches Panel following conference championship weekend … Went 11-1 in App State’s duals and 6-1 in SoCon duals … With nine pins (all in the first period), was tied for 26th nationally and seventh among D1 heavyweights … With nine wins by pin, eight by major decision and three by tech fall, had wins worthy of bonus points in 20 of his 32 victories … In 11 dual wins, scored an average of 4.8 points with 10 victories accompanied by bonus points … Had first-period pins in back-to-back SoCon Championship wins leading up to the final … Also finished first at the Wolfpack Open, Keystone Classic and Appalachian Open … Placed sixth at the Southern Scuffle thanks to a 3-0 start at the event … Four of five losses occurred against wrestlers seed fifth, 11th, 15th and 20th for the NCAA Championships … Had wins against wrestlers seeded 15th (Heino), 23rd (Virginia’s Quinn Miller) and 30th (UNC’s Andrew Gunning) in the NCAA bracket.
2018-19: All-Southern Conference at heavyweight and an automatic NCAA Championships qualifier thanks to his title at the SoCon Championship in Boone ... Finished a 24-13 season by going 1-2 at the NCAAs in Pittsburgh, where he followed a loss to highly ranked Amar Dhesi of Oregon State with a 3-2 decision against Virginia Tech’s Billy Miller. Had a tirebreaking takedown with 40 seconds left in that victory and lost a 3-0 decision against Northwestern’s Conan Jennings … Seeded 27th in the NCAA bracket … Went 12-4 in App State’s duals and 6-0 in SoCon duals ... Entering the NCAA Championships, was ranked No. 28 nationally by the NCAA Coaches’ Panel ... An 8-1 decision against Campbell’s Odgerel Batkhishig capped a run in which Miller went 8-0 with three pins, one technical fall and two major decisions against SoCon opponents (regular season and tournament) ... Member of the Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll .. Improved career record to 63-34 and increased career total to 22 wins by fall, including nine as a junior.
2017-18: Went 18-9 at 285 pounds to improve his career record to 40-21 … Ended season at No. 32 in the coaches’ rankings at the heavyweight spot … 9-4 dual record included a 6-1 mark in Southern Conference duals … SoCon Tournament runner-up … App State clinched its SoCon regular season title as Miller turned a 16-15 deficit into an 18-16 victory thanks to his 7-5 decision against Connor Tolley in the final match … Won first two SoCon Tournament matches by fall in 1:48 and an 11-0 major decision … Finished season with six pins, all in the first period, including one in 54 seconds against VMI … Won by major decision at Oklahoma and had a key 3-1 decision in an 18-14 win at Ohio.
2016-17: Went 21-12 at 285 pounds while often wrestling behind All-America heavyweight Denzel Dejournette ... 2-0 mark in dual meets included a SoCon victory against Davidson and a nonconference win against Sacred Heart.
2015-16: During his redshirt year, finished 18-11 and competed in the Southern Scuffle ... Got key victories over Campbell, Stanford and Drexel.
High School: Three-time all-conference wrestler at Northwest Guilford ... 4-A state champion at 220 pounds as a senior, capping 45-0 season with a 10-0 major decision ... Four-time All-American ... All-conference in football.
Personal: Son of Dain Miller ... Has four siblings: Issac, Ian, Lizzy, and Meg ... Born Oct. 19, 1996.
