In a battle between the Southern Conference’s top teams, Appalachian State University wrestling conquered Chattanooga, 21-17 Sunday.

Senior Savva Kostis’s overtime pin toward the end of the competition gave his team the energy to keep fighting.

“Getting the pin was a huge momentum swing,” Kostis said. “I think it inspired and motivated our team.”

With the Mountaineers’ (10-3, 4-0) first victory over the Mocs (11-4, 4-1) in nine years, VMI and Davidson are the only teams that stand in the way of ASU’s first undefeated season under head coach JohnMark Bentley. A triumph against either SoCon adversary would at least secure a share of the regular-season championship for the Apps.

“We definitely know that our season is not over,” Bentley said. “We are going to enjoy this one and then get back to work tomorrow. Then we are going to focus on the regular season title, the conference tournament, and the NCAA championships.”

It was defending SoCon Champion Chattanooga’s first conference loss since the 2003-04 season and its reign over the Southern Conference might be over, as Appalachian controls its own destiny to win the conference title.

“The win is huge for the program,” Bentley said. “Our guys are doing the right things and this win should be a swing board for a lot more to come.”

Chattanooga started well with a 7-3 decision. Senior Austin Trotman, at 184 pounds, answered quickly with a pin in the first round, giving his team a 6-3 lead.

Freshman Paul Weiss secured a significant victory with an 8-3 decision that widened Appalachian’s lead to 9-3.

Then Chattanooga put together three straight victories, retaking a 14-9 lead.

Appalachian State senior Mike Kessler broke the streak, earning three takedowns and an 8-2 decision at 141 pounds.

Next Kostis came onto the mat and sent his match to overtime with the score tied at 1-1.

In the sudden-victory period Kostis forced a takedown and took advantage of his position with a pin. Kostis’s’ pin earned his team six points and Appalachian pulled ahead 18-14.

With two matches left, Chattanooga continued to scrap and earned a 5-2 decision at 157 pounds, bringing the score to 18-17 with one match remaining.

In the final match of the day Kyle Blevins held his ground and earned a closely contested 6-3 decision, which led to a huge 21-17 win for Appalachian State.

“We have been working on this win for the past couple of weeks,” senior Austin Trotman said. “We trained our butts off to get this win.”

With its 10th win of the season, Appalachian has grasped its first winning season since the 2007-08 season.

Appalachian will return home to take on VMI Friday and No. 20 Virginia Saturday. Both matches begin at 6:30 p.m.

Story: CHASE ERICKSON, Intern Sports Reporter