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Monday, 20 February 2012 23:00 |
 Senior Kyle Blevins, ranked 15th nationally, holds control of a Davidson wrestler. Blevins won his match and the team brought back the SoCon championship Sunday afternoon at home. Paul Heckert | The Appalachian
The Mountaineers started off the weekend with a dominating 29-6 victory over non-conference opponent Duke Saturday.
Sophomore Russ Brenner got Appalachian started at 149 pounds. In his first dual- meet match of the season, Brenner went on to win an 11-2 major decision.
Next, senior Chip Powell, at 157 pounds, earned a 12-5 victory. Fellow senior Kyle Blevins sealed an 8-2 win at 165 pounds.
Senior Austin Trotman, ranked No. 12 in the nation in the NCAA coaches’ poll, forced three takedowns in the final period of his match and earned a 12-4 major decision.
Junior Tony Gravely, 125 pounds, was down 8-6 with 10 seconds left in the third period, before he miraculously pulled off a match-tying reversal. Then Gravely forced a pin with less than five seconds to go, giving the Apps a 26-3 lead.
“I just kept thinking, the match isn’t over until that final buzzer rings,” Gravely said. “I just stayed [in] good position, got underneath his leg, turned into him and pinned him up.”
Duke won the 133-pound match with Brandon Gambucci’s 8-6 decision.
To end the night, senior Mike Kessler struggled to a 3-0 victory with two near-fall points in the second period and a late escape in the third.
Appalachian State concluded its regular season 6-0 in the Southern Conference and clinched the outright SoCon title with a 39-10 victory over Davidson. The Mountaineers finished their season with a 13-4 record.
“Winning the Southern Conference Championship is a big deal for our program,” head coach JohnMark Bentley said. “It is going to give the underclassmen and younger guys something to aim for and it will provide a benchmark for us to try to keep our momentum rolling forward.”
Senior Mike Kessler fell two points short of a technical fall with an 18-5 major decision and gave the Mountaineers their first lead of the day, 8-6.
Chip Powell forced a pin 1:37 into the match to give his Mountaineers a 14-10 lead.
Kyle Blevins, 165 pounds, racked up 10 takedowns and earned a 23-8 technical fall against Davidson’s Tyler Mullen.
Freshman Paul Weiss was the final person to wrestle for the Mountaineers during the regular season and he did not disappoint with a dominating 15-2 major decision.
Joe Cummings, 285 pounds, and Austin Trotman, 184 pounds, both won their matches by forfeit. Appalachian went on to earn a solid 39-10 victory.
With their wins Sunday, Trotman, Blevins and Kessler all finished 6-0 in conference matches.
Sunday was the last time this season’s seniors will compete at home.
“Winning conference has been our goal since we all came in here as freshmen,” Kessler said. “It is just a dream come true we have all worked so hard.”
The Mountaineers will now focus on the 2012 Southern Conference Tournament March 3 in Chattanooga, Tenn. The event decides which wrestlers from the SoCon will compete in the NCAA Championships next month.
Story: CHASE ERICKSON, Intern Sports Reporter
Photo: PAUL HECKERT, Intern Photographer |
