Category: College

By Bobby Neal for App State Sports. BOONE, N.C. — Donovan Gregory capped a season-best performance with a pull-up jumper to tie the game with five seconds left, but Jalen Finch lifted Georgia Southern over App State at the buzzer, 67-65.

Gregory scored 21 on 10-16 shooting, to go along with four rebounds and four assists. He tied his season-high in scoring, dating back to his 21-point performance against Campbell in November.

The Mountaineers (9-9, 2-3 SBC) and Eagles (11-7, 4-1 SBC) were knotted up at 33 at the end of the first half, highlighted by 11 points for Tyree Boykin in the first eight minutes of action.

After Georgia Southern got out to to a 58-49 lead midway through the second half, the Mountaineers responded by holding the Eagles to two points over a six-minute stretch. App State climbed up during this period, finally tying it before Finch hit the game-winner.

The visiting team could not find a way to stop Gregory in the second half, who scored or assisted on 18 points in the final period, including eight in the final three minutes.

The Mountaineers had several outstanding defensive performances, including Xavion Brown who earned three steals and Justin Abson who blocked four shots. Abson’s block total increases to 39 on the season, ranking him 17th in the nation.

Half of the Mountaineers’ games this season have had a final difference of five or less.

App State welcomes Troy on Saturday at 4 p.m. as the squad seeks to even its conference record.

BONUS PHOTOS by Josh Floyd for High Country Sports

BOONE, N.C. — App State Football has added eight transfers as early enrollees with the 2023 spring semester beginning next week, head coach Shawn Clark announced Thursday.

The newcomers with previous Division I football experience are, listed in alphabetical order: Shawn Collins (DE, Rutgers), Michael Fletcher (DE, Michigan State), Scoobie Ford (WR, Mississippi State), Tyrek Funderburk (CB, Richmond), Maquel Haywood (RB, Navy), Makai Jackson (WR, Saint Francis), Jack Murphy (OL, Marshall) and Jarrett Paul (SAF, Kansas).

Additionally, 11 members of the December signing class (high school prospects and junior college transfers) are enrolling early and starting classes next week. Those newcomers are, listed alphabetically: Joey Aguilar (QB), Kason Boston (DE), Jaylon Calhoun (RB), Cahari Haynes (LB), Nate Johnson (DE), Mitchell Lake (P), Chris Lawson Jr. (WR), Mason McHugh (QB), AJ Mebane (DE), Jalik Thomas (SAF) and Trenton Alan Yowe (CB).

With 19 total newcomers enrolling this month, plus eight December signees who will arrive later, that group of 27 newcomers to date includes five defensive ends, four safeties, four receivers, three cornerbacks, three linebackers, two quarterbacks, two running backs, two offensive linemen, one tight end and one punter.

Below are bios for the eight Division I transfers. Click HERE for bios on the 19 signees from December.

Shawn Collins — DE
6-5, 250
Montclair, N.J. (Rutgers)

Prior to App State: Member of Rutgers’ program for three seasons and appeared in six games during a 2022 season that was officially his redshirt freshman season … Didn’t appear in any games as a redshirting player in 2021 and was with the Scarlet Knights during a 2020 season that didn’t count against a player’s eligibility … Recovered a fumble and broke up a pass against Penn State before finishing the 2022 season with six tackles … Season-high four tackles against Wagner and also had a stop against Ohio State … Five of six appearances came against Power Five programs, with four appearances in Big Ten play … Gained nearly 25 pounds during his three years at Rutgers … Played for head coach John Fiore at Montclair High School … Started at tight end and along the defensive line for the Mounties … Caught eight passes for 125 yards and three touchdowns … Added 28 tackles, including 5.5 for loss and four sacks … Named to the 2019 Jersey Sports Zone All-Zone Team as a tight end … Caught a pair of touchdowns, including the game-winner against Irvington … Named First Team All-SFC Liberty Blue Division by NJ.com … Earned All-Essex County first-team honors on defense … Rated a top-40 recruit in New Jersey by 247Sports and top-30 prospect by Rivals.

Michael Fletcher — DE
6-6, 260
Flint, Mich. (Michigan State)

Prior to App State: Member of Michigan State’s program for four seasons, with three sacks (including two in one game against Ohio State), four tackles for loss and 31 stops in 22 career games (three starts) from 2019-22 … As a redshirt sophomore in 2022, had 13 tackles in eight games, contributing to a tackle for loss against Ohio State and blocking a kick against Indiana … Season-high four tackles at Michigan with multiple stops in four more Big Ten games … Played in one game as a redshirting true freshman in 2019 and had three sacks while playing in all seven games during a 2020 season that didn’t count against his eligibility … Played in six games during the 2021 season … Multi-year Academic All-Big Ten honoree … Ranked the No. 1 high school defensive end prospect in the state of Michigan by 247Sports and ESPN.com . . . Listed among the best overall players in the state of Michigan by 247Sports (No. 9), ESPN.com (No. 13) and Rivals.com (No. 16) . . . Rated one of the top defensive ends in the nation by 247Sports (No. 25) and Rivals.com (No. 46) . . . Ranked one of the best 50 players in the Midwest (No. 45) by ESPN.com . . . Two-time MLive Flint Dream Team selection . . . First-team all-state selection (Division 1-2) by the AP and Detroit Free Press as a junior . . . Also a standout basketball player, starting all four years and leading Carman-Ainsworth to three straight Saginaw Valley League Championships.

Scoobie Ford — WR
5-11, 175
Atlanta, Ga. (Mississippi State)

Prior to App State: Member of Mississippi State’s program for three seasons, with 17 game appearances and 19 catches for 247 yards … Played in the last nine regular season games as a redshirt junior in 2022 and totaled eight catches for 66 yards, with three multi-catch games … Made one start (at Auburn) in eight games as a redshirt sophomore in 2021, when he totaled 19 catches for 247 yards … In 2021, had four catches for 40 yards in a win at Texas A&M, five catches for 63 yards against Vanderbilt and 65 receiving yards against Arkansas … Did not appear in a game as a Mississippi State newcomer during a 2020 season that didn’t count against his eligibility … Began collegiate career at Georgia Southern in 2018 (redshirted) and spent the 2019 season at Iowa Western Community College, where he caught 14 passes for 304 yards (25.3 average) with two touchdowns … Prepped at Marietta High School under head coach Richard Morgan … Three-star prospect per Rivals and 247Sports … Tabbed team MVP as a senior … As a senior, caught 43 passes for 602 yards and six touchdowns … As a junior, made 37 catches for 517 yards and two scores … Born Christian Armin Ford and is nicknamed Scoobie … Father, Glenn, lettered in football at Georgia from 1994-98 … Has seven siblings, including one brother, Jordan, who was a running back at Tulsa during the 2022 season.

Tyrek Funderburk — CB
6-0, 185
Indian Trail, N.C. (Richmond)

Prior to App State: North Carolina native was a member of Richmond’s program for five seasons from 2018-22 and used three seasons of eligibility while totaling seven interceptions and 77 tackles in 41 game appearances (19 starts) … Made four interceptions and defended 14 passes during a redshirt junior season in 2022, when he also had 39 tackles and two forced fumbles in 13 games (starts in nine of the last 10 games) … Had two interceptions apiece against Sacramento State (in the FCS playoffs) and Stony Brook (a game in which he scored on a 30-yard interception return and also broke up three more passes) … Season-high eight stops against William & Mary in 2022 … Officially redshirted in 2018 (after playing in four games) and played in 12 games as a 2019 redshirt freshman before being a second-team All-CAA selection during a 2021 spring season that didn’t count against his eligibility … Made five starts in eight games during a fall 2021 season in which he was named to the CAA’s academic honor roll … Three-year varsity starter and two-time all-state performer at Metrolina Christian Academy in North Carolina … Triple jump state champion in high school and three-time state medalist … Also a conference champ in the long jump, 100 meters and 4×100 relay … School record-holder in the triple jump, long jump, 4×100 relay and 4×200 relay … First name is pronounced TIE-Reek.

Maquel Haywood — RB
5-8, 190
Wake Forest, N.C. (Navy)

Prior to App State: North Carolina native played running back for Navy during the 2021 and 2022 seasons … Over 20 games, totaled 1,334 all-purpose yards with three touchdowns, including 916 all-purpose yards as a sophomore in 2022 … Rushed for 473 yards on 73 carries (6.5 average) in 12 games during the 2022 season, when he also returned 17 kickoffs for 306 yards and caught eight passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns … Scored on touchdown receptions of 20 yards against Notre Dame and 25 yards in overtime against Army and had a long run of 44 yards at SMU … Career-high 95 rushing yards (on eight attempts) against SMU in addition to 67 yards against ECU and 54 yards (on eight rushes) against Memphis … Ranked ninth in the AAC with 18 Mak of 10-plus yards (or on 24.6 percent of his carries) … In eight games as a freshman, had a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against East Carolina en route to 372 yards on 12 kickoff returns (31.0 yards per return) … Had a 48-yard return against Cincinnati, with returns of 35-plus yards against SMU and Tulsa … In 2021, also had nine rushing attempts, one reception and five tackles … At Wake Forest High School outside of Raleigh, scored 33 touchdowns and rushed for more than 2,000 yards, including 1,222 as a junior and 809 during an injury-shortened senior year … Helped Wake Forest win state titles in 2017 and 2018 … After graduating from Wake Forest in 2020, attended the Naval Academy Prep School during the 2020-21 year … First name is pronounced Muh-KEL.

Makai Jackson — WR
6-0, 190
Croydon, Pa. (Saint Francis)

Prior to App State: In 2022, had 85 catches for 991 yards with nine touchdowns in 12 games as a college newcomer at Saint Francis in Pennsylvania, contributing to HERO Sports Freshman All-America recognition from a 9-3 team that went 7-0 in league play and reached the FCS playoffs … Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year as well as a first-team all-league performer … Had five 100-yard receiving games in 2022, highlighted by 11 catches for 117 yards against Wagner and eight catches for a season-high 123 yards against Richmond … Totaled 1,125 all-purpose yards, including a 79-yard kickoff return for a touchdown … All-league standout at Harry S. Truman High School, where he played for coach Benjamin Johnson … Three-sport athlete also played basketball and baseball.

Jack Murphy — OL
6-4, 290
Fairfax, Va. (Marshall)

Prior to App State: Member of Marshall’s program for three seasons … Used first year of eligibility in 2022 (when he made one appearance against Gardner-Webb) after redshirting in 2021 and being part of the Thundering Herd during a 2020 season that didn’t count against his eligibility … Rated a three-star prospect out of Bishop O’Connell by 247Sports.com before spending a year as the left tackle at Fork Union Military Academy … Played on both sides of the ball in high school and earned first-team all-state honors as a senior.

Jarrett Paul — SAF
6-1. 200
Brooklyn, N.Y. (Kansas)

Prior to App State: Totaled 40 game appearances and 20 starts as an FBS defensive back from 2018-22, playing three seasons that counted against his eligibility … Played in the first four games of the 2022 season for Kansas, totaling four tackles, with three coming in the season opener … Member of Rutgers’ program from 2018-19, with 41 tackles and eight starts at free safety in 2019, before sitting out the 2020 season and posting 46 tackles (28 solo) for Eastern Michigan in 2021 … Appeared in 12 games as a Rutgers true freshman in 2018 and 11 more as a sophomore … In 2019, had eight stops against Michigan and 10 tackles against Boston College … During the 2021 season for EMU, had seven stops against Ball State and five against Wisconsin … Coached by Dan Sabella at Paramus Catholic, the same program that produced All-Sun Belt tight end Henry Pearson … Ranked as a three-star recruit by 247Sports … Rated No. 24 overall recruit in New Jersey by Rivals.com … Finished senior season with 23 solo tackles (35 total) … Honorable mention All-Metro in 2017 by News12 Varsity … Top-rated 2018 cornerback in New Jersey according to 247Sports.com and Rivals.com.

By Bret Strelow for App State Sports. BOONE, N.C. — Ranked No. 24 in the nation, App State Wrestling showed its strength and depth with a 29-10 home win Sunday against a Binghamton team that’s come close to knocking off several top-30 opponents this season.

The Mountaineers (4-1) won the first seven matches to claim a 23-0 lead and finished with eight victories among the 10 weight classes. Binghamton (2-7) traveled south to Chattanooga, Tenn., last weekend for the Southern Scuffle, where it had three wrestlers place, then headed to Raleigh for a Friday dual at No. 6 NC State before coming to Varsity Gym.

Three of the Bearcats’ other losses were close duals against No. 9 Minnesota, No. 16 North Dakota State and No. 26 Indiana, so there was no danger of looking ahead to Friday’s home dual against No. 8 Virginia Tech for App State.

The Mountaineers, at No. 24 in the NWCA Coaches Poll and as high as No. 20 (from Win Magazine), go into the ranked showdown against Virginia Tech with four straight dual wins. Tickets for Friday’s dual at 7 p.m. in Varsity Gym can be purchased by clicking HERE, with a cost of $20 for adults and $7 for youth.

Will Miller stood out Sunday with his 10-0 major decision at 174 pounds against Sam DePrez, who entered 2023 with a national ranking of No. 25 in his weight class. Jon Jon Millner also earned a bonus point with a 16-3 major decision at 149, and a forfeit at 197 allowed Carson Floyd to produce six points for the Mountaineers.

App State’s five wins by decision came from Caleb Smith (11-9 at 125), Sean Carter (10-5 at 133), Heath Gonyer (4-1 at 141), Tommy Askey (5-2 at 157) and Will Formato (2-0 at 165). Binghamton’s victories resulted from wins by top-25 wrestlers Jacob Nolan at 184 and Cory Day in the heavyweight division — the Bearcats were missing two-time All-American Lou DePrez at 197 because of an injury.

Miller used a takedown and four-point near fall in the last 20 seconds of the first period to seize control against Sam DePrez. Miller rode out the second period and added a takedown with 1:18 left in the third before finishing on top.

The most dramatic match occurred in the opener, as Anthony Sobotker used a takedown and four-point near fall to move ahead 6-0 in the first minute against Smith, who avoided deeper trouble from his back and executed a reversal. He stayed on top long enough to build his riding time to 1:47 before an escape enabled Sotbotker to lead 7-3 heading to the second period.

After a Smith escape, he followed a second stall against Sobotker with a takedown and finished the period on top to trail just 7-6 (with 2:09 of riding time on his side) going into the third period. With Sobotker getting an escape early in the third, Smith produced a takedown with 1:21 left to essentially take a 9-8 lead (counting the clinched riding time).

Sobotker got a timely escape with five seconds left to potentially force overtime, but Smith responded with another takedown three seconds later to clinch a victory right before the buzzer sounded.

Carter had a late 8-3 lead (with ample riding time) when he cut his opponent seeking a takedown to push his victory into bonus-point range, but a takedown from Ivan Garcia contributed to a 10-5 final score.

Gonyer rode out the second period and followed a conceded escape by registering a takedown with 1:22 left in his 4-1 win against Nate Lucier. Two matches later, at 157, matching escapes had the score tied at 1-all in the third before Askey got a takedown with 1:06 left and then added another one in the closing seconds against Fin Nadeau.

Formato earned an escape in the second period and rode out the third period in his shutout of Carter Baer.

The 2022-23 season is presented by Hungry Howies and Penn Station.

TEAM SCORE: No. 24 App State 29, Binghamton 10

INDIVIDUAL MATCHES:

125: #22 Caleb Smith (APP) def. Anthony Sobotker (BU), 11-9 dec.
133: #22 Sean Carter (APP) def. Ivan Garcia (BU), 10-5 dec.
141: Heath Gonyer (APP) def. Nate Lucier (BU), 4-1 dec.
149: #7 Jon Jon Millner (APP) def. Michael Zarif (BU), 16-3 maj. dec.
157: #31 Tommy Askey (APP) def. Fin Nadeau (BU), 5-2 dec.
165: #26 Will Formato (APP) def. Carter Baer (BU), 2-0 dec.
174: #32 Will Miller (APP) def. Sam DePrez (BU), 10-0 maj. dec.
184: #23 Jacob Nolan (BU) def. Luke Uliano (APP), 8-0 maj. dec.
197: Carson Floyd (APP) won by forfeit
Hwt: #21 Cory Day (BU) def. Mason Fiscella (APP), fall (6:34)

JONESBORO, Ark. – The App State women’s basketball team downed Arkansas State 59-58 on Saturday for its first road victory of the 2022-23 campaign. The Mountaineers (6-9) improved to 2-2 in Sun Belt play with their first win of the new year.

A dynamic fourth quarter saw sophomore Emily Carver drill three field goals over the course of the period, tying the score at 52-52 as well as landing the final shot of the game to bring the Mountaineers ahead by one. A strong defensive showing from the Mountaineers kept Arkansas State from rebounding after a missed 3-pointer from Lauryn Pendleton as App State kept possession as the clock ran out.

Redshirt senior Janay Sanders led the Mountaineers with 13 points. The Charlotte, N.C., native has led App State in seven of 15 games this season, with Saturday’s game her third consecutive as top scorer. She also recorded three rebounds and dished out a team-high three assists on the afternoon. Carver added nine points and led the team with six rebounds. The game marked Carver’s fourth consecutive as the team’s top rebounder.

In her first collegiate start, freshman Alexis Black put the Mountaineers on the board with an early layup. Junior Faith Alston tied things up at 9-9 with a jumper before a layup from Zada Porter and a pair of A’Lea Gilbert free throws extended the Mountaineers’ lead to 13-9 late in the quarter. Arkansas State edged ahead 14-13 after a trio of free throws.

Porter opened the second quarter with a layup to regain the lead, and a pair of layups from Gilbert and Black extended App State’s lead to 19-16. A pair of layups from Sanders and one from Porter extended the advantage to 25-20. App State led 32-27 at the end of the half with further contributions from sophomore Mariah Frazier, graduate student Brooke Bigott, and Carver.

Sanders made the first bucket of the second half, sinking a trey. As the Red Wolves regained the lead, the Mountaineers fought back, with back-to-back layups from Alston tying things up at 43-43 before Sanders gave App State a 45-43 edge with a layup of her own. After a back-and-fourth third period, the Black and Gold trailed by three, 48-45.

Carver, Bigott, Sanders, and Alston combined for 14 points in the fourth period en route to the road victory.

App State scored 40 points in the paint and 17 off the bench.

UP NEXT
The Mountaineers’ road stretch continues as they head to Harrisonburg, Va., to take on James Madison for the first time in conference play on Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. The Black and Gold will then head to Statesboro, Ga. to clash with rival Georgia Southern on Jan. 14 at 2 p.m. Both games will be available to stream on ESPN+.

By David Rogers. HARRISONBURG, Va. — A big first half set the proverbial table for Appalachian State on Jan. 7 against James Madison, including a 20-point lead with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game. But nine turnovers and a flurry of missed shots in the closing minutes allowed the Dukes to narrow (but not close) the deficit as the Mountaineers won their second Sun Belt Conference tilt in as many games, 71-62.

Just about everything went App State’s way in the first half. Fifty percent shooting from the field, an 18-4 advantage over the Dukes contributed by the Mountaineer bench and converting JMU’s nine first half turnovers into 11 points all combined for a great start in creating a 15-point, Mountaineer halftime lead.

After dropping a one-point decision to Sun Belt rival Texas State on Thursday (Jan. 5), 63-62, but sporting the No. 1 scoring offense nationally in NCAA Division I men’s basketball, the Dukes expected more for the 3,540 announced fans in Atlantic Union Bank Center.

With the sudden rally in the closing minutes, the JMU faithful were almost handed a late holiday present. But a made free throw by forward C J Huntley to extend the tenuous Mountaineer lead to 69-62 with 17 seconds remaining, then a steal by Terence Harcum at the 12 second mark all but sealed the App State win, especially with Harcum being fouled on a fast break up court following the steal. He made both free throws, then two wild 3-point attempts by the Dukes were off the mark as the clocked ticked to zero.

Harcum came off the bench to record a game-high 16 points, with double figures on the offense end also contributed by Huntley (15 points)  and Tyree Boykin (14). The Dukes’ starting guard Terrence Edwards captured game-high scoring honors with 17 points.

Much of the Dukes’ late damage came on six fast breaks resulting from Mountaineer turnovers in the last six minutes of play, but fast break opportunities are just about the only type of shot where App State fell short of the JMU. The Mountaineers held a 27-16 advantage in points off the bench. They had a narrow, 16-14 advantage off of forced turnovers. And they had a whopping, 21-12 advantage on three point shots.

For Huntley, the Thursday and Saturday basketball games evolved as a weekend birthday celebration extraordinaire. After tipping in the winning shot on Jan. 5 just before the final buzzer to beat Coastal, he followed that up with a 15 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals and a block scoring line against James Madison.

A key reason for this Mountaineer win, however, was the team’s defense vs. the nation’s No. 1 scoring offense coming into the game. App State held the Dukes scoreless for an eight minute period early in the first half, and then did it again for more than six minutes from late in the first half overlapping into the second half.

With the win, the Mountaineers improve their overall record on the season to 9-8 overall, 2-2 in the young Sun Belt Conference season. James Madison drops to 11-6, 2-2.

App State aims to continue the team’s winning ways with upcoming Sun Belt contests at the Holmes Center, including vs. Georgia Southern on Jan. 12 and vs. Troy on Jan. 14.

 

 

Special Report from App State Sports. BOONE, N.C. — App State Football hired Thomas Guerry to be the Mountaineers’ director of player personnel and general manager, head coach Shawn Clark announced Jan. 6.

Having worked in the ACC or SEC since 2005, Guerry joined Georgia Tech’s staff as an associate director of player personnel in 2019, and was promoted to director of player personnel in 2022.

“We are excited to welcome Thomas, his wife, Amanda, and their son, Ayden, to the App Family,” Clark said. “Our program is built upon recruiting the highest caliber student-athletes, and Thomas will play a vital role in those efforts. His organization, attention to detail and passion for the game make him a great fit for App State Football.”

A native of Canton, Miss., Guerry has worked at Mississippi State, Georgia, Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech over the previous 17 years. He went to Georgia Tech in 2019, following five seasons as Virginia Tech’s director of recruiting operations (2014-18).

“The opportunity to join App State Football was one my wife and I could not pass up,” Guerry said. “Having worked in the SEC and ACC, I have always looked at App State as a destination spot. The culture Coach Clark has instilled in this program, along with the assistant coaches and support staff in place, made it clear this was the right fit. His coaching philosophy, his values, his approach to how he runs his program, how he treats his players – if I’m a recruit, if I’m a parent of a recruit, I’m visiting App State and giving it a hard look.

“I look forward to working alongside the coaches, support staff and administration. I am grateful to Doug Gillin, Coach Clark and Nolan Jones for the opportunity.”

Prior to his stint at Virginia Tech, Guerry spent four seasons at Georgia, working in football operations in 2010 before serving as a football recruiting assistant from 2011-13. He assisted the Bulldogs with player personnel, on-campus recruiting and social media efforts.

Guerry attended Mississippi State, where he earned a degree in business administration in 2008, and an MBA with a minor in sports administration in 2010. From 2005-10, he worked within Mississippi State’s athletic department as a student manager and trainer.

Guerry and his wife, Amanda, have one son, Ayden, and a dog, Georgia Lane.

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — If there can be such a thing, Jan. 5 was a night of organized mayhem at the Holmes Convocation Center where the Appalachian State men’s basketball team pulled off a stunning, 63-62 win over Coastal Carolina.

It was a wild finish, to be sure. With just 8.4 seconds remaining in the game, a controversial foul call against the Mountaineers put CCU guard Jomaru Brown at the charity stripe. Brown appeared to make a stumbling “walk” toward the basket before anything resembling a foul. And the call was made even more controversial when the official deemed that Brown was in the act of shooting, awarding the “super senior” two shots. Of course, he made them both and put the Chanticleers ahead, 62-61, with just that 8 seconds left before the final whistle. Whatever the circumstances that got him to the foul line, Brown certainly proved “clutch” with the opportunity and the ball in his hands.

For a rodeo cowboy trying to stay atop a bucking bronco, 8 seconds may seem like an eternity. For a basketball team trying to negotiate 94 feet of hardwood flooring, under pressure, 8 seconds could easily define a fleeting opportunity.

App State, it turns out, seized the moment. An inbound pass then three dribbles up the floor and another pass got the ball into the hands of graduate student transfer guard Tyree Boykin who, with two seconds remaining, launched a 3-point attempt from well-behind the arc, along the sideline in front of the Mountaineer bench. The ball clanged off the front of the rim into the arms of junior forward C J Huntley, who quickly put the ball back up and in for a second chance layup, a 63-62 Mountaineer lead, and just 0.9 seconds remaining.

Coastal couldn’t convert with a bad inbounds pass and its interception by Mountaineer freshman Justin Abson. With the final buzzer, Appalachian State celebrated its first Sun Belt Conference win of the still young 2022-23 season, evening its overall record to 8-8 and improving its SBC mark to 1-2.

Key thoughts about the win:

• Five of C J Huntley’s nine rebounds were on the offensive end of the court and contributed greatly to the Mountaineers’ 14-6 advantage in second chance points.
• The Mountaineers did a good job of spreading the ball around, offensively. Boykin scored a team-high 16 points, followed by 12 each from Donovan Gregory and Tamell Pearson. Key stat reinforcing the night’s teamwork: 15 assists.
• App State’s defense was disruptively effective, including an 8-4 advantage in steals and a 6-1 advantage in blocked shots and forcing 14 Coastal turnovers.
• The Mountaineers’ ball-handling was fairly clean, with only 9 turnovers.
• If there was a glaring weakness on the night among the Mountaineers, it was in not taking advantage of opportunities at the charity stripe, only making 1-of-7 free throws (14%), compared to the Chanticleers making good on 7-0f-8 (88%).

Appalachian State continues Sun Belt play on Saturday, Jan. 7 (8 p.m.) with a trip up I-81 to Harrisonburg, Va., where they will take on the James Madison Dukes, to be nationally broadcast on ESPNU. After a narrow, 63-62 loss to Texas State at home on Jan. 5, the Dukes will take an 11-5 overall, 2-1 record into Saturday’s encounter with the Mountaineers.

By Bret Strelow for App State Sports. CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Two ranked wins Monday helped App State’s Caleb Smith earn his third, fifth-place finish at the Southern Scuffle.

Tommy Askey, unseeded at 157 pounds, went 4-2 to place seventh. Sean Carter’s 3-3 mark at 133 pounds resulted in an eighth-place showing.

Matching his finishes from 2022 and 2020, Smith went 5-2 at McKenzie Arena with two losses to top-20 opponents. His takedown in a Sudden Victory overtime period produced a 7-5 win against 28th-ranked Braxton Brown of Maryland to clinch a top-six spot, and Smith rallied for a 5-4 win in the fifth-place match against 16th-ranked Stevo Poulin from Northern Colorado.

Poulin, an NC State transfer who had won 6-5 against Smith in a quarterfinal match Sunday, led 3-0 and increased his riding time to 1:25 on Monday before Smith got an escape with 1:20 left in third period.

Smith tied the match at 3-all on the scoreboard thanks to a takedown with 54 seconds left and stayed on top for 17 seconds to reduce Poulin’s riding time advantage to 1:08 before Poulin took a 4-3 lead with an escape. Smith delivered another takedown with 11 seconds left and maintained a front headlock until time ran out with no escape awarded.

The lack of escape, plus Poulin’s riding time going from 1:08 to under a minute at just 57 seconds, allowed Smith to record a 5-4 victory.

Smith’s 3-1 day also included a 4-3 victory against Little Rock’s Jeremiah Reno, a Nebraska transfer.

With App State’s wrestlers ranking among the national leaders in contested matches during the 2022 fall, plus an appearance at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational adding to an already challenging schedule, the Mountaineers took a different approach with how they arranged their entries for the Southern Scuffle and didn’t send all of their starters. App State’s 46.5 team points were the 13th-highest in the 21-team field.

Smith, Askey, Carter, Cody Bond (157 pounds), Will Formato (165), Will Miller (174) and Carson Floyd (197) all made it to Day 2 of a loaded event in which no Mountaineer was seeded higher than fifth in his bracket.

Askey’s two losses were decisions against wrestlers ranked No. 2 and No. 20 in the country. He had 11 takedowns and one reversal in a tech fall against Duke’s Logan Ferrero to open the event and reached the quarterfinals with a 6-0 shutout of Oklahoma State’s Travis Mastrojiovannia. After a 7-2 loss to No. 2 Kendall Coleman of Purdue, Askey won a 16-4 major decision against Iowa State’s Andrew Huddleston. He followed a 7-4 loss to No. 20 Daniel Cardenas of Stanford by taking the seventh-place match via a medical forfeit.

Carter’s three wins included 3-2 decisions against both Minnesota’s Jake Gliva and North Dakota State’s McGwire Midkiff. Two of his three losses were against top-20 opponents.

Bond and Miller both won three matches apiece to come within one win of medaling, as Miller improved to 3-1 thanks to a 7-5 decision that concluded with a Sudden Victory takedown of Virginia’s Hudson Stewart. Formato won his first two matches to also reach the final 12, and Floyd made it there with two wins, including a 3-1 decision that ended with a Sudden Victory takedown of Chattanooga’s Jake Boyd.

All told, App State wrestlers were involved in 22 matches against ranked opponents.

Chad Bellis (125), Noah Luna (125), Ethan Oakley (133), Heath Gonyer (141), Ike Byers (141), Braden Welch (174), Luke Uliano (184) and Jacob Sartorio (heavyweight) also had hands raised in Chattanooga.

The 2022-23 season is presented by Hungry Howies and Penn Station.

Season tickets for the eight remaining regular-season competitions left on App State Wrestling’s home schedule remain available for $55 (adults) and $25 (youth) by clicking HERE for an online purchase, contacting the ticket office at 828-262-7733 or going to the App State Athletics ticket office located at the Holmes Center. Single-event tickets can also be purchased by clicking HERE, as the next two home duals in Boone are Sunday against Binghamton at 3 p.m. and Jan. 13 against No. 8 Virginia Tech.

125

Caleb Smith

• Jacob Moon, Hofstra W, Dec 8-3
• Carlos Negrete, North Dakota State W, MF 1-0
• #16 Stevo Poulin, Northern Colorado L, Dec 6-5
• Jeremiah Reno, Little Rock W, Dec 4-3
• #28 Braxton Brown, Maryland W, Dec 7-5 (SV1)
• #11 Trevor Mastrogiovanni, Oklahoma State L, Dec 5-2
• #16 Stevo Poulin, Northern Colorado W, Dec 5-4

Chad Bellis

• #11 Trevor Mastrogiovanni, Oklahoma State L, Dec 7-1
• Wyatt Richter, Stanford W, Fall 1:40
• Micah Ross, Binghamton L, Dec 6-2

Noah Luna

• #12 Matt Ramos, Purdue L, Dec 7-5
• Dylan Acevedo-Switzer, Hofstra W, Dec 5-0
• Jeremiah Reno, Little Rock L, Fall 3:13

133

Sean Carter

• Ivan Garcia, Binghamton W, Dec 4-0
• Jake Gliva, Minnesota W, Dec 3-2
• #20 Chance Rich, CSU Bakersfield L, Dec 6-1
• McGwire Midkiff, North Dakota State W, Dec 3-2
• Zach Redding, Iowa State L, Dec 3-1
• #17 Ramazan Attasauov, Iowa State L, Dec 5-3

Ethan Oakley

• #17 Ramazan Attasauov, Iowa State L, Dec 6-2
• Keyveon Roller, Virginia W, Dec 7-2
• McGwire Midkiff, North Dakota State L, Dec 5-2

141

Heath Gonyer

• Christian Gannone, Binghamton L, Dec 5-2
• Jose Landin, CSU Bakersfield W, MD 12-2
• Rudy Lopez, Northern Colorado L, Dec 10-4

Riley Edwards

• #25 Carter Young, Oklahoma State L, TF 16-1
• Kal Miller, Maryland L, MD 12-2

Ike Byers

• Vance Vombaur, Minnesota L, Dec 6-3
• Chayse Jajoie, Stanford W, Dec 4-1
• Gavin Drexler, North Dakota State L, TF 15-0

157

Tommy Askey

• Logan Ferrero, Duke W, TF 25-10
• Travis Mastrojiovannia, Oklahoma State W, Dec 6-0
• #2 Kendall Coleman, Purdue L, Dec 7-2
• Andrew Huddleston, Iowa State W, MD 16-4
• #20 Daniel Cardenas, Stanford L, Dec 7-4
• Vinny Zerban, Northern Colorado W, MF

Cody Bond

• Andrew Hutchinson, Iowa State W, MD 16-4
• #20 Daniel Cardenas, Stanford L, Dec 10-8
• Sebas Swiggum, Minnesota W, MD 18-6
• Daniel Manibog, Oklahoma State W, Dec 7-5
• #8 Kaden Gfeller, Oklahoma State L, Dec 8-3

165

Will Formato

• Jalin Harper, Oklahoma State W, Dec 3-1
• Gaetano Console, Duke W, MD 12-0
• #22 Andrew Sparks, Minnesota L, Dec 3-1
• Cam Steed, Missouri L, Dec 6-4

Oren Bost

• #20 Wyatt Sheets, Oklahoma State L, MD 10-2
• Dimitri Gamkrelidze, Binghamton L, Dec 9-5

174

Will Miller

• Griffin Gammel, Virginia W, MD 14-4
• Gaven Sax, North Dakota State L. Dec 5-4
• Brody Baumann, Purdue W, Dec 8-6
• Hudson Stewart, Virginia W, Dec 7-5 (SV1)
• #17 Tyler Eischens, Stanford L, Fall 2:46

Braden Welch

• MJ Gaitan, Iowa State L, Fall 3:33
• Ellis Pfleger, Missouri W, Dec 10-8
• Sam Barnes, Bucknell L, Dec 10-9

184

Luke Uliano

• Jacob Hansen, CSU Bakersfield W, Fall 4:14
• #24 Jacob Nolan, Binghamton L, Dec 3-0
• Tanner Mendoza, Little Rock W, MD 13-1
• Joel Devine, Iowa State L, Dec 7-5

Chopper Mordecai

• Jack Darrah, Stanford L, Dec 4-0
• Sam Skillings, Minnesota L, Fall 2:38

197

Carson Floyd

• #10 Jaxon Smith, Maryland L, Dec 6-0
• Colden Dorfman, Virginia W, MD 15-2
• Jake Boyd, Chattanooga W, Dec 3-1 (SV1)
• Nikolas Stemmet, Stanford L, MD 10-2

Heavyweight

Mason Fiscella

• #31 Konner Doucet, Oklahoma State L, Dec 3-2 (TB1)
• #26 Zack Knighton-Ward, Hofstra L, MD 12-4

Jacob Sartorio

• #30 Garrett Joles, Minnesota L, Dec 6-3
• Logan Shepherd, Bucknell W, MD 10-0
• #26 Zack Knighton-Ward, Hofstra L, Dec 6-3

Triston Norris

• Seth Nitzel, Missouri L, Dec 3-1
• David Szuba, Rider L, Dec 6-5

By Katherine Jamtgaard for App State Sports. BOONE, N.C. – The App State women’s basketball team fell to Marshall, 59-52, in the Mountaineers’ first Sun Belt Conference clash with the Thundering Herd. App State (5-8) will enter its four-game road stretch 1-1 in league play.

“I think the biggest thing that kind of jumps off the page is the game was played at a pace that really favored Marshall. I give them a lot of credit in terms of their defense, in terms of weathering the storm and really putting together a really nice second half,” said head coach Angel Elderkin.

“We gave up 39 second-half points, they shot 59 percent, so we didn’t have the defensive effort that we need. I just think it’s a learning experience in Sun Belt play. You’ve got to be able to put back-to-back games together, and you’ve got to be able to play different styles on different nights and come ready to play.”

Redshirt senior Janay Sanders was the Mountaineers’ top scorer with 16 points. She has been App State’s top scorer in five of 13 games this season. Leading the Mountaineers in rebounds and checking in with the team’s second-most points was sophomore Emily Carver, who earned a double-double for her efforts with 10 rebounds and 11 points. Carver also shot 6-of-8 from the free throw line.

App State scored 22 points in the paint, 17 points off turnovers and 13 points from the bench.

The Mountaineers held to a lead for most of the game, finding momentum early in the first half. Junior Faith Alston put the Mountaineers on the board, sinking a 3-point bucket within the first 25 seconds of play. Despite a low-scoring quarter, the Mountaineers went on a late 6-0 scoring run to take a 16-9 lead, including freshman Alexis Black making both of her attempts from behind the 3-point line. App State’s steady lead carried into the second quarter, when redshirt-junior A’Lea Gilbert, Carver and Sanders each dropped treys, helping the Black and Gold to a 29-20 lead at the half.

Sanders and Alston combined for 11 points in a low-scoring third quarter for the Mountaineers. Despite a scoring drought of their own and six turnovers, Marshall fought through to cut App State’s lead to 40-38. Finding momentum, Marshall took its first lead of the game, jumping ahead 44-40 to start the fourth and final quarter. Despite a steal and layup from Black and a 3-point bucket from sophomore Zada Porter, the Mountaineers came up short against the Thundering Herd, which scored 21 points compared to App State’s 12 in the final quarter.

Roshala Scott and Mahogany Matthews led the Thundering Herd with 18 and 14 points on the afternoon, respectively.

UP NEXT

The Mountaineers will hit the road to take on Texas State on Jan. 5 at 8 p.m. ET in San Marcos, Texas, before clashing with Arkansas State on Jan. 7 at 3 p.m. ET in Jonesboro, Ark.

By Bobby Neal for App State Sports. HATTIESBURG, Miss. — App State men’s basketball outscored Southern Miss 19-8 in the final three minutes, but fell to the home team, 70-76.

The Mountaineers (7-8, 0-2 SBC) trailed the top-ranked Golden Eagles (13-2, 2-0 SBC) 51-68 in the final frames, but did not give up.

Tyree Boykin broke the ice at the 2:40 mark to spark an 11-0 run that featured a fast break dunk by Donovan Gregory, another 3-pointer from Boykin, and a triple from Terence Harcum to cut the lead to six.

Harcum came back on the very next play to knock down three free throws, making the score 65-69 with a minute to play.

The Mountaineers shot 12-13 from the free-throw line, which was their best performance of all time with a minimum of 10 attempts at 92.3 percent. This was the third time this season that App State made at least 90 percent of its attempts.

As App State began to foul, Southern Miss’ Felipe Haase knocked down both of his free throws before Christopher Mantis quickly retrieved the ball for a layup on the other end.

The Golden Eagles’ leading scorer, Austin Crowley, who finished with 30 points, knocked down his pair of foul shots to increase the lead back to six. CJ Huntley cut that in half via a spot-up 3-pointer with 30 seconds left in what would be App State’s final made basket.

The Mountaineers had a strong, team-centric first half, pacing the home team 33-30 at the break in a half that saw at least two field goals from six App State players and at least two rebounds from seven players.

Mantis led the Black & Gold in scoring for the fifth time this season with 13 points, followed by Boykin (12), Gregory (10) and Huntley (10). Huntley was the team’s leading rebounder for the sixth time this season with seven boards on the day.

App State finished with 28 points in the paint, 20 off the bench, 18 on fast breaks and 13 after offensive rebounds. The Mountaineers rank in the top 25 in the nation in bench points.

The Mountaineers will host a Sun Belt opponent for the first time this season on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. as App State faces Coastal Carolina at the Holmes Center. Next Saturday night, the Black & Gold will visit JMU in front of a national crowd on ESPNU.