Category: College

By Bobby Neal for App State Sports. WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – App State men’s basketball came just short of its second Atlantic Coast Conference win of the season on Wednesday night. The Mountaineers fell to Wake Forest, 66-67 in a heartbreaking thriller.

Terence Harcum scored a corner three-pointer with 14 seconds left to give the Mountaineers a one-point advantage, but Wake Forest’s Andrew Carr responded with a buzzer-beating, mid-range jump shot to end the game.

Christopher Mantis led the way with 18 points on 6-7 shooting, a trio of three-point shots and a perfect game from the foul line. The sophomore was active on both ends, tallying two steals and two blocks in his third career start where he earned a plus/minus of +13 while he was on the court.

The Mountaineers had a hot first half, shooting 17-25 and getting out to a 37-31 lead at the break. The Demon Deacons responded with a 17-2 run to open the second half, leading to their largest lead of the game (9) with 14 minutes to go.

Donovan Gregory broke the ice with a driving finish through contact, sparking eight consecutive App State points to cut the lead to one. The teams continued to fight back and forth as the game saw 15 lead changes and six ties.

App State trailed by four with two minutes remaining before Dibaji Walker found his way into the lane to make the score 61-63. Walker followed with a block on the other end, leading to a CJ Huntley layup to tie the game.

After a couple of defensive stops by both teams, it was Walker again who came up with the defensive rebound leading to Harcum’s eventual go-ahead three-pointer.

The Mountaineers had an impressive offensive outing, shooting 52.7% from the field with 36 points in the paint and 17 points off of turnovers.

App State will return to action on Saturday at 4 p.m. as the squad hosts Regent. Next week, the Mountaineers ill compete against UC Santa Barbara in the Jerry Colangelo Classic at the Footprint Center.

By Joey Jones for App State Sports. BOONE, N.C. — App State Athletics has entered into a three-year agreement with Nike and BSN SPORTS. As part of this agreement, Nike will continue to serve as the official apparel, footwear and uniform provider of the Mountaineers, with BSN SPORTS serving as the official equipment provider.

Nike’s increased investment demonstrates a commitment to App State’s growing brand. The partnership, which began in 2007, has allowed Mountaineer student-athletes to maximize their performance both in-game and in practice with top-of-the-line apparel that is not only optimized for peak performance, but also features superb look and comfort.

These two great brands are now integrating BSN SPORTS, a leading marketer, manufacturer and distributor of sporting goods apparel and equipment which will serve as the Mountaineers’ preferred embellisher by offering extreme discounts and direct-to-consumer distribution for App State. This addition will streamline efficiency and provide enhanced product offerings for App State student-athletes and coaches.

“The App State brand has never been stronger,” said Director of Athletics Doug Gillin. “By partnering with Nike and BSN SPORTS, App State student-athletes benefit from the best uniforms and equipment in the sports industry. We are pleased to align our growing national brand with the worldwide leader in sports apparel.”

Bill Stote, Senior Vice President of BSN SPORTS Collegiate Select Program said, “This agreement between Appalachian State University, BSN SPORTS and NIKE will add tremendous value and dedicated support to the experience of the coaches, student-athletes and administrators involved with App State Athletics. Our team is excited to provide the Mountaineers program, coaches and teams with the best possible service, unparalleled access to sports equipment and premier apparel, and branding resources to continue growing App State’s prominent athletic brand and fanbase. We are proud of this partnership and welcome the opportunity to give time back to Mountaineer coaches on a daily basis, so they can continue focusing on positively impacting the lives of student-athletes.”

The three-year deal, which officially went into effect on June 1, 2022, involves all 17 of App State’s athletic programs. The agreement includes numerous incentives in the form of discounts, rewards for on-field achievements and additional marketing and promotional opportunities. The partnership also extends discounts and incentives to departments across Appalachian State University.

BOONE, N.C. – The App State women’s basketball team (3-5) defeated Johnson C. Smith (4-4), 107-52, on Saturday at Holmes Convocation Center, reaching 100 points for the first time since Nov. 29, 2010 when the Black and Gold hosted Elon. The triple-digit victory is the first under head coach Angel Elderkin’s tenure and 19th in program history. The last time App State scored 107 points in a game was against High Point on Feb. 25, 1987.

“I’m just really proud. It’s fun to go into a locker room and experience so much joy with the team that a week ago, they say that basketball brings you the highs and brings you the lows, and I think we were at a really low point on Saturday. But we took the lesson, we learned from it, and we grew,” said Elderkin.

“This is a tough week.  We’re in exams, so it can be tough,” added the Mountaineer mentor. “Practices cannot always be the most intense, but I thought our team played with an unbelievable amount of energy and passion and we just really focused on us. I think it would have been easy in the second half to get complacent and I thought our team found another gear. So just, a really fun day for the Mountaineers.”

Every Mountaineer that hit the court scored points, with five scoring double digits. Sophomore Emily Carver and graduate student Brooke Bigott led the Black and Gold, both netting 15 points. Carver went 3 of 4 from the free throw line while Bigott drained 3 of 6 treys. Redshirt senior Janay Sanders tallied the second-most points (12), while senior Taylor Lewis and sophomore Zada Porter each scored ten points. Porter also dished out a team-high five assists. Freshman Alexis Black pulled down a team and career high eight rebounds and went 3 of 4 from the charity stripe.

App State scored 48 points off the bench and 27 off turnovers.

Johnson C. Smith took an early 5-0 lead in the first quarter, but App State was quick to erase the deficit, as a Bigott 3-pointer put the Mountaineers up 11-9 for the only lead change of the game.

The Mountaineers jumped ahead 46-24 by halftime and maintained a steady lead in the third quarter with an 11-point run within a two-minute span. Carver, Bigott, Sanders, Porter, Lewis, and freshman Chaé Harris combined for 34 points in the third quarter alone.

In the fourth quarter, junior Dane Bertolina and redshirt junior A’Lea Gilbert drained 3 of 3 of their shots as the Mountaineers eclipsed 100 points. Freshmen Nadiyah Byard, Lexi Grant, and Lewis also recorded points in the final quarter.

UP NEXT
The Mountaineers will hit the road to take on North Carolina Central in Durham, N.C. on Dec. 15 at 5:30 p.m. Thursday’s game will be available for streaming on the NCCU Sport Network. The Black and Gold will then head to Ann Arbor, Mich. to clash with Michigan on Dec. 17 at 1 p.m. Saturday’s game will be available to stream on B1G+.

App State will close out its non-conference slate on Dec. 20 at 2 p.m. as it hosts Gardner-Webb. The game will be the Mountaineers’ Ugly Sweater Game, which fans can enter the ugly sweater contest for a chance to win a set of new airpods. Santa will also make an appearance at Tuesday’s game and will be available for photos.

By Bret Strelow for App State Sports. BOONE, N.C. — The Football Writers Association of America has named App State’s Milan Tucker a second-team All-American as a kick returner.

Tucker is the ninth App State player in the last four seasons to be named an FBS All-American, joining teammate Cooper Hodges, who has been honored as a third-team All-American by PFF College for his work this season at right tackle.

Tucker’s average of 28.2 yards per kickoff return, with 620 yards on 22 returns, officially ranks No. 3 in the nation heading into the bowl season. To qualify as an NCAA statistical leader, a player must average at least 1.2 returns a game — or a minimum of 15 returns over 12 games.

Of the 23 players nationally with at least 20 returns this season, Milan’s 28.2 average ranks No. 1.

Tucker scored his first career touchdown with a 96-yard kickoff return at Marshall, giving the Mountaineers at least one kick return touchdown for the fifth straight year. He also had key returns of 47 yards against North Carolina and 63 yards in the win against Georgia State.

UNC led 63-55 against App State following a touchdown with 28 seconds left in the 2022 opener. Tucker’s return to the Tar Heels’ 48-yard line gave the Mountaineers time to score a touchdown with nine seconds left, but UNC stopped the two-point try to win 63-61.

After Georgia State made a field goal to cut its deficit to 11 points early in the fourth quarter on Oct. 19, Tucker set up a touchdown by returning the ensuing kickoff to the Panthers’ 30-yard line.

Tucker’s 620 return yards in a season rank No. 2 in the FBS era of App State Football, behind only the 781 from Jalen Virgil in 2021. Only one FBS player, Indiana’s Jaylin Lucas, has more than one kickoff return touchdown this season.

FBS All-Americans from Appalachian State— since 2019

• 2022: Cooper Hodges, Milan Tucker
• 2021: D’Marco Jackson, Steven Jones Jr., Chandler Staton
• 2020: Shemar Jean-Charles, Ryan Neuzil
• 2019: Akeem Davis-Gaither, Shaun Jolly

By Bret Strelow for App State Sports. BOONE, N.C. — App State quarterback Chase Brice has accepted an invitation to play in the 2023 Tunnel to Towers Foundation Hula Bowl, which will be held Jan. 14 at UCF’s FBC Mortgage Stadium in Orlando, Fla.

The 77th annual Hula Bowl game will showcase 100 top collegiate players, matched with legendary NFL coaches, and be broadcast live on the CBS Sports Network.

In just two years, Brice put up some of the best career totals in App State history, ranking No. 1 in passing yards per game (240.7), No. 5 in touchdown passes (54) and No. 6 in passing yards (6,258).

Brice threw 27 touchdown passes (No. 1 in the Sun Belt) and just six interceptions during a 2022 season in which he passed for 2,921 yards (243.4 per game) and completed 62.8 percent of his attempts.

A native of Grayson, Ga., Brice opened the season by throwing for a school-record six touchdowns against North Carolina, including four during a 40-point fourth quarter for App State, which lost 63-61. He helped lead the Mountaineers to a 17-14 win at No. 6 Texas A&M the following week, then delivered a 53-yard touchdown pass to Christan Horn on a last-play Hail Mary to beat Troy 32-28 on the same day ESPN’s College GameDay aired from Boone.

As fans stormed the field, video of Brice walking toward the stands and helping fellow students jump safely from their elevated front row onto the field went viral. One of eight team captains, he also showed leadership by giving up his Senior Day captain’s spot to tight end Henry Pearson, who was in his fifth year at App State.

Brice, who spent his first three collegiate years at Clemson and played for Duke in 2020, totaled 62 game appearances, 9,451 passing yards and 73 touchdown passes as an FBS quarterback.

By Joey Jones and Bret Strelow for App State Sports. BOONE, N.C. — Matt Greenhalgh has returned home to App State as Director of Athletic Performance to oversee the football program’s strength and conditioning, head coach Shawn Clark announced Thursday.

“We’re excited to welcome Matt and his family back to App State,” Clark said. “Matt’s enthusiasm and ability as a strength coach will be critical to our program. We will be relentless and smart with all of our strength and conditioning habits.”

Greenhalgh (pronounced GREEN-hall) was Assistant Director of Football Strength and Conditioning at Virginia Tech during the 2022 season after being Georgia Southern’s Director of Football Strength and Conditioning from 2018-21.

That role as director came after he served as App State’s Assistant Director of Strength and Conditioning from 2014-17, when the Mountaineers posted a record of 37-14 with two Sun Belt Conference championships and a 3-0 bowl record.

“My family and I are extremely excited to be rejoining the App State football family,” Greenhalgh said. “Boone is a special place, and I am looking forward to building upon the rich tradition of App State Football. I am unbelievably thankful to Coach Clark and Doug Gillin for this opportunity. I cannot wait to get to work!”

Georgia Southern made an eight-win improvement to go 10-3 during Greenhalgh’s first season in Statesboro. The Eagles had winning records in each of the next two seasons, going 8-5 in 2020, and a coaching transition coincided with Greenhalgh relocating to Virginia Tech to work alongside first-year head coach Brent Pry in 2022.

Prior to his first stint in Boone, Greenhalgh was a strength and conditioning graduate assistant at The Citadel from 2013-14. A native of Chepachet, Rhode Island, he also worked as a strength and conditioning intern at Rhode Island, his alma mater, and South Carolina.

A four-year letterwinner on the offensive line for Rhode Island from 2008-12, Greenhalgh graduated with a degree in kinesiology. He served as a team captain during his senior season after earning a spot on the Allstate Good Works Team as a junior in 2011.

He holds a master’s degree in sports management from Western Carolina.

BOONE, N.C. – App State men’s basketball defeated Carlow 103-43 to improve its home record to 4-3 on Tuesday night.

The Mountaineers (6-4) scored at least 51 points in both halves and led by as many as 66 late in the second.

Head coach Dustin Kerns inserted senior Andrew Muse into the starting lineup, helping the Mountaineers jump out to a 14-0 lead to start the game. App State never trailed for the third time this season.

The Celtics (1-13) kept within 15 until the Black & Gold went on a 22-0 run that spanned from the 2:42 mark of the first half to the 17:32 mark of the second half.

App State saw points from 11 different players, five of which earned double figures: CJ Huntley (12), Justin Abson (12), Terence Harcum (11), Dibaji Walker (10) and Zocko Littleton Jr. (10).

Littleton Jr. scored the first field goal of his career on a pull-up jumper with six and a half minutes left in the game. Over the next few possessions, he rattled off two three-pointers and another made basket to score all 10 of his points within a 14-0 run that spanned until the two-minute mark.

Abson and Xavion Brown both went perfect from the floor, shooting 6-6 and 4-4, respectively.

App State forced 21 turnovers that led to 31 points and assisted 29 of its 42 made field goals.

The Mountaineers will return to action next Wednesday as they visit Wake Forest, their second ACC opponent of the season.

By Bret Strelow for App State Sports. BOONE, N.C. — App State Wrestling’s Jon Jon Millner has been named the SoCon Wrestler of the Month for November, when he posted a 10-0 record and climbed to No. 2 in the national rankings at 149 pounds.

Millner opened the season with a 6-0 shutout of NC State’s Jackson Arrington, who has moved into the top 20 of their weight class, before making unbeaten runs to titles at the Mountaineer Invitational and Keystone Classic. Three of those nine tournament wins were against wrestlers with top-25 rankings, and he posted four pins in November.

After opening December with four wins at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Millner is 14-2 this season and 106-23 in his career. He has the sixth-most career victories in the history of App State’s program.

The 2022-23 season is presented by Hungry Howie’s and Penn Station.

Season tickets for the 11 regular-season competitions (with two doubleheaders) 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. The season ticket price for faculty/staff is $50.

By Joey Jones for App State Sports. BOONE, N.C. – Meghan Dawson has resigned as App State’s head field hockey coach to spend time with her family, Director of Athletics Doug Gillin announced Tuesday.

“I want to thank Meg for her hard work with our field hockey program over the last eight years,” Gillin said. “When she arrived, we were without a conference, and she has helped us raise our program to a level of national prominence and compete for a conference championship. We wish Meg and her family all the best moving forward.”

This fall, Dawson led the Mountaineers to a school record-tying 14 wins to earn Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year honors. App State advanced to the MAC tournament championship game for the first time after achieving a 14-6 overall record and 5-2 league mark. The 14 wins matched the program’s previous high-water mark from 1978. The squad won 10 straight contests leading into the MAC final, and they came within one goal of defeating No. 16 Duke and No. 15 Wake Forest on the road.

“I am so thankful for my time here at Appalachian State University and especially with our field hockey program,” Dawson said. “I have had the most amazing experience with incredible student-athletes coming through our program that have turned into alumni. The alumni base has been very supportive of our field hockey program. I cannot thank Doug Gillin enough for giving me this opportunity eight seasons ago. And thank you, App State Family.”

Dawson compiled a 59-85 record over her eight seasons, improving the program to a 39-32 mark over the second half of her tenure.

Over the course of her tenure, App State players earned 16 All-MAC honors. A Mountaineer was named MAC Offensive Player of the Year each of the last two seasons – Meghan Smart in 2021 and Friederike Stegen in 2022.

In 2021, Dawson led App State to its first ranked win in program history with a shutout victory against No. 24 James Madison.

After back-to-back trips to the MAC Tournament semifinals in 2017 and 2018, Dawson led the Mountaineers to the program’s first winning season since 2003 with an 11-9 record in 2019.

Assistant head coach Emily Dinsmore will serve as the Mountaineers’ interim head coach.

By David Rogers. CINCINNATI, Ohio — Reports out of Ohio this morning are that former Appalachian State head coach and alum Scott Satterfield, most recently head coach at Louisville University, is on the move — and just 100 miles up the Ohio River, to become the head coach at University of Cincinnati and shepherd its transition to the Big 12 Conference, another one of the so-called Power 5 leagues in NCAA football.

Satterfield, who oversaw App State’s successful transition from FCS to FBS from 2014 to 2918, replaces Luke Fickell, who took the Bearcats to the College Football Playoffs in 2021. In November, Fickell accepted the head coaching position at the University of Wisconsin.

The Big 12 was a focal point of the reshuffling of FBS conferences earlier this year when the University of Texas and University of Oklahoma announced they were moving to the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Along with Cincinnati, the Big 12 announced the addition of Brigham Young, Central Florida, and Houston. They join current members Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Texas Christian (TCU, which is in the College Football Playoffs this year), Texas Tech, and West Virginia.

A press conference to introduce Satterfield is scheduled for 1 p.m., Monday, Dec. 5.

As head coach of Appalachian State, Satterfield compiled a record of 51-24 in his five years at the helm, including three Sun Belt championships and four straight bowl appearances from the time the school became bowl-eligible in 2015 after its transition year in 2014.  At Louisville, Satterfield guided the program to a 25-24 overall record and bowl eligible in three of the four years he was there.

Satterfield played for App State in the mid-90s, including as starting quarterback in 27 games from 1992-1995. After starting his coaching career as an assistant under the Mountaineers former head coach, Jerry Moore, Satterfield was also quarterbacks coach at the University of Toledo and served Florida International for two years as offensive coordinator before rejoining App State in 2012.

Louisville athletic director Josh Heird issued the following statement on the news of Satterfield’s leaving to accept the job at Cincinnati:

“We’re grateful to Scott for his dedication to our program and wish him well. We are always prepared to conduct head coaching searches, and we will begin a national search immediately to identify our next head coach. We will be looking for a tremendous leader who recognizes both the history and potential of Louisville Football and is committed longterm to helping the program reach new heights.”

There is a certain irony in the timing of the announcement: Louisville and Cincinnati are scheduled to play each other in the Fenway Bowl on Dec. 17.