Special Report from App State Sports. BOONE, N.C. – App State field hockey won its third straight game on Friday night, shutting out Longwood, 4-0.
The Mountaineers (7-5, 3-2 MAC) defeated the Lancers (3-10, 1-4 MAC) for the first time since 2014 and now sit in fourth place in the Mid-American Conference standings.
Sarah Farrell and Anna Smarrelli were key to the win, each netting a pair of goals. The two Mountaineers produced a combined 13 shots, eight of which were on goal.
Farrell, who has scored four goals in the last two games, set the stage for the outcome in the second minute of the game with a goal that was assisted by Friederike Stegen. That assist was the 25th of Stegen’s career. Last year, she became the all-time leader in assists at App State when she earned her 23rd.
Midway through the second, Smarrelli had a shot on goal that was initially saved by the Longwood goalkeeper, but the graduate student from Mt. Airy, Md. rebounded the ball and immediately shot it back to give App State a 2-0 lead heading into the break.
Seven minutes into the third period, Farrell duplicated Smarrelli’s attack by rebounding her own shot on goal for her second goal of the game.
Five minutes later, Pauline Mangold assisted Smarrelli who had the dagger near the end of the third period. This was Smarrelli’s seventh goal of the season and the 15th of her career.
Overall, the Mountaineers outshot the Lancers, 18-9, earning nine shots on goal to Longwood’s six.
Addie Clark, Grace Ball, Allison Corey, Fien Zwaan and Jillian Orcutt earned their third shutout of the season, defensively. Clark finished with six saves on the night, including three in a row when the Lancers shot aggressively in the fourth period.
The Mountaineers will look to extend their win streak on Sunday as they hit the road to face Saint Louis at 4 p.m. ET. On Monday, they will visit Lindenwood at 2 p.m. ET.
Special Report from App State Sports. BOONE, N.C. — Skyler Walk scored in the 68th minute, while Kerry Eagleston posted her fifth shutout of the season, as App State defeated Old Dominion, 1-0, Friday at The Valley.
Walk’s goal was the first of her career. It came on a free kick from just beyond midfield. She served a long ball into the center of the box and Mumu Guisasola and Oliva Cohen both went flying in, trying to get on the other end of it. While neither was able to reach the ball, their presence froze Monarch (5-7-2, 3-3-1) goalkeeper Emily Bredek, allowing the ball to bounce past her and into the back of the net.
App State (4-7-4, 3-4-0) was outshot, 15-9, but got the better of things in terms of quality attempts. Breckyn Monteith nearly got the Mountaineers on the board midway through the first half but her volley sailed just wide of the net. Monteith and Izzi Wood each finished with a team-high three shots, while Shannon Studer added two, both of which were on target but credited as saves for Old Dominion goalkeeper.
Eagleston made her biggest save in the 75th minute, punching a free kick shot over the crossbar to keep the Mountaineers in front. Eagleston not only finished with her fifth shutout of the season but also tallied the 17th shutout of her career, in addition to notching eight saves.
Izzy Lusardi made her first start for the Mountaineers, becoming the 19th different App State player to earn a starting nod this season. Meanwhile, the back line duo of Walk and Kaitlyn Little played all 90 minutes for App State.
The Mountaineers will have the weekend off before taking to the road next week as they face off with Southern Mississippi, Thursday at 3 p.m.
Special Report from App State Sports. BOONE, N.C. – Former App State football student-athlete and NFL veteran Doug Middleton is returning to Boone to join the App State athletics department, Director of Athletics Doug Gillin announced Wednesday.
Middleton has been named Special Assistant to the Athletics Department and will assist with a variety of projects including student-athlete development, fundraising, recruiting and mental health advocacy.
“We are thrilled to welcome Doug Middleton to our staff,” Gillin said. “With his experience as a student-athlete and a professional athlete in addition to many other talents, Doug will be an asset to App State Athletics in a variety of areas. He has been a tremendous ambassador for the Mountaineers over his years as an alum, and we’re excited for him to officially join the staff and help App State reach new levels of success.”
A first-team All-Sun Belt selection at safety in 2014, Middleton played six seasons in the NFL with the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers.
“Appalachian State was once a far sought-out dream that I had to be a student-athlete here. Years later after living out that dream and becoming a professional athlete I am very thankful for this opportunity to come back home in a different capacity in a full-circle moment,” Middleton said. “My experience here as a student-athlete and my time in the NFL will provide a different angle in our strategic conversations moving forward. I hope to serve as a resource and connection for all current and former student-athletes, members of the community and App State alumni. I look forward to being a part of the growth and maintaining, and exceeding, the success we have had to date.
“I would like to thank Doug Gillin and the rest of the staff for providing me with this opportunity to come back home and serve this community that means so much to me.”
Even more impactful than Middleton’s play on the field has been his advocacy for awareness and access to mental health resources. After losing his best friend A.J. Morrison to suicide in 2017, Middleton created the Dream the Impossible foundation with the goal of destigmatizing mental health and reversing suicide rates, particularly in the Black community, such that mental health is treated the same as physical health.
Middleton completed his undergraduate degree from App State in 2015 and earned his master’s degree in public administration from App State in 2018. This past July, Middleton, 29, was announced as the recipient of the 2022 Young Alumni Award, which honors individuals under 40 years of age for their exceptional service to the university and accomplishments in their careers.
A native of Winston-Salem, N.C., Middleton is married to the former Caroline Rogers (’15), who was a four-year member of the App State softball team.
Special Report from App State Sports. BURLINGTON, N.C. — With a Hall of Famer on hand and a hat trick at the turn, App State Men’s Golf surged to a third-place finish at the 17-team Elon Phoenix Invitational on Tuesday.
The first fall season under the direction of head coach Alan Cress concluded at Alamance Country Club with an appearance by volunteer assistant Sam Adams, who excelled as an App State All-American in the 1960s before joining the PGA Tour and later serving as the Mountaineers’ head coach.
Addison Beam tied for fourth place with an 8-under total (72-68-65—205) over 54 holes, and Lukas Jönsson tied for sixth place with a 6-under total (69-68-70—207).
Beam’s final-round 65 on the par-71 layout included a 7-under 29 on the back nine, highlighted by a 6-under stretch on the first five holes after he made the turn. He holed out from the rough on a 185-yard approach for an eagle at the par-4 13th hole.
Beam headed to the 10th tee box at 1 over for his round and nearly hit his drive out of bounds. Fortunate to give himself a birdie look from 30 feet, Beam drained it after his father, James, and fellow spectator David Vaughn turned their hats backward.
For the rest of the round, Beam’s dad (in a gold App State hat) and Vaughn (in a lime green App State hat) maintained their “rally cap” look. Beam totaled the one eagle and five birdies on the final nine holes, settling for a birdie on the 17th hole after he missed a 4-foot eagle putt.
App State was in 15th place after 18 holes in Burlington, but strong second rounds from Colin Browning (5-under 66), Beam (68), Jönsson (68) and redshirt freshman Josh Buxbaum (69 in his second-ever round in the Mountaineers’ lineup) produced a 13-under team score of 271.
The second team round in program history with four scores in the 60s — the only other instance occurred during a program-record 270 to open this fall season — allowed App State to climb 11 spots in the team standings. The final-round 281 included Beam’s 65, Jönsson’s 70, Browning’s 73 and a 73 from true freshman Cole Bergheim, another first-team starter.
App State finished one stroke ahead of fourth-place William & Mary, two strokes ahead of fifth-place Lafayette and three strokes ahead of sixth-place Queens in a tight race for third. Elon won with a 28-under total, followed by Stetson at 23 under.
Individually, the top three finishers were Elon’s Garrett Risner (14 under), Elon’s Bronson Myers (13 under) and Radford’s Bryce Corbett (10 under).
Special Report from App State Sports. STATESBORO, GA. – App State fell to Georgia Southern 2-0, despite earning 10 shots, five shots on goal and three corner attempts on Oct. 9.
In the 20th minute of the game, Kerry Eagleston saved an opposing shot for the 320th time in her career, moving her up to third all-time at App State. Eagleston had six total saves on the day.
The Mountaineers responded to two first-half goals by the Eagles with six shots in the opening period and four more in the second.
Izzi Wood led the Black & Gold in opportunities with three shots, two of which were on goal. Breckyn Monteith earned two shots with one on target in 85 minutes of action.
In the backfield, Eagleston, Kaitlyn Little and Skyler Walk played all 90 minutes in the game, shutting out the Georgia Southern offense in the second half.
App State will return to Boone, N.C. for a home game against Old Dominion on Friday at 6 p.m.
By David Rogers. SAN MARCOS, Texas — Neither the city of San Marcos nor Texas State University are quite in the shadow of The Alamo, that historic site being some 45 minutes away in downtown San Antonio, but with season opening, lopsided losses to Nevada, Baylor and James Madison, the Bobcats needed to make a heroic stand, play a complete game and come away with a statement win.
They did just that on Oct. 8 — and the unfortunate gridiron victim was Appalachian State, 36-24. It was the Bobcats’ first win over the Mountaineers, who had owned a 6-game winning streak since joining the Sun Belt Conference in 2014.
To be truthful, a lot of the Mountaineers’ pain was self-inflicted. Twelve penalties that cost the Boone-based young men 105 yards and disrupted offensive drives — or extended Bobcat offensive possessions — are hard to overlook. A lost fumble and a 94-yard “Pick 6” interception return didn’t help either.
App State defensive back Dexter Lawson, Jr. came down with an interception in the end zone on Oct. 8, at Texas State. Photo by Cade Bettinger, App State Athletics
But it is also hard to take anything away from Texas State QB Layne Hatcher (26-36 passing for 281 yards, 2 TDs, and 1 INT), running back Lincoln Pare (20 carries for 64 yards and a TD while adding 2 pass receptions for 29 yards), and 10 Bobcat receivers who caught passes from Hatcher, led by Ashtyn Hawkins (6 catches, 105 yards, 1 TD) and Charles Brown (5 catches, 44 yards, 1 TD).
Most of the Mountaineer foibles and the Bobcat accomplishments happened before intermission. The game was getting out of hand by halftime, given Texas State’s 24-3 lead. And those first half points for App State came on a 30-yard field goal by Michael Hughes with no time remaining in the half.
It may not have been the proverbial nail in the coffin, but with the Mountaineers threatening to score on the opening possession of the third quarter, Bobcat defensive back Tory Spears may have been humming “The Eyes of Texas Are Upon You” when he stepped in front of a Chase Brice pass at the Texas State 6-yard line and returned it to the opposite end zone untouched to make the Bobcat advantage, 30-3.
To their credit, the Mountaineers didn’t quit and actually made a game of it by scoring three TDs in the second half while holding Texas State to Spears’ INT return for TD and a pair of field goals after intermission. Even so, they wasted too many opportunities, converting on only 40 percent (6-of-15) of 3rd downs and 33 percent (2-of-6) on 4th down tries to “go for it.”
A reported 25,613 were in attendance to watch the Texas State upset on a rather balmy, central Texas autumn weekend (sunny, 83 degrees). For the High Country representatives it may have been a little warmer than the temperatures in which they have practiced of late, but hardly the oppressive heat experienced by previous App State teams on the road in San Marcos.
After winning the coin toss at the outset, App State deferred and although Hatcher & Co. moved the ball efficiently and effectively, things looked promising for the Mountaineers when defensive back Dexter Lawson, Jr. intercepted a Hatcher pass in the end zone, giving Appalachian possession at their own 20-yard line with not even 2 minutes ticked off the game clock. But after only gaining 22 yards on 7 plays, a series that stalled on 3rd-and-2, as well as on 4th-and-1, the Mountaineers turned the ball over on downs at their own 42-yard line.
Before getting on the scoreboard with the end-of-half field goal, the Mountaineer drives ended with a punt, a punt, a fumble and a punt. In between, Texas State was producing a touchdown, a touchdown and a field goal. It was a tale of opposite gridiron fortunes. In the first half, Texas State did to the Mountaineers what App State did to the Texas A&M Aggies on their last trip to the Lonestar State almost a month ago: they controlled possession. The Bobcats had possession of the football for 18:39 in the first half, compared to App State’s 11:21.
For a losing effort, the Mountaineers’ Brice put up some gaudy numbers by games end, most of it coming in the second half. He completed 40-of-53 passes with 1 INT vs. 395 yards through the air and 3 TDs. Tight end Henry Pearson caught two of those TD passes, while wide receiver Dalton Stoman gained 104 yards on 5 pass receptions, including one TD.
Running back Camerun Peoples did not make the trip, according to reports to media before the game. The trio of running backs used (Nate Noel, Ahmani Marshall, and Daetrich Harrington) managed to gain only 41 net yards rushing.
The Mountaineers will try to regroup, returning home to the friendly confines of Kidd Brewer Stadium for a rare Wednesday night game on Oct. 19, against Georgia State.
Now 1-2 in the Sun Belt and 3-3 overall, the Mountaineers will need a lot of help from other teams to be in the running for another SBC conference championship given that Coastal Carolina and James Madison — both in the Sun Belt East Division with the Mountaineers — remain undefeated on the season. The Chanticleers got by Louisiana-Monroe, 28-21, while James Madison thumped Arkansas State, 42-20 on Oct. 8. With six wins, Coastal Carolina is already bowl eligible. App State needs three more wins to become bowl eligible.
In other Oct. 8 games, Georgia State, which comes to the High Country on Oct. 19, defeated Georgia Southern, 41-33; and Troy manhandled Southern Miss, 27-10.
Special Report from App State Sports. CONWAY, S.C. – In its second event of the fall season, App State Tennis was dominating in doubles play at the Lynn Stevens Memorial Invitational, hosted by Coastal Carolina.
Head coach Ashleigh Antal’s Mountaineers won two of three doubles matches against the host Chanticleers on Friday before going 6-1 in doubles Saturday against Charleston Southern and Queens University.
“I’m really proud of our competing and spirit this weekend,” Antal said. “This was a great benchmark of where we are already in the season. I’m very happy with the progress we’ve made. The spirit of this group is fantastic. I’m excited for another opportunity next week for us to get better.”
The duo of Erika Dodridge and Virginia Poggi went a perfect 3-0 on the weekend, including a 6-2 win against Coastal on Friday and 6-2 and 6-3 wins over Queens and Charleston Southern, respectively, on Saturday.
Maggie Pate and Savannah Dada-Mascoll won a pair of matches over Coastal (6-3) and Queens (6-0). Helena Jansen and Ellie Murphy captured wins over Queens (6-0) and Charleston Southern (6-3).
In singles action, the Mountaineers racked up 11 victories over the two-day event, led by Jansen in the No. 1 spot with a 3-0 record. Poggi, Dodridge and Dada-Mascoll collected two victories apiece, while Pate and Riley Collins also notched individual victories.
App State will compete at the ITA Regionals this upcoming Thursday-Sunday in Winston-Salem, N.C.
BOONE, N.C. – App State field hockey defeated Mid-American Conference opponent Bellarmine, 3-2, scoring the final goal midway through the second overtime period on Oct. 7.
Charlotte Bosma, who returned from injury just two weeks ago, secured the game-winning goal in the 77th minute, thanks to an assist from Pauline Mangold.
“Having Charlotte back on the field is amazing for our team,” head coach Meghan Dawson said. “She brings so much intensity and accountability onto the field and opens up opportunities for all of our players.”
Sarah Farrell enjoyed a breakout night for the season, scoring the first two goals of her senior stint. She scored the first goal of the game in the 13th minute.
Midway through the second, Farrell scored a second time, assisted by Carli Ciocco and Lise Boekaar to give the Mountaineers (6-5, 2-2 MAC) a two-goal lead.
Ciocco now has 10 assists on the season, the second most in App State history for a single season. The record is currently held by Bridgette Burkhardt, who assisted 12 goals during the 2003 season.
The Knights (3-9, 2-2 MAC) gained momentum in the second half, scoring two goals to tie the game and force overtime.
After 17 minutes of seven-on-seven action, Bosma ended the game with the winning tally and giving the Mountaineers their sixth win of the season.
“I’m proud of our team for digging deep and rallying back after they tied the game,” Dawson said. “We had great ball movement on both sides of the field.”
App State outshot Bellarmine, 16-8. Addie Clark recorded five saves on the day, totaling 55 this season.
The Mountaineers will finish their three-game home stand on Oct. 14 against Longwood before going on the road to visit Saint Louis on Oct. 16 and Lindenwood on Oct. 17.
Special Report from App State Sports. ATLANTA, Ga. – Appalachian State volleyball won another 5-set thriller against Georgia State on Friday, defeating the Panthers, 3-2 (25-23, 28-30, 17-25, 25-19, 15-8). App State also defeated Georgia State on Thursday night with a final score of 3-2 (25-16, 26-28, 25-17, 22-25, 15-10).
“What a gutsy weekend from this team,” said head coach Sarah Rumely Noble. “Two five-set wins on the weekend is unbelievable. I couldn’t be prouder. We made some big time plays in the fifth set and it was a great weekend for us.”
Ambrose, Denny, & Winterhoff go on offensive
Sophomore Lulu Ambrose led the Mountaineers, totaling a season-high 20 kills, which matches her career high of 20 kills in a single match, set in 2021 against Little Rock. Senior McCall Denny and freshman Maya Winterhoff followed close behind with 15 kills apiece. Denny also posted 12 digs for a double-double. Denny and Ambrose led App State in aces, both serving up two over the course of the match. As she had on Thursday, senior Sarah Missroon led the Mountaineers in blocks, tallying eight on the afternoon. Fellow senior Sam Bickley tallied a team-high 25 assists and junior Sophie Cain recorded 23 assists while posting a team-high and season-high 19 digs.
The Mountaineers outpaced the Panthers in points (83-75), kills (61-54), blocks (16-12), and assists (57-48).
Mountaineers win first set, lose second and third
App State came out hot in the first set, leading Georgia State early at 4-2 after back-to-back kills from Winterhoff and Denny. The Mountaineers went on a 5-0 scoring run after three consecutive kills from Denny, Ambrose, and Cain, a block from Ambrose/Winterhoff, and a second kill from Ambrose, pushing the lead to 9-3. The Black and Gold posted two more 3-0 runs to extend the lead to 16-9 before GSU found its footing. With the Mountaineers up by two, a kill from Winterhoff and a Panther error extended App State’s lead to 22-18. A pair of kills from Ambrose pushed the score to 24-21, and, after a late comeback attempt from GSU, Missroon slammed down a kill to close out the set 25-23 in favor of the Mountaineers.
Set two started out tight, with the Mountaineers and Panthers going point-for-point. Georgia State managed to break away from a 12-12 tie and take a 16-13 lead, but the Mountaineers steadily chipped away at the lead, catching up at 17 all after a pair of kills from Winterhoff and a GSU error. App State broke from an 18-18 tie with a solo block from Ambrose and a block from the duo of Missroon and junior Madison Baldridge to lead 20-18. Tied at 21-21, the Mountaineers and Panthers went point-for-point until GSU mustered enough momentum to take the set 30-28.
Georgia State’s momentum carried into the third set as the Panthers went on a six-point run to lead 10-6. Despite App State’s efforts, GSU went on another five-point run to extend the lead to 19-11. The Mountaineers went on a 3-0 run, but it wasn’t enough to overtake the Panthers, who took the third set, 25-17.
4th and final sets belong to Mountaineers
Bouncing back in the fourth set, App State came back from a 6-1 deficit to tie things up at nine all. Breaking from a 13-13 tie, the Mountaineers took the lead, 15-13, after a kill from Denny and a block from Ambrose and Bickley. Maintaining their lead, the Mountaineers scored three consecutive points, which included kills from Ambrose and Winterhoff, to extend their lead to 20-15. After kills from Ambrose and Winterhoff as well as blocks from Denny/Winterhoff and Denny/Missroon, a final kill from Missroon sealed the set, 25-19 in favor of the Mountaineers.
In the fifth and final set, junior Meghan Dombrowski tied things up at 4-4 with a kill. With Denny tying things up at 5-5, the Mountaineers scored six consecutive points to lead 10-5. The 6-0 run included three kills from Ambrose (two of which were consecutive), an ace from Denny, and a kill from Baldridge. The Mountaineers capped the fifth set with a kill from Ambrose, ace from Roper, and kill from Winterhoff, winning the set 15-8, and the match 3-2.
The Mountaineers continue their road stretch on Oct. 14 and 15 as they take on ULM in Monroe, La
Special Report from App State Sports. BOONE, N.C. — App State head men’s basketball coach Dustin Kerns announced the hiring of Raheem Martin to the program on Friday.
Martin comes to the High Country to join Kerns’ staff as the program’s director of recruiting for the 2022-23 season.
The Greensboro College graduate will oversee the program’s recruiting efforts and assist the coaching staff with selecting and developing student-athletes. He most recently served as the coordinator of student-athlete development at the University of Arkansas after spending two years there as a graduate assistant.
“I would like to thank Coach Kerns and the men’s basketball program for this incredible opportunity to work at such an amazing institution,” Martin said. “I am honored to be a part of the Mountaineer family.”
Martin joins an organization that has grown and stood out in the Sun Belt Conference since Kerns took the reins prior to the 2018-19 season. Coming off its third-consecutive winning season, App State captured the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Championship to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and is fresh off its second consecutive year of playing in a national postseason tournament.
Kerns on Martin: “We are thrilled to add Raheem Martin to our coaching staff,” Kerns said. “He is a North Carolina native and has had great experiences in basketball. While on the Arkansas coaching staff, he helped the Razorbacks to two straight Elite Eights. He had a successful playing career at Greensboro College and has built great relationships in this state. Please welcome Raheem, his wife Abby and their two children, Sawyer and Ezra.”
During his time at Arkansas, Martin worked with NBA lottery pick Moses Moody, All-American JD Notae and 2022 NBA draft pick Jaylin Williams. Prior to Arkansas, Martin spent one season as an assistant coach at Greensboro College (2019-20) and one season as an assistant coach at Richard Bland College (2017-18).
During his playing career, the four-year letterman was named USA South Defensive Player of the Year following the 2013-2014 season. He finished his career with 85 blocks, which ranks third on the Pride’s all-time list, and ranked ninth in career steals with 116.
A native of Mocksville, N.C., Martin returns to North Carolina to continue his career at App State. He is the brother of twins Cody and Caleb Martin, who played for Eric Musselman at Nevada and play for the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat, respectively.
