By Joey Jones. BOONE, N.C. — With impressive displays of speed, strength, skill and explosiveness, seven seniors from App State’s relatively young 2023 football team went through Pro Day drills and workouts Monday in front of representatives from the NFL, CFL and NASCAR.

Photographic images by David Rogers for High Country Sports

App State had one linebacker (Andrew Parker Jr.), two offensive linemen (Bucky Williams, Isaiah Helms) and four defensive backs (Tyrek Funderburk, Nick Ross, EJ Jackson, Jarrett Paul) participate in an event that began in the North End Zone weight room and concluded in the Sofield Family Indoor Practice Facility.

Some of the highlights included a time of 4.39 seconds in the 40-yard dash from Funderburk, 23 reps of 225 pounds in the bench press from the 185-pound Ross and a series of strong testing numbers from Parker, notably a vertical jump of 38.5 inches and a time of 6.98 seconds in the three-cone drill.

Only one linebacker at the NFL Scouting Combine had a better vertical leap in Indianapolis, and no Combine linebackers had a better three-cone time. Parker’s numbers in the bench press (20 reps), broad jump (10 feet, 4 inches) and 20-yard shuttle (4.26 seconds) all would have ranked third at the Combine when compared to other participating linebackers.

“I just wanted to come out here and show I was an all-around (line)backer,” said Parker, who increased his total from 68 tackles in 2022 to 114 in 2023 as a full-time starter who earned All-Sun Belt recognition. “They had a few questions about me, I think really from my junior tape (in 2022) that they just wanted to see my range. I just wanted to show I could change direction with the best of them, that I can run with the best of them and that I’m just as explosive as some of the best of them.”

Only seven cornerbacks at the Combine had a 40 time faster than Funderburk’s 4.39 seconds.

Given his position, he also put up good numbers in the three-cone drill (7.0 seconds), bench press (14 reps), vertical jump (34.5 inches) and broad jump (10-3).

“A lot of (the scouts) said I looked very fluid — very smooth in my breaks — and I didn’t drop any passes today, which was a huge goal of mine,” said Funderburk, who tied for the Sun Belt lead with four interceptions in 2023 and totaled 11 interceptions in his college career. “When I was down in Florida, we worked (on that) twice a week there. The main thing, I just wanted to come out here, run well and test well overall, but mainly just run well and catch every ball in those position drills.”

In addition to his 23 bench-press reps in the weight room, Ross ran the 40 in 4.55 seconds and had a vertical jump of 33.5 inches.

No safeties at the Combine had more than 22 bench-press reps.

“I think I showed off my strength, being undersized at my position,” said Ross, who had 256 tackles in 66 career games, putting him tied for No. 1 for the most game appearances in program history. “I felt like I hit a good number on the bench press and also showed off my speed as well. I’m just glad I got to put all the hard work into my opportunity.”

Jackson had the next-best 40 time of 4.53 seconds to go with a time of 6.90 seconds in the three-cone drill. Paul tested particularly well in the vertical jump (36 inches) and three-cone drill (7.01 seconds).

Williams and Helms worked as interior linemen — drills for guards and centers — with Helms also performing as a long snapper.

“I feel good,” said Williams, who earned All-Sun Belt recognition as an offensive guard in both 2022 and 2023. “Obviously, there were numbers in my head that I wanted to hit, and I didn’t hit some of them, but, overall, I felt I moved well, did drills well and, overall, had a really good day.”

The 2024 NFL Draft will be held April 25-27, with teams also signing undrafted free agents immediately after the draft.

App State concluded the 2023 NFL regular season with a Sun Belt-leading 14 alums on NFL rosters. The breakdown of that group was split between eight draft picks and six undrafted players.

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — They may not have started out so good but they sure knew how to finish it. And a sell-out crowd on a chilly, blustery afternoon relished the experience.

Appalachian State fell to a 6-0 deficit to No. 13 ranked Coastal Carolina in the first two and a half innings on March 23 at Beaver Field and Smith Stadium, but they pretty much took care of business the rest of the way in a 16-8 romp past the Chanticleers.

Leftfielder and leadoff hitter C.J. Boyd capitalized on there being two runners on base in the bottom half of the third inning with a 3-run blast over the left field wall, but on this day it was the bottom of the Mountaineers’ batting order that had the hot bats. From centerfielder Banks Tolley batting in the No. 4 position, through catcher Braxton Church (No.5), first baseman Drew Holderbach (No. 6), shortstop Adam Quintero (No. 7), rightfielder Hunter Wilder (No. 8) and second baseman Joseph Zamora (No. 9), that quintet accounted for all but three of the 16 runs scored and all but four of the RBIs with their sizzling bats.

And then there was the Mountaineer pitching. Although starter Bradley Wilson, a redshirt junior righthander gave up seven runs in the first four innings, six of them recorded as earned runs, he settled down to blank the Chanticleers in the fifth before giving way to reliever Grey LaSpaluto to start the sixth inning. In his four innings on the mound, the senior righthander from Apex, N.C. gave up just one hit — a home run for the only run — while striking out five with no walks.

The fact that App State used only one relief pitcher on the afternoon could pay dividends when the two teams face each other again on Sunday (March 24) in a doubleheader. In contrast, Coastal Carolina used a total of five relief pitchers after the 3.1 innings of work by starter Alexander Meckley.

Down and Dirty

App State cut its early 6-0 deficit in half with three runs in the bottom half of the third inning. Quintero got things started with a double to left after working the count to 3-2 and scattering nine foul balls. Two batters later, Joseph Zamora singled through the right side, putting runners on the corners with Boyd coming to the plate. He didn’t waste any time. After a called ball on the first pitch, he drove the second pitch over the left field wall for his tenth dinger of the still young season.

The Mountaineers scored three more runs in the fourth frame, to almost match the early seven runs produced by the Chanticleers. After Church led off with a walk, Holderbach was hit by a pitch. When Quintero flied out to center, Church advanced to third to put runners on the corners — but that wouldn’t last long because Holderbach took advantage of there being a runner on third to steal second, putting two runners in scoring position with just one out.  But then Wilder walked to load the bases, bringing up the ninth man in the batting order, Zamora. The junior from Miami promptly ripped a single up the middle, scoring both Church and Holderbach. One batter later, some alert base running by Wilder brought in the third run of the inning.

The Mountaineers were able to tie the game at 7-7 in the bottom of the fifth but it was the sixth inning that proved pivotal.

Tolley homered to left center with a runner on to score the first two runs of the inning, but App State was just getting started. Church laced a double down the left field line, Holderbach singled, and Wilder was hit by a pitch to load the bases with Church scoring the third run of the inning. Then, when Quintero followed up with a walk, the wheels were already starting to come off the Coastal Carolina chariot. Zamora, who finished the day going 3-for-5 with five RBIs, doubled through the gap in right center, scoring Holderbach, Quintero, and Wilder — and giving Boone’s favorite sons a 13-7 lead.

Although LaSpaluto gave up his only run in the seventh inning, a solo home run by CCU second baseman Blake Barthol, the Mountaineers manufactured three more runs in the bottom half of the seventh to provide the final, 16-8 winning margin. LaSpaluto blanked the Chanticleers in the top half of the 8th inning and the 9th inning to secure the win.

Because of Friday’s rain-related postponement, Sunday will feature a doubleheader starting at noon. After the first game is finished, the second game will start approximately 30 minutes later.

TOP PERFORMERS

• APP – Joseph Zamora: 3-5, one run scored, 5 RBIs, 2B
• APP – Banks Tolley: 2-4, 3 runs scored, 2 RBIs, HR, 1 walk
• APP – C J Boyd: 1-3, 1 run scored, 3 RBIs, HR, 3 walks
• CCU – Blake Barthol: 2-4, 2 runs scored, 1 RBI, HR
• APP – Adam Quintero: 2-3, 2 runs scored, 2 RBIs, 2B, 2 walks
• APP – Drew Holderbach: 2-4, 3 runs scored, 2 RBIs, 2B, HBP
• CCU – Corey Zientek: 1-2, 2 runs scored, 1 RBI, 3B, 1 walk
• APP – Braxton Church: 1-4, 2 runs scored, 2B, 1 walk
• APP – Grey LaSpaluto: WP (now 3-0), 4.0 innings, 1 hit, 1 run (solo HR), 5 strikeouts
• CCU – Sam Antonacci: 2-4, 1 run scored, 1 RBI
• CCU – Zach Beach: 1-3, 1 run scored, 2 RBIs, HR

BOX SCORE

By Katherine Jamtgaard. COLUMBIA, S.C. – The App State men’s and women’s track and field team closed out competition at South Carolina’s Weems Baskin Relays with a new school record in the women’s long jump, eight event wins, and 26 top-five finishes.

“Having back-to-back weekends of amazing performances is something the athletes can be proud of,” said director of track & field/cross country Damion McLean. “There were a few lows, but we have to move on and fix it going into next week. A lot of people moved up on the conference rankings and we even had one person move up to the top of the NCAA and the world.”

Graduate Student Ashlee Osaji shattered the App State women’s long jump program record with a leap of 6.54m (21′ 5.5″). Osaji’s jump clinched the win and ranks her second in the nation at the close of the day. The previous school record of 6.22m (20′ 5.25″) was set in 1993 by Melissa Morrison-Howard, who went on to become a bronze medalist in the 2000 and 2004 Olympics.

Senior Chris Wainscott clinched first in the men’s shot put with a toss of 17.16m (56′ 3.75″), while fellow senior Nate Karl took fourth with a mark of 15.48 (50′ 9.5″). Karl went on to take sixth in the men’s discus with a personal best of 50.79m (166′ 7″), which raised him to sixth in the App State all-time list.

The 4×100-meter relay team of freshmen Nicole Wells and Sierra Smith, senior Taylor Smith, and freshman Kendall Johnson stopped the clock at 45.51 for the event win. Taylor Smith went on to round out the top-five in the women’s 200 meters with a time of 24.13. The Mountaineers also saw a first-place finish In the women’s open 1,500 meters, as graduate student Elizabeth Fuller led the pack, clocking a personal best of 4:46.81.

In the men’s 110-meter hurdles, sophomore Harrison Robinson secured silver with a personal-best of 13.93. His time launched him to third in the program all-time list. Robinson had advanced to the final after clocking a time of 14.51 to round out the top-five in the prelims.

In the men’s pole vault, freshman Matthew Gray recorded a clearance of 5.06m (16′ 7.25″) to finish second. Junior Matthew Bigelow and senior Patrick Freeman both cleared a height of 4.91m (16′ 1.25″), taking third and fourth, respectively.

In the men’s 400-meter hurdles, senior Jabari Dalton stopped the clock at 53.37 for a personal best and fourth-place finish, while freshman Davis Hunt clocked a personal best of 55.18 to finish seventh.

Graduate student Alexia Moehling recorded a pair of personal bests and seventh-place finishes in the women’s 100-meter hurdle prelims and women’s 400-meter hurdles. Moehling stopped the clock at 14.02 in the 100-meter hurdle prelims, which moved her to fifth in the App State all-time list. In the women’s 400-meter hurdles, she clocked a time of 1:03.05, which moved her to eighth in the program all-time list. Also posting seventh-place finishes were sophomore Parker Kinney, who posted a personal best of 47.96 in the men’s 400 meters, and senior Megan Plummer, who recorded a season best of 38.72m (127′ 0″) in the women’s discus.

Friday Rewind

Friday’s action saw the Mountaineers tally four event wins and 14 top-five finishes. In the men’s triple jump, senior Niejel Wilkins clinched first with a leap of 14.95m (49′ 0.75″). On the track, sophomore Addison Ollendick-Smith clocked a personal best of 2:12.87 to finish first in the women’s 800 meters. Her time moved her to eighth in the App State all-time list.

In the men’s 3,000 meters, graduate student Jonah Bird led the Mountaineers in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase, clocking a season best of 9:28.96, while junior Steven Smith followed to secure second with a personal best of 9:35.32. Fellow junior Garrett Bivens led the Mountaineers in the men’s 5,000 meters, stopping the clock at 14:43.64 for a first-place finish. Following Bivens was graduate student Ethan Barber, who finished second with a personal-best of 14:51.71.

App State saw third-place finishes from junior Daiyanna Cooper and Wainscott in the women’s and men’s weight throw, respectively. Cooper recorded a toss of 52.12m (171′ 0″) in the women’s event, while Wainscott took third with a season best toss of 57.78m (189′ 6″) in the men’s. Freshman Jared Hiatt landed fourth with a personal best leap of 6.89m (22′ 7.25″) in the men’s long jump.

Up Next

The Mountaineers will venture to Raleigh, N.C. for NC State’s Raleigh Relays on March 28-30.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — App State Wrestling set several program records at the 2024 NCAA Wrestling Championships before falling one victory short of adding to its esteemed list of Division I All-Americans.

With four of their five NCAA qualifiers winning first-round matches, plus three of the four second-day competitors securing top-16 finishes at their respective weights, the Mountaineers had made record-breaking history by the time Friday night’s high-stakes session arrived at the T-Mobile Center.

Tommy Askey’s 3-1 start to the event left him as one of 12 wrestlers remaining in the 157-pound bracket, propelling him to a “Blood Round” showdown against eighth-seeded Nebraska standout Peyton Robb, a five-time NCAA qualifier. A win for the 19th-seeded Askey would be needed to secure a top-eight finish and All-America recognition, but Robb became an All-American for the third time via a 9-4 decision.

Capping a 25-win season, Askey delivered a second-period reversal to cut his deficit to 8-3 against Robb, who had takedowns early in the first and second periods.

Askey’s run to the Blood Round featured two wins against higher-ranked opponents and accounted for three of App State’s eight victories in Kansas City, as 21st-seeded Ethan Oakley (133 pounds) and 18th-seeded Cody Bond (149 pounds) won two matches apiece. Will Miller won his first-round match as the No. 16 seed at 165 pounds, and true freshman Tomas Brooker competed twice as the No. 33 seed at 184 pounds.

Askey won a 17-6 major decision 14th-seeded Cody Chittum from Iowa State before dropping into the consolation bracket with a loss to third-seeded Meyer Shapiro from Cornell on Thursday night.

On Friday, following wins that gave Oakley and Bond records of 2-1 in the event, Askey delivered a tiebreaking takedown with 1:03 remaining in a 4-1 victory against Cal Poly’s Legend Lamar.

Shortly after third-round consolation losses eliminated Oakley (who had opened the tournament with a dramatic win against a former All-American) and Bond (a seventh-year senior who had recorded his 80th career win earlier in the day before dropping an 8-7 decision to Stanford’s Jadan Abas), Askey won a 4-2 decision against 11th-seeded standout Brayton Lee, a sixth-year senior who was an All-American in 2021.

A takedown late in the first period allowed Askey to claim a 3-1 lead entering the second period. Escapes from Lee in the second and Askey in the third accounted for the other scoring.

Oakley had a first-period takedown against Lock Haven’s Gable Strickland in his first match Friday before sealing an 8-2 victory with a takedown in the closing seconds. He then lost 6-0 against 13th-seeded Kurt Phipps from Bucknell.

The Mountaineers’ four Session 1 wins sets a program record.

Bond followed an early takedown by Rutgers’ Michael Cetta in his Friday opener with a reversal and trailed 4-2 after one period. A second-period takedown gave him a 6-4 lead, and he was ahead 6-5 on the scoreboard (with riding time locked in) when he added a takedown in the closing seconds.

Facing Abas, a four-time NCAA qualifier and 2021 All-American, Bond gave up a takedown and two near-fall points to trail 5-1 after one period. An escape and takedown from Bond in the second period tied the match, with Bond riding out the final 1:05 of the period.

Instead of letting Bond start the third back on top, Abas chose neutral and finished a scramble with a takedown midway through the third period to move ahead 8-5. Bond scored single points on an escape and an Abas stall in the last 49 seconds, but he was just short on possessing enough riding time to earn another point.

In Miller’s 9-8 loss to Maxx Mayfield from Northwestern on Friday, two first-period takedowns gave Mayfield a 6-2 lead. Miller stormed back to take a 7-6 lead on a quick reversal early in the second period and a three-point near fall. Mayfield chose neutral instead of the bottom position to start the third — Miller had stayed on top for the last 1:47 of the second period — and recorded a go-ahead takedown with 1:03 remaining.

DAY 1 RECAP

Oakley, Bond, Askey and Miller all won first-round matches in exciting fashion before dropping Thursday night matches against opponents ranked No. 5, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 1 in the country.

App State’s most improbable qualifier, Brooker, dropped a 10-8 decision in a pigtail match Thursday morning at 184 pounds before losing by fall in his second match.

With App State’s four other qualifiers all making their second career NCAA appearances and looking for their first main-draw wins — Oakley won a pigtail match last year — the veterans went a combined 4-0 in Session 1, including three wins against higher-seeded opponents.

The Mountaineers’ four Session 1 wins set a record for the best opening-round performance in program history, topping the 3-2 mark from 2022.

Oakley delivered a tiebreaking takedown with 1:18 left in an 8-7 decision against Virginia Tech’s Sam Latona, a 12th-seeded senior and multi-time All-American, before Bond used a takedown and four near-fall points to lead 8-0 in the second period of an 11-4 decision against 15th-seeded Corbyn Munson from Central Michigan. Askey had five takedowns in his major decision against Chittum, and a second-period takedown provided separation for Miller in a 5-0 shutout of 17th-seeded Tyler Lillard from Indiana.

Oakley erased a 6-5 deficit on his takedown with 1:18 remaining and managed to stay on top until the closing seconds before finally giving up an escape (to avoid a stalling penalty) with three seconds remaining.

Oakley began the second period with a takedown to cut his deficit to 4-3, but Latona answered with a reversal to move ahead 6-3. An escape from there, plus an escape early in the third, put Oakley in position to claim control with a takedown.

The success on Thursday afternoon meant Round of 16 matchups with some of the nation’s highest-ranked wrestlers. Oakley did record a takedown in the third period of an 11-5 loss to fifth-seeded Michigan standout Dylan Ragusin.

Bond hung tough in a 4-2 loss to second-seeded Arizona State star Kyle Parco, a four-time All-American who recorded a first-period takedown, and Askey lost by tech fall (17-2 score) against Shapiro.

Top-seeded Keegan O’Toole, a two-time national champion from Missouri, remained unbeaten this season by recording a tech fall pin in the third period against Miller, who had a second-period reversal to score two of his points on the three-time All-American.

The 2023-24 season is presented by Hungry Howie’s and Penn Station.

NCAA RESULTS

133: No. 21 Ethan Oakley (26-7)
W, Dec (8-7) vs. #12 Sam Latona, Virginia Tech
L, Dec (11-5) vs. #5 Dylan Ragusin, Michigan
W, Dec (8-2) vs. #27 Gable Strickland, Lock Haven
L, Dec (6-0) vs. #13 Kurt Phipps, Bucknell

149: No. 18 Cody Bond (24-6)
W, Dec (11-4) vs. #15 Corbyn Munson, Central Michigan
L, Dec (4-2) vs #2 Kyle Parco, Arizona State
W, Dec (10-5) vs. #33 Michael Cetta, Rutgers
L, Dec (8-7) vs. #26 Jadan Abas, Stanford

157: No. 19 Tommy Askey (22-5)
W, MD (17-6) vs. #14 Cody Chittum, Iowa State
L, TF (17-2) vs. #3 Meyer Shapiro, Cornell
W, Dec (4-1) vs. #29 Legend Lamar, Cal Poly
W, Dec (4-2) vs. #11 Brayton Lee, Indiana
L, Dec (9-4) vs. #8 Peyton Robb, Nebraska

165: No. 16 Will Miller (24-6)
W, Dec (5-0) vs. #17 Tyler Lillard, Indiana
L, Fall (5:58) vs. #1 Keegan O’Toole, Missouri
L, Dec (9-8) vs. #31 Maxx Mayfield, Northwestern

184: No. 33 Tomas Brooker (21-13)
L, Dec (10-8) vs. #32 Anthony D’Alesio, Long Island U. (pigtail match)
L, Fall (1:22) vs. #30 Malachi DuVall, George Mason

By David Rogers. WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Covering the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) first round game between No. 1 seed Wake Forest and Appalachian State on March 20, afterwards I couldn’t help but reflect on an experience in the mid-1980s when I was coaching rugby, in Chicago.

Perhaps the biggest sin that a game official or referee can commit is to come into a game thinking that one of the teams is better than the other, right from the get-go.

In Chicago, I had taken on the task of rebuilding a C Division team that had eight or nine players practicing twice a week under a single street lamp in Lincoln Park. About 50 yards away, a Midwest Senior League team, the Chicago Lions, practiced under a couple of big softball lights with about 40 athletes under their broad illumination.

While only eight guys on the team I was taking on came to practice, on game days nearly 30 guys showed up, many of them expecting to play on the A side. That was the culture I inherited.

Well, I had a formula for managing a rugby club that had worked during my early days coaching in California. First, I emphasized attention on the “B” side’s development because that created competition for the “A” side players. Second, if for whatever reason you didn’t or couldn’t make practice, it was next man up. In other words, the “B” side player in your position got an opportunity to play on the “A” side. I didn’t care why you had to miss practice or if you were the team’s star player. It was next man up. The team is bigger than the individual.

And it worked. Within three weeks we had more than 30 guys at practice and I had to petition Chicago Parks & Recreation to light up at least one softball standard for us, which they did. A year later, we peaked with 85 athletes at practice and we had five softball light standards illuminating the field. The Chicago Lions still had their 40 or so players, but were left wondering where all the players came from across the way. They were even more astonished upon finding out that we jumped from C Division to Midwest Senior League in just one year. They were going to have to play us.

I mention all of this because in short order that first year, my rugby club was no longer the doormat of the C Division. We won our first two games and looked forward to the third match against a team from Indiana.

But come game day, it seemed like we were playing against not only the 15 players on the field for the Indiana team but also against the referee. As a former rugby ref, I was slow to criticize because it is often a thankless job. And yet, this young referee was letting the Indiana players come at us from clear offsides positions at every opportunity.

At halftime, I couldn’t contain myself. I walked out to the referee and asked him what he was seeing when he should have been whistling for offsides.

His reply was telling. “The Indiana team is simply better than your team.”

For me, it was an astonishing admission. He had come into the match predisposed to the idea that the Indiana team was a superior competitor, unaware that the former C Division doormat was undergoing a competitive resurrection. And he let that bias allow him to favor the Indiana team. They should win because they were better to start with, he thought.

I was reminded of this referee’s bias while covering the App State-Wake Forest basketball game. I rarely am critical of game officials, but the three referees working the court seemed to have an obvious bias toward Wake Forest, the ACC contender. The fouls being called were one-sided. By game’s end, Wake Forest had been awarded 31 free throws to App State’s eight from the charity stripe. Even if you take away the four fouls called against the Mountaineers in the last minute, it is still a lopsided bias of about 24-8.

How is it possible that App State, who has the fourth lowest number of fouls per game over the course of the season among the 351 schools playing Division I basketball, could have suddenly turned so “criminal”? And that season average includes the outlier number vs. Wake Forest, which pushed the average a bit higher than before.

The bias by these game officials may not have been intentional. That said, at least two of the officials had previous ties to the ACC and Wake Forest at different times in their officiating careers. Just about everyone knows that both the ACC and Wake Forest have storied histories in college basketball. The Sun Belt Conference and App State are relative newcomers to good basketball and surely not the equals of the ACC and Wake Forest, right? That is why the Sun Belt only gets one bid to the NCAA tournament. The SBC teams are not the equal of the ACC schools, which have five schools invited to the “Big Dance.”

So the critical question is somewhat obvious: Did these officials come into the game with a bias toward the ACC and Wake Forest, whether intentional or subconscious? Awarding 19 more free throws to the Demon Deacons in what turned out to be an 11-point game might hint that it is so. Did these officials not know that App State won 27 games this year and one of them was the eventual SEC tournament winner, Auburn.

Because not every foul called sends the other team to the charity stripe, it is important to note that App State was flagged 20 times, almost double their season average, while Wake Forest was whistled 13 times. One Mountaineer player fouled out in the second half and three other starters spent significant time on the bench, in foul trouble, which presumably gave the Demon Deacons that much more of an on-court advantage. Their starters (best players?) hardly ever left the floor.

There was one other telling stat, too: App State’s bench players (the non-starters) outscored Wake Forest’s bench, 36-0. If three (and arguably four) of the starting five were in foul trouble, that gave more scoring opportunities to the Mountaineer reserves. The question of course becomes, how many more or less points would the affected starters have scored if they had been on the court instead of sitting?

To be sure, App State had other problems of their own making, such as making good on only seven of 27 three-point attempts (25.9 percent) and being outrebounded, 39-31. But I am still left wondering what this NIT first round game outcome would have been (A) on a neutral court and (B) with a different set of game officials.

By Bret Strelow. KANSAS CITY, Mo. — App State Wrestling enjoyed record-breaking success in Round 1 of the NCAA Championships on Thursday, resulting in challenging Round of 16 matchups against top-five opponents to end the day.

BONUS PHOTOS at bottom of article

The takeaway from an impressive opening day for coach JohnMark Bentley’s bunch: four of the Mountaineers’ five NCAA qualifiers advanced to Friday’s second day of competition in the double-elimination portion of the event at the T-Mobile Center.

Ethan Oakley (133 pounds), Cody Bond (149 pounds), Tommy Askey (157 pounds) and Will Miller (165 pounds) all won first-round matches in exciting fashion before dropping Thursday night matches against opponents ranked No. 5, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 1 in the country.

App State’s most improbable qualifier, 33rd-seeded true freshman Tomas Brooker, dropped a 10-8 decision in a pigtail match Thursday morning at 184 pounds before losing by fall in his second match.

Ethan Oakley, Cody Bond, Tommy Askey, and Will Miller all won first round matches.

With App State’s four other qualifiers all making their second career NCAA appearances and looking for their first main-draw wins — Oakley won a pigtail match last year — the veterans went a combined 4-0 in Session 1, including three wins against higher-seeded opponents.

The Mountaineers’ four Session 1 wins set a record for the best opening-round performance in program history, topping the 3-2 mark from 2022.

The 21st-seeded Oakley delivered a tiebreaking takedown with 1:18 left in an 8-7 decision against Virginia Tech’s Sam Latona, a 12th-seeded senior who is a two-time All-American, before the 18th-seeded Bond used a takedown and four near-fall points to lead 8-0 in the second period of an 11-4 decision against 15th-seeded Corbyn Munson from Central Michigan. The 19th-seeded Askey had five takedowns in a 17-6 major decision against 14th-seeded Cody Chittum from Iowa State, and a second-period takedown provided separation for the 16th-seeded Miller in a 5-0 shutout of 17th-seeded Tyler Lillard from Indiana.

Oakley erased a 6-5 deficit on his takedown with 1:18 remaining and managed to stay on top until the closing seconds before finally giving up an escape (to avoid a stalling penalty) with three seconds remaining.

Oakley began the second period with a takedown to cut his deficit to 4-3, but Latona answered with a reversal to move ahead 6-3. An escape from there, plus an escape early in the third, put Oakley in position to claim control with a takedown.

The success on Thursday afternoon meant Round of 16 matchups with some of the nation’s highest-ranked wrestlers. Oakley did record a takedown in the third period of an 11-5 loss to fifth-seeded Michigan standout Dylan Ragusin, who has lost only two matches this season.

Bond hung tough in a 4-2 loss to second-seeded Arizona State star Kyle Parco, a three-time All-American who recorded a first-period takedown, and Askey lost by tech fall (17-2 score) against third-seeded Meyer Shapiro from Cornell.

Top-seeded Keegan O’Toole, a two-time national champion from Missouri, remained unbeaten this season by recording a tech fall pin in the third period against Miller, who had a second-period reversal to score two of his points on the three-time All-American.

The four advancing App State wrestlers will wrestle again Friday in a session that begins at 11 a.m. CT (noon ET). At that stage, a loss eliminates a wrestler from the tournament, and a win leaves them as one of 16 wrestlers left in their bracket.

App State Wrestling’s 2023-24 season is presented by Hungry Howie’s and Penn Station.

133: No. 21 Ethan Oakley (26-7)
W, Dec (8-7) vs. #12 Sam Latona, Virginia Tech
L, Dec (11-5) vs. #5 Dylan Ragusin, Michigan
vs. #27 Gable Strickland, Lock Haven

149: No. 18 Cody Bond (24-6)
W, Dec (11-4) vs. #15 Corbyn Munson, Central Michigan
L, Dec (4-2) vs #2 Kyle Parco, Arizona State
vs. #33 Michael Cetta, Rutgers

157: No. 19 Tommy Askey (22-5)
W, MD (17-6) vs. #14 Cody Chittum, Iowa State
L, TF (17-2) vs. #3 Meyer Shapiro, Cornell
vs. #29 Legend Lamar, Cal Poly

165: No. 16 Will Miller (24-6)
W, Dec (5-0) vs. #17 Tyler Lillard, Indiana
L, Fall (5:58) vs. #1 Keegan O’Toole, Missouri
vs. #31 Maxx Mayfield, Northwestern

184: No. 33 Tomas Brooker (21-13)
L, Dec (10-8) vs. #32 Anthony D’Alesio, Long Island U. (pigtail match)
L, Fall (1:22) vs. #30 Malachi DuVall, George Mason

SELECTED IMAGES, all by Taylor Newton, Courtesy of App State Athletics

By Matt Present. BOONE, N.C. — BOONE, N.C. – The App State offense slugged five homers and erupted for 14 unanswered runs in a 15-5 victory in seven innings over Queens to sweep the season series from the Royals.

After falling behind 5-1, App State used the long ball to climb back into the ballgame. In the fourth inning, Graham Smiley launched his first collegiate home run, a solo shot to left, and two batters later CJ Boyd connected on his eighth of the season to make it 5-3.

App State then plated five runs in the fifth inning, batting around, highlighted by another Smiley home run – a grand slam. App State took advantage of three walks and a hit batter in the inning.

The control difficulties continued for the Queens relievers in the sixth. App State was issued three walks and hit by five pitches in the inning. The Mountaineers made the Royals pay with a bases-clearing triple from Joseph Zamora and a two-run homer from Boyd, his second of the day.

Boyd has now hit nine home runs on the season and totaled 26 in his Mountaineer career, which is tied for 10th in program history. The all-time home run record is 33, set by Andre Crawford, who played for the Mountaineers from 1985-87.

Trey Tujetsch (win, 2-0) was impressive on the mound for App State. The senior allowed just an unearned run in 3.2 innings of work. Tujetsch gave up one hit and did not walk a batter, striking out four in the outing. He faced just one over the minimum, retiring nine of the final ten batters he faced.

Everette Harris retired the side in order in the seventh to seal the win.

After falling behind 2-0 in the first inning, App State got on the board in the second, when Braxton Church began the home run barrage with a solo shot to center field for his fourth of the season. The five home runs in a game match a program record, also accomplished against UNC Asheville in 2007 and UNCG in 2008.

App State will host No. 13 Coastal Carolina in a three-game weekend series at Smith Stadium. First pitch Friday is set for 6 p.m. with the middle game slated for 3 p.m. on Saturday. The series concludes on Sunday, with first pitch set for 1 p.m. in the finale.

By Joey Jones. BOONE, N.C. — App State has hired longtime Southeastern Conference senior-level fundraiser Mike Richey as Senior Associate Athletics Director for Development, Director of Athletics Doug Gillin announced Tuesday.

Richey, who holds a master’s degree from App State, returns to Boone after spending the last 24 years in various roles within Mississippi State’s athletic department.

“We are excited to welcome Mike and his family back to Boone,” Gillin said. “Mike’s experience raising resources in college athletics will be a great asset for our team in our efforts to achieve comprehensive excellence across all areas of App State Athletics.”

At Mississippi State, Richey most recently served as Executive Director of Principal Giving. In that role, he oversaw the day-to-day operations of the Bulldog Club and the MSU Athletic Ticket Office, while also serving as the sport administrator for the Bulldogs’ softball program.

“We are so excited to return to the High Country,” Richey said. “Appalachian State is a very special place, and I am thrilled to be able to come back and connect with our loyal alums and friends who do so much to make the university great. I am grateful to Doug Gillin and his team for giving me this opportunity. I look forward to getting back to Boone.”

Richey oversaw the day-to-day operations of the Bulldog Club’s annual fund drive and scholarship seating program from 2006-24, growing in title from Associate AD to Senior Associate AD to Executive Senior Associate AD to Executive Director.

He joined Mississippi State as an Assistant AD for Special Projects and Marketing in 2000.

Richey’s early years in college athletics included stints at Oklahoma State as an athletic development coordinator from 1995-97 and at James Madison as Director of Annual Giving for the JMU Duke Club from 1997-99 and Director of the Madison Fund, the university’s annual giving program, from 1999-2000.

The Sterling, Va., native has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from UNC Charlotte (’92) and a master’s degree in physical education (sport management concentration) from App State (’95). He and his wife, Katy, have three sons – Bryan, Calvin and AJ – and one daughter – Anna.