By Jacob Plecker. BOSTON, Ma. –App State men’s basketball head coach Dustin Kerns has been named a finalist for both the Hugh Durham National Coach of the Year Award and the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award, collegeinsider.com announced Tuesday.

The Hugh Durham Award is presented annually to the top mid-major head coach in college basketball. The Jim Phelan Award recognizes the top head coach in Division I college basketball.

Kerns was named App State’s first conference coach of the year since 2003 by the Sun Belt Conference on March 4 and received NABC District 23 Coach of the Year honors earlier this week. He guided the Mountaineers to a program-record 27 wins and a postseason berth for the third time in his five-year tenure heading into Wednesday’s NIT first-round matchup at Wake Forest.

Kerns coached three all-Sun Belt selections and the Defensive Player of the Year in 2023-24.

The Mountaineers claimed their first outright regular season conference title in 45 years and this season earned the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament for the first time since 1978-79.

In addition to his Coach of the Year recognition, Kerns coached three All-Sun Belt selections and the league’s Defensive Player of the Year in Justin Abson. Donovan Gregory and Tre’Von Spillers were both first-team selections, marking the first time since 1999 that two Mountaineers were named to the conference first team in the same season.

App State won a program-record 16 Sun Belt games this year under Kerns’ direction and finished 17-3 against conference foes. With a 16-2 record in conference play during the regular season, it was the best winning percentage in league play in program history.

The Mountaineers posted three wins against current NCAA Tournament teams, which included a 69-64 win over SEC tournament champion Auburn on Dec. 3 and two wins against Sun Belt Tournament champion James Madison. App State was the only team in the country that was undefeated in both Quad 1 and Quad 2 games in the regular season (3-0).

Statistically, App State is one of the best teams in the Sun Belt in Kerns’ fifth year. Defensively, the Mountaineers rank in the top 10 in NCAA Division I in blocks (first), blocks per game (first), field-goal percentage defense (fourth), fouls per game (third) and rebounds per game (fifth). Offensively, App State had the fourth-highest scoring offense in the Sun Belt, its highest ranking under Kerns.

Kerns sits just three wins away from 100 as App State’s head coach entering the NIT.

The Hugh Durham Award is named in honor of the former Florida State, Georgia and Jacksonville head coach. Durham became Jacksonville’s all-time winningest head coach, making him the only coach in NCAA history to be the winningest coach at three different Division I schools.

The Jim Phelan Award is named in honor of the legendary bow-tied head coach who spent his entire career at Mount Saint Mary’s University. Phelan led the Mountaineers to the 1962 NCAA Men’s Division II Basketball Championship. When he retired in 2003, after coaching for 49 years, he had amassed 830 wins (overall record of 830-524) in all divisions. In those 49 years, 19 of his teams amassed 20 or more wins in a season.

The recipient of each award is determined by a 10-member voting committee which consists of current and former head coaches, as well as two senior staff members of collegeinsider.com. The winner will be announced in Phoenix, Ariz., the site of the men’s Division I Basketball Championship.

Coach Kerns and the Mountaineers will be back in action at the NIT for a first-round matchup with Wake Forest on Wednesday. Tipoff from LJVM Coliseum is set for 8 p.m. Tickets still remain.

2024 HUGH DURHAM AWARD FINALISTS
John Becker Vermont
Randy Bennett Saint Mary’s
Mark Byington James Madison
Chris Casey Fairfield
Darian DeVries Drake
Bryce Drew Grand Canyon
Mitch Henderson Princeton
Alan Huss High Point
Greg Kampe Oakland
Dustin Kerns Appalachian State
Phil Martelli Jr. Bryant
Bucky McMillan Samford
Chris Mudge Sam Houston
Eric Olen UC San Diego
Josh Schertz Indiana State
Patrick Sellers Central Connecticut State
Donnie Jones Stetson
Russell Turner UC Irvine
Will Wade McNeese
Sundance Wicks Green Bay

2024 JIM PHELAN AWARD FINALISTS
Amir Abdur-Rahim – South Florida
Rick Barnes – Tennessee
Randy Bennett Saint Mary’s
Mark Byington James Madison
Chris Collins Northwestern
Hubert Davis North Carolina
Bryce Drew Grand Canyon
Fred Hoiberg Nebraska
Dan Hurley Connecticut
Dustin Kerns Appalachian State
Chris Mooney Richmond
T.J. Otzelberger Iowa State
Matt Painter Purdue
Lamont Paris South Carolina
Bruce Pearl Auburn
Kelvin Sampson Houston
Josh Schertz Indiana State
Kyle Smith Washington State
Danny Sprinkle Utah State
Will Wade McNeese

By Katherine Jamtgaard. BOONE, N.C. – Angel Elderkin has resigned as App State’s head women’s basketball coach due to personal reasons, Director of Athletics Doug Gillin announced Monday.

“I want to thank Angel for everything she has done for App State and our women’s basketball program over her 10 seasons as head coach,” Gillin said. “I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Angel and seeing the positive impact she has made on her student-athletes, the university and our community. We will miss her at App State and wish her all the best in the future.”

Elderkin arrived at App State in October 2014 and led the Mountaineers to a 134-170 record, compiling the second-most wins of any head coach in program history. App State’s only head coach since joining the Sun Belt, she directed the team to a winning record in three of the last four seasons and to at least one Sun Belt Tournament win in three of the last four years.

“This is a bittersweet day as I step down from my position as Head Women’s Basketball Coach at App State,” Elderkin said. “This decision was not easy and was entirely on my own due to personal reasons that I am eager to focus on. It has been a tremendous privilege to lead the App State women’s basketball program over the past 10 years, and I want to thank Dr. Sheri Everts and Doug Gillin for their support. I will be forever grateful to the student-athletes, current and former staff, and the university. I loved my time at App State and can only hope that the impact I made on our student-athletes is as strong as the impact they have made on me.”

App State will immediately begin a national search for the next leader of the women’s basketball program. Assistant coach Evan Turkish will serve as interim head coach.

This season, the Mountaineers finished 17-15 overall (9-9 in SBC) with wins over four teams that have already accepted postseason tournament bids: James Madison (WBIT), Charleston (WNIT), UNC Greensboro (WNIT) and ULM (WNIT).

In 2021-22, the Mountaineers finished fourth in the Sun Belt, their highest regular-season finish. That followed a 2020-21 season in which App State made its second Sun Belt Tournament semifinal appearance in three seasons.

The 2018-19 season was especially memorable when Elderkin led the Mountaineers to 22 wins, including a program-best 14-3 home record, and a WBI Postseason Tournament Championship with a 76-59 win over North Texas.

Elderkin coached nine Mountaineers to 11 All-Sun Belt honors, including two-time All-SBC pick Pre Stanley, who in 2021 became the first alum in program history to sign a WNBA contract.

Elderkin and her team have been active in the community, including in 2020 when they finished first in the nation in the NCAA Helper Helper Community Service Competition with over 1,000 community service hours.

For her strength and courage in the face of cancer, Elderkin was awarded the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) Pat Summitt Most Courageous Award along with ESPN sportscaster Holly Rowe in 2017.

By Matt Present. SAN MARCOS, TEXAS — Following a weather delay of over an hour and a half, App State emerged locked in at the plate, scoring a pair of runs in the top of the seventh inning on its way to a 3-2 win over Texas State on Sunday, marking the program’s first road win over the Bobcats.

Xavier Moronta worked a walk to lead off the seventh inning, and after swapping places with Braxton Church on a fielder’s choice, Drew Holderbach launched a go-ahead two-run home run to center field, his third of the season.

The App State (12-6, 1-2) pitching staff kept the Bobcats’ (11-9, 2-1) hitters off balance throughout the ballgame, allowing just four hits on the afternoon. Dante Chirico made the start and tossed five innings, allowing just one run on two hits, while striking out a pair.

Grey LaSpaluto (win, 2-0) took the mound following the delay, and earned the win with two innings of work in relief. He gave up just one run on two hits. Max Tramontana then retired the side in order in the eighth inning, striking out two, and Zach Lewis (save, 2) followed with a scoreless ninth inning to secure the win.

After falling behind 1-0 in the fourth inning, the Mountaineers tied the score in the fifth. Austin St. Laurent singled through the right side. After advancing to second on a wild pitch and to third on a flyout, St. Laurent came into score on an RBI single from Banks Tolley.

App State will be back in action on Tuesday as the Mountaineers host Queens in the team’s home opener at Smith Stadium. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

BOX SCORE: HERE

By Matt Present. SAN MARCOS, TEXAS – App State grabbed a 4-0 advantage early, but were unable to keep pace with the offense of Texas State on Saturday, falling 17-7 in seven innings at Bobcat Ballpark.

Leading 2-0 in the second inning, Austin St. Laurent and Xavier Moronta hit back-to-back home runs to push the App State advantage to 4-0. CJ Boyd later added his seventh home run of the season, but all three long balls from the Mountaineers (11-6, 0-2) were solo shots.

Batting one through three in the Mountaineers’ order, Boyd, St. Laurent and Moronta combined to tally six hits, score five runs and drive in five runs for the App State offense.

All three Mountaineer long balls were solo shots.

Meanwhile, Texas State (11-8, 2-0) responded with three home runs in an eight-run bottom of the second inning. Daylan Pena homered twice in the inning and blasted three home runs in the ballgame for the Bobcats. Texas State finished the contest with 17 hits, including four round-trippers.

Texas State scored at least a run in every inning after the first, ultimately securing a run rule walk-off win on a bases loaded walk in the bottom of the seventh.

App State will look to salvage the finale of the series on Sunday, as Dante Chirico will make the start, in a contest slated for 2 p.m. ET.

BOX SCORE: HERE

By Matt Present. SAN MARCOS, TEXAS – In a ballgame that was scoreless through six innings of play, App State put the tying and go-ahead runs on base in the ninth inning, before falling 3-2 at Texas State on Friday at Bobcat Ballpark.

Bradley Wilson was outstanding for the Mountaineers in his first start of Sun Belt play. The right-hander allowed just one hit, and struck out six, in six scoreless innings of work.

Wilson escaped a bases loaded jam in the second, after a walk, an infield single and a fielder’s choice gave Texas State a marquee scoring opportunity early. Wilson struck out the next two batters to get out of the inning unscathed, and went on to retire the final eight batters he faced in the ballgame. Wilson commanded all of his pitches, running his fastball up to 97 miles-per-hour on the night.

Holderbach has reached base in all 16 games this season.

In a game that saw just one runner reach third base in the first six innings of play, the Mountaineers (11-5, 0-1) jumped on the scoreboard first in the seventh. Xavier Moronta was hit by a pitch with one away, and then after a two-out free pass to Braxton Church, Drew Hoderbach singled up the middle to give the visitors a 1-0 edge. Holderbach has now reached base in all 16 games this season.

Texas State (10-8, 1-0) responded with a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh to go in front for the first time in the ballgame, and then added an insurance run in the eighth on a wild pitch to pull in front 3-1.

With App State down to its final out in the ninth, Banks Tolley lined a home run over the left field wall, his seventh of the season, to bring the deficit to just one run. Church then walked and Holderbach singled to left, but the Mountaineers were unable to extend the rally any further, stranding the tying run in scoring position and the go-ahead run on base.

The two teams combined for only seven hits in the ballgame, with Austin Eaton allowing just one run over seven innings in his start for the Bobcats.

The teams will play game two of the series on Saturday, with first pitch slated for 3:30 p.m. ET.

By Matt Present. BOONE, N.C. – Following the best conference finish in program history last fall, App State head soccer coach Aimee Haywood has signed a contract extension that runs through the 2027 season, Director of Athletics Doug Gillin announced Friday. The extension was approved by Chancellor Sheri Everts and the Appalachian State University Board of Trustees.

“We are extremely excited about the direction of App State Soccer under Aimee,” Gillin said. “After achieving the best conference finish in program history, we look forward to our soccer student-athletes’ continued pursuit of excellence in the classroom, in the community and in competition.”

App State’s 15 wins under Haywood are the most in a head coach’s first two years leading the program.

In 2023, Haywood led the Mountaineers to their most overall and conference wins since 2018, and recorded a program-record third place conference finish. The team tallied a program-best eight shutouts in the process, conceding just 16 goals on the season, the fewest in a year in program history. App State finished with its best RPI since 2015.

App State’s 15 wins under Haywood are the most in a head coach’s first two years leading the program.

“I would like to thank the Board of Trustees, Chancellor Everts, Doug Gillin and Jonathan Reeder for their continued trust in my leadership of this program,” Haywood said. “I am grateful to each of them for their work and leadership in providing the resources and opportunities necessary for this program to grow over the last two years and years to come.

“There is a lot of momentum on this mountain for our soccer program and the University as a whole and I’m incredibly grateful and excited to be a part of it. Last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank my team and my staff for the hard work they put in every single day to elevate themselves and our program.”

Since taking over the program in December 2021, Haywood’s Mountaineers have far exceeded expectations. Picked 13th in the Sun Belt in 2022, App State finished seventh in the league standings, and then achieved their third-place finish in 2023 despite being tabbed eighth in the league preseason poll.

Under Haywood’s tutelage, senior forward Izzi Wood earned All-Sun Belt honors in 2023, becoming the first Mountaineer to earn that distinction since 2018. Haywood’s first recruiting class also saw Summer Bowman notch four goals and three assists in 15 games, while Olivia Simon recorded four goals and one assist in 18 games, including the first hat trick by an App State player since 2014.

Off the field, Haywood has demonstrated a commitment to developing well-rounded student-athletes by incorporating “mind gym” and “culture class” as ongoing team initiatives. App State soccer student-athletes have excelled in the classroom as well, with 11 team members earning Chancellor’s List recognition and seven earning Dean’s List honors this past fall. The team has maintained at least a 3.45 cumulative GPA throughout her tenure.

Haywood and her team will be hosting a trio of spring matches in Boone over the coming weeks. On Sunday, March 24, App State will play matches against Western Carolina at 1 p.m. and Lees-McRae at 3:40 p.m. Then, on Wednesday, April 3, App State will host North Carolina, which has made the NCAA tournament each of the last 42 seasons and won 21 national championships.

By Ethan Bumgarner. BOONE, N.C. — On the heels of leading App State to its first Mid-American Conference championship, field hockey head coach Emily Dinsmore has signed a contract extension that runs through the 2027 season, Director of Athletics Doug Gillin announced Friday. The extension was approved by Chancellor Sheri Everts and the Appalachian State University Board of Trustees.

“We are extremely excited about the trajectory of App State Field Hockey under Emily’s direction,” Gillin said. “Leading the team to a conference championship and being named MAC Coach of the Year in her first year as a head coach is a tremendous accomplishment. We look forward to supporting our field hockey student-athletes’ continued pursuit of excellence academically, socially and competitively.”

In her first season as head coach following a six-year stint as an assistant coach, Dinsmore led the Mountaineers to a MAC regular-season title for the first time and a program record-tying 14 wins on her way to MAC Co-Coach of the Year honors. App State also took down No. 8 Louisville on the road for the program’s first win over a top-10 opponent.

“It is such a blessing to be the head coach of this incredible program,” Dinsmore said. “Thank you to the Board of Trustees, Chancellor Everts, Doug Gillin and Erika Cheung for continuing to believe in me, our staff and our student-athletes. As a program, we want to continue building on the success from this season and we are looking forward to competing for a MAC Championship in the fall. There is something special happening here on the mountain and I’m excited for the years to come.”

Dinsmore’s squad went 6-1 in the MAC for their best conference record since joining the league in 2017. They closed the regular season on a nine-game winning streak, the third-longest streak in program history.

Five Mountaineers earned All-MAC honors in 2023, led by Addie Clark being named MAC Goalkeeper of the Year and a first-team selection. Lise Boekaar also earned first-team honors, while Charlotte Bosma, Grace Ball and Sophia Baxter were named to the second team. Florine Koopman and Baxter made the All-MAC Freshman team.

In the classroom, the field hockey team boasts a 3.49 cumulative GPA. App State had 11 student-athletes named to the 2023 NFHCA Division I National Academic Squad (3.5+ GPA during fall semester) and three earn NFHCA Division I Scholar of Distinction accolades (3.9+ GPA during fall semester). Also in the fall, there were four field hockey student-athletes named to the Chancellor’s List and 13 who made the Dean’s List.