SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Chattanooga sixth-year senior Sean Boyle has been named the Southern Conference Wrestler of the Year and Appalachian State 165-pounder Nick Kee has been named the league’s Freshman of the Year as determined by a vote of the conference’s eight head coaches, the league office announced Wednesday. The coaches also selected a 10-member all-conference team and seven-member all-freshman team, with regular-season SoCon champion Chattanooga claiming four of the all-conference spots.

Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own wrestlers.

Boyle, in his first and only season at Chattanooga after transferring from Michigan, is currently ranked No. 8 in the country at 125 pounds. The Lowell, Mass., native enters this weekend’s Arby’s SoCon Wrestling Championship with a 27-5 overall mark and a 16-2 dual record that included a 6-0 mark in SoCon bouts. A two-time SoCon Wrestler of the Week this season, Boyle owns wins over five top-20 opponents, including one over then-No. 5 Thomas Gilman of then-No. 1 Iowa in the quarterfinals of the NCWA National Duals. Four of his five losses have come to ranked opponents. Boyle, who helped Chattanooga to a third straight regular-season SoCon title, becomes the Mocs’ first Wrestler of the Year since Cody Cleveland in 2009 and seventh overall. Boyle is the first 125-pounder to be named the SoCon Wrestler of the Year since The Citadel’s Ryan McClester in 2004.

Boyle was joined on the all-conference squad by UTC teammates Nick Soto (133), Mike Pongracz (141) and Scottie Boykin (197). For Soto, ranked 13th nationally at 25-9 this season, the all-conference selection is the fourth of his career. Boykin’s selection was his second straight, while Pongracz’s was his first. The quartet helped Chattanooga to a 13-6 dual record, a 7-0 SoCon mark and an appearance in the top 25 this season.

Kee, a redshirt freshman from Laurinburg, N.C., fashioned an 18-9 overall record in 2014-15, including an 11-3 dual mark and a 7-0 SoCon record. The SoCon’s Wrestler of the Week on Feb. 4, Kee also earned all-conference and all-freshman honors. Ranked 28th in the latest NCAA coaches’ panel rankings at 165 pounds, Kee becomes Appalachian State’s second straight SoCon Freshman of the Year and third overall.

Joining Kee on the all-conference team is first-time honoree and Mountaineer teammate Denzel Dejournette, who is the 19th-ranked heavyweight in the nation.

Gardner-Webb’s Ryan Mosley (149), The Citadel’s Aaron Walker (157), SIUE’s Jake Residori (174) and Davidson’s Scott Patrick (184) round out the rest of the all-conference team as six of the eight league teams had at least one selection. Walker, ranked 11th nationally, was selected for the second straight season, while Patrick’s selection was Davidson’s first since 2000. Mosley and Residori become their schools’ first-ever All-SoCon selections since joining the league in 2012 and 2013, respectively.

Seven of the 10 all-conference picks – Boyle, Soto, Mosley, Walker, Kee, Patrick and Boykin – earned the maximum number of points in the voting process.

Kee was joined on the all-freshman team by Mountaineer teammates Mike Longo and Forrest Przybysz, The Citadel’s Ty Buckiso, Gardner-Webb’s Tyler Marinelli, SIUE’s Angelo Silvestro and Chattanooga’s Justin Lampe.

The Arby’s SoCon Wrestling Championship takes place Saturday, March 7, and returns to Asheville, N.C., for the first time since 1995. Doors to Kimmel Arena open at 9 a.m. First-round matches are set to begin at 10 a.m., with finals slated to start at 7 p.m.


2014-15 Wrestler of the Year
Sean Boyle, R-Sr., 125, Chattanooga

2014-15 Freshman of the Year
Nick Kee, 165, Appalachian State

2014-15 All-Southern Conference Team
125 – Sean Boyle, R-Sr., Chattanooga
133 – Nick Soto, Sr., Chattanooga
141 – Mike Pongracz, So., Chattanooga
149 – Ryan Mosley, R-So., Gardner-Webb
157 – Aaron Walker, R-So., The Citadel
165 – Nick Kee, R-Fr., Appalachian State
174 – Jake Residori, Jr., SIUE
184 – Scott Patrick, R-Sr., Davidson
197 – Scottie Boykin, So., Chattanooga
HWT – Denzel Dejournette, R-So., Appalachian State

2014-15 All-Freshman Team
Nick Kee, Appalachian State
Mike Longo, Appalachian State
Forrest Przybysz, Appalachian State
Ty Buckiso, The Citadel
Tyler Marinelli, Gardner-Webb
Angelo Silvestro, SIUE
Justin Lampe, Chattanooga