Wrestling Southern Conference

Arby?s SoCon Wrestling Championship This Weekend

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Fourteen individual NCAA bids and the Southern Conference team title will be on the line Saturday at the Arby’s SoCon Wrestling Championship at Kimmel Arena in Asheville, N.C. Regular-season champion Chattanooga will attempt to win its fifth straight tournament title and 29th overall.

Half of last season’s individual champions will wrestle in the 2015 championship. The Southern Conference was allocated 14 spots for the NCAA Championships, with three at 149 pounds, two each at 125 and 165, and one each at the seven other weights.

SoCon Wrestler of the Year and top seed Sean Boyle will attempt to claim the crown at 125 pounds, but No. 2 seed Dominic Parisi of Appalachian State will try to defend his 2014 title.

Three-time SoCon champion Nick Soto of Chattanooga is the top seed at 133 pounds and will attempt to become just the 16th wrestler in the 78-year history of the tournament to win four titles. Soto won titles at 133 in 2012 and 2014 and at 125 in 2013.

Citadel redshirt sophomore Aaron Walker is the top seed at 157 pounds and will try to defend his 2014 title. Davidson’s Scott Patrick, the No. 1 seed at 184, and The Citadel’s Marshall Haas, the No. 2 seed at 197, are also in the field again this year looking to repeat.

New champions will be crowned at 141 pounds, 149, 165, 174 and heavyweight.

Chattanooga sophomore Mike Pongracz is the top seed at 141, while Gardner-Webb redshirt sophomore Ryan Mosley is the top seed in a stacked 149-pound class that will send three wrestlers to NCAAs.

Appalachian State’s Nick Kee, the SoCon Freshman of the Year, is the top seed at 165, while SIUE’s Jake Residori is the top seed at 174.

VMI’s Juan Adams is the No. 1 seed in the heavyweight classification, which is so deep that Appalachian State’s Denzel Dejournette, ranked 19th nationally and the all-conference selection at the weight, is the No. 3 seed behind Adams and Chattanooga’s Jared Johnson. The trio finished the regular season with one SoCon loss each.

Tickets for Saturday’s action, which begins at 10 a.m., will be single-session. Doors open at 9 a.m.

Prices are $15 for adults, $10 for youth (6-12) and $8 each for groups of 10 or more. Students from Southern Conference schools, including wrestling associate member schools, can pick up a ticket free of charge simply by showing their school IDs.

2015 Arby’s Southern Conference Wrestling Championship Schedule
9 a.m. – Doors open
10 a.m. – First-round matches (consolation quarterfinals immediately following)
2 p.m. – Semifinals (consolation semifinals immediately following)
5:30 p.m. – Consolation finals
7 p.m. – Finals and award presentations

Seeds
125 (2 NCAA allocations)
1.    Sean Boyle, Chattanooga
2.    Dominic Parisi, Appalachian State
3.    Joaquin Marquez, The Citadel
4.    Cortez Starkes, Gardner-Webb
5.    Dalton Henderson, VMI
6.    Nathan Day, SIUE
7.    No entry, Davidson

133 (1 NCAA allocation)
1.    Nick Soto, Chattanooga
2.    Vito Pasone, Appalachian State
3.    Tyler Ziegler, Gardner-Webb
4.    Anthony Elias, Davidson
5.    Clarence Arrington, The Citadel
6.    Hunter Starner, VMI
7.    Dakota Leach, SIUE

141 (1 NCAA allocation)
1.    Mike Pongracz, Chattanooga
2.    Ty Buckiso, The Citadel
3.    Michael Longo, Appalachian State
4.    Angelo Silvestro, SIUE
5.    Emmitt Kelly, VMI
6.    Ryan Hull, Gardner-Webb
7.    Dustin Runzo, Davidson

149 (3 NCAA allocations)
1.    Ryan Mosely, Gardner-Webb
2.    Shawn Greevy, Chattanooga
3.    Matthew Frisch, The Citadel
4.    Javon Johnson, Appalachian State
5.    Karsten Van Velsor, SIUE
6.    James McCord, Davidson
7.    Jack Krall, VMI

157 (1 NCAA allocation)
1.    Aaron Walker, The Citadel
2.    Zac Strickland, Appalachian State
3.    Austin Sams, Chattanooga
4.    Tyler Marinelli, Gardner-Webb
5.    Clayton Bass, SIUE
6.    Alex Palinski, Davidson
7.    Sam Paulay, VMI

165 (1 NCAA allocation)
1.    Nick Kee, Appalachian State
2.    Austin Trott, Gardner-Webb
3.    Shabaka Johns, VMI
4.    Justin Lampe, Chattanooga
5.    Connor McMahon, SIUE
6.    Kenneth Radford, The Citadel
7.    Patrick Devlin, Davidson

174 (1 NCAA allocation)
1.    Jake Residori, SIUE
2.    Forrest Przybysz, Appalachian State
3.    Brent Stein, Gardner-Webb
4.    Sean Mappes, Chattanooga
5.    Mark Darr, VMI
6.    Nathaniel Powers, Davidson
7.    Jack Duane, The Citadel

184 (1 NCAA allocation)
1.    Scott Patrick, Davidson
2.    John Shrader, Chattanooga
3.    Hunter Gamble, Gardner-Webb
4.    Derek Thurman, VMI
5.    Derek Nagel, SIUE
6.    Nick Vetell, Appalachian State
7.    Jared Hemmings, The Citadel

197 (1 NCAA allocation)
1.    Scottie Boykin, Chattanooga
2.    Marshall Haas, The Citadel
3.    Boyce Cornwell, Gardner-Webb
4.    Jake Tindle, SIUE
5.    Ian Solcz, Davidson
6.    Urayoan Garcia, VMI
7.    Tyler Radford, Appalachian State

285 (2 NCAA allocations)
1.    Juan Adams, VMI
2.    Jared Johnson, Chattanooga
3.    Denzel Dejournette, Appalachian State
4.    Joe Bexley, The Citadel
5.    Justin Kozera, Gardner-Webb
6.    Chris Johnson, SIUE
7.    Eddie Isola, Davidson
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