CHARLESTON, S.C. ? Campbell won its first Southern Conference Wrestling Championship on Saturday, picking up a pair of individual titles and five NCAA berths as it edged defending champion Appalachian State at The Citadel’s McAlister Field House.
The Camels scored 89.5 team points to out-distance the Mountaineers, who finished with 86 points. SIUE was a distant third with 69.5 points, followed by Chattanooga (66), Gardner-Webb (37.5), The Citadel (33.5), VMI (9.5) and Davidson (7).
Campbell’s Cary Kolat was named the league’s coach of the year after leading his program to its first title since joining the league in 2011-12.
The Camels bolted out of the gates, going 10-0 in the opening round of competition. Campbell would eventually place three wrestlers in third-place matches and six in title bouts but couldn’t shake the Mountaineers, carrying just a 2.5-point lead into the championship finals.
Freshman Josh Heil’s title at 141 pushed Campbell’s total to 86.5 points and gave it a 6.5-point spread, but Appalachian State immediately closed the gap with Matt Zovistoski’s win at 149.
Quentin Perez’s 8-4 win over Appalachian State’s Forrest Przybysz in the title match at 165 pounds proved to be the clincher, as it put Campbell up 89.5-83 with just one more Mountaineer remaining in the finals.
There were three finals that featured Campbell-Appalachian State matchups, and the Camels claimed two of them for points they absolutely had to have. Heil’s 10-2 major decision at 141 came over the Mountaineers’ Irvin Enriquez before Perez picked up the decisive points at 165.
The heavyweight match saw Appalachian State’s Denzel Dejournette ? the two-time SoCon Wrestler of the Year ? win his third straight title with a 7-4 win over Campbell’s Jere Heino, but it was not enough to give the 24th-ranked Mountaineers their second straight title.
Regular-season SoCon champion Appalachian State put five wrestlers in the championship finals and picked up two titles, with Zovistoski dethroning defending champion John Fahy of SIUE at 149, 6-5, in addition to Dejournette’s three-peat at 285.
SIUE’s Freddie Rodriguez earned his second straight SoCon title at 125, besting Campbell’s Nathan Kraisser, the 2016 champion at 133, by a 12-8 score.
The Cougars won three titles on the day, with top-seeded Jake Residori earning a 4-1 win over Gardner-Webb’s Austin Trott at 174 and second-seeded Jake Tindle upsetting No. 1 seed Sawyer Root of The Citadel, 11-4, at 197.
Fourth-seeded Ryan Mosley of Gardner-Webb won the title at 157 pounds, dropping four-time all-conference pick and No. 1 seed Aaron Walker of The Citadel in the semifinals before edging Campbell’s Austin Kraisser, the No. 2 seed and SoCon Freshman of the Year, in the final. He was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler for his efforts, becoming the first Runnin’ Bulldog to earn the award since GWU joined the league in 2011-12.
Chattanooga claimed a pair of titles, with No. 1 seed Chris Debien downing Appalachian State’s Colby Smith 7-4 in TB-1, getting a takedown just before time expired to punctuate the win. Bryce Carr denied Campbell’s Ville Heino attempt to defend his 2016 title at 184, upsetting the top seed, 4-2.
In addition to the 10 individual champions, seven other wrestlers earned automatic NCAA berths: Campbell’s Nathan Kraisser and Appalachian State’s Vito Pasone at 125; The Citadel’s Walker at 157; Campbell’s Ville Heino and Gardner-Webb’s Hunter Gamble at 184; and Campbell’s Jere Heino and Chattanooga’s Jared Johnson at heavyweight. Walker bested Austin Kraisser in a true-place match at 157 to clinch his postseason spot.
Campbell’s Nathan Kraisser earned the Pinnacle Award, given to the student-athlete with the highest GPA on the championship-winning team.
The NCAA Wrestling Selection show will air on NCAA.com at 6 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday, March 8. The 2017 NCAA Championships will take place March 16-18 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
Team standings
Campbell ? 89.5
Appalachian State ? 86.0
SIUE ? 69.5
Chattanooga ? 66.0
Gardner-Webb ? 37.5
The Citadel ? 33.5
VMI ? 9.5
Davidson ? 7.0
Individual champions/NCAA qualifiers
125 ? Freddie Rodriguez, SIUE
133 ? Chris Debien, Chattanooga
141 ? Josh Heil, Campbell
149 ? Matt Zovistoski, Appalachian State
157 ? Ryan Mosley, Gardner-Webb
165 ? Quentin Perez, Campbell
174 ? Jake Residori, SIUE
184 ? Bryce Carr, Chattanooga
197 ? Jake Tindle, SIUE
HWT ? Denzel Dejournette, Appalachian State
Additional NCAA allocations
125 ? Nathan Kraisser, Campbell; Vito Pasone, Appalachian State
157 ? Aaron Walker, The Citadel
184 ? Ville Heino, Campbell; Hunter Gamble, Gardner-Webb
HWT ? Jere Heino, Campbell; Jared Johnson, Chattanooga
Southern Conference Coach of the Year
Cary Kolat, Campbell
Tournament Most Outstanding Wrestler
Ryan Mosley, Gardner-Webb
Pinnacle Award (student-athlete with the highest GPA on the championship-winning team)
Nathan Kraisser, Campbell
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