SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The App State Mountaineers claimed the top spot in the 2020-21 Southern Conference wrestling preseason poll that was voted on by the conference’s nine head coaches, who also selected an 11-member preseason all-conference team. 
 
Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams or student-athletes. Three wrestlers maxed out with the number of points possible to be selected to the preseason all-conference team. 
 
App State, the 2020 SoCon Championship runner-up, earned 61 points in the 2020-21 preseason poll with six first-place votes. The Mountaineers went 6-1 in conference matchups last season and held a 9-3 overall record. 
 
The Mountaineers had a league-best five wrestlers selected to the preseason All-SoCon in Sean Carter (133 pounds), Anthony Brito (141 pounds), Jonathan Millner (149 pounds), Thomas Flitz (174 pounds) and Paul Carson (197 pounds). After a successful freshman campaign, Carter was named SoCon Freshman of the Year and went 28-14 on the season overall and 6-1 during conference matches to earn the No. 2 seed for the conference championship. Brito enters his redshirt junior season on the preseason all-conference team with a 21-9 overall record from last season and a career record of 31-19 in the 141 weight class. Millner is the returning 149-pound champion, after going 31-4 overall and undefeated in conference action (7-0) last season with two pins. He earned an automatic bid seeded 18th to the NCAA Championships, which were canceled due to COVID-19. Flitz also went undefeated in conference play (7-0) and earned an automatic berth to the NCAA Championships, finishing the season 30-11 overall. Carson went 19-13 overall, 3-1 in conference duals, as one of two starters at 197 pounds. Flitz and Carson each maxed out with eight first-place votes in preseason the balloting.
 
Last year’s SoCon regular-season and tournament champion, Campbell, came in a close second with 57 points and two first-place votes in the preseason poll. The Camels are under new leadership with new head coach Scotti Sentes and have a pair of wrestlers on the preseason team. Ben Barton tied for the preseason nod at 157 pounds with Presbyterian’s Zachary Phillips. Barton rounded out his redshirt junior year with a 3-2 record in a season that was cut short by an injury. Campbell’s second wrestler on the preseason team is redshirt senior Austin Kraisser (165 pounds). Krassier finished the season 27-9 and 6-1 in SoCon duals. He went on to earn the Pinnacle Award, which is awarded to the student-athlete with the highest grade point average (GPA) on the tournament-winning squad. 
 
Chattanooga rounds out the top three with 53 points and one first-place vote, with two wrestlers voted to the preseason all-conference team. The Mocs went 5-2 against SoCon teams during last season’s campaign and 7-9 overall. Fabian Gutierrez (125 pounds) posted a 17-9 record and went undefeated in SoCon dual action. The 2019-20 No. 1 seed for the 125-pound weight class earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships and was named to the All-SoCon team. Matthew Waddell (184 pounds) received a first-place vote from each of the league’s head coaches after posting a 22-9 record and 5-1 in SoCon matches last season. Waddell earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships after placing second the conference tournament.
 
Gardner-Webb was selected to finish fourth, receiving 40 points, with Davidson in fifth with 32 points. The Bulldogs finished fourth last season with a 5-9 record and 3-4 in conference matchups, while Davidson went 3-12 and 2-5 in the conference. 
 
The Citadel follows closely behind Davidson and is slated to finish sixth, receiving 29 points in the preseason poll. The Bulldogs have one wrestler who was selected to the preseason team in heavyweight Michael McAleavey. The redshirt senior finished his junior year campaign 22-18 overall with a 5-2 SoCon record. He picked up three victories at the SoCon Championship last year, finishing in third place.
 
VMI, Bellarmine and Presbyterian rounded out the preseason poll, coming in at seventh, eighth and ninth, respectively. The Keydets finished 6-13 overall last season (3-4 SoCon), while the Blue Hose finished their first season in the SoCon 1-9 overall and 0-6 in league bouts. Presbyterian’s Phillips, who shared the preseason selection All-SoCon at 157 pounds, went 6-2 on the season and 3-2 in SoCon duals. The Baltimore, Maryland, native was named to the 2019-20 SoCon All-Freshman team.
 
The Bellarmine Knights joined the conference during the offseason and will compete in their first year of competition as an associate member of the conference.
 
The 2020-21 wrestling season gets underway on Jan. 1. The Southern Conference Wrestling Championship will take place Feb. 28, 2021, at Appalachian State’s Holmes Convocation Center, in Boone, North Carolina.
 
2020-21 SoCon Wrestling Preseason Coaches’ Poll?
School (First-place votes)      Points
1. Appalachian State (6)         61
2. Campbell (2)                       57
3. Chattanooga (1)                  53
4. Gardner-Webb                    40
5. Davidson                             32
6. The Citadel                          29
7. VMI                                     21
8. Bellarmine                           17
9. Presbyterian                       12
 
2020-21 SoCon Wrestling Preseason All-Conference Team
125   Fabian Gutierrez, Chattanooga
133   Sean Carter, Appalachian State
141   Anthony Brito, Appalachian State
149   Jonathan Millner, Appalachian State
157   Ben Barton, Campbell
         Zachary Phillips, Presbyterian
165   Austin Krassier, Campbell
174   Thomas Flitz, Appalachian State
184   Matthew Waddell, Chattanooga
197   Paul Carson, Appalachian State
HWT Michael McAleavey, The Citadel