SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Appalachian State’s Thomas Flitz has been named the Southern Conference Wrestler of the Week for all competition Feb. 19-25. The selection is made by the league office.
 
In a matchup of two ranked wrestlers with 6-0 SoCon records, Flitz claimed a 12-11 decision against 16^th-ranked Neal Richards of VMI last Sunday. The junior from Monroe, North Carolina, used three first-period takedowns to jump out to a 6-3 lead and added another to take an 8-5 advantage into the third period. Richards fought back to tie the match with a takedown in the closing seconds but Flitz would secure the win with a bonus point from riding time. Flitz is now 28-10 this season with a perfect 7-0 mark at 174 pounds in SoCon duals.
 
The weekly award is the first of Flitz’s career.
 
Appalachian State will now look ahead to the Southern Conference Wrestling Championships, hosted by the Mountaineers in Boone, North Carolina, on March 8.
 
Also nominated: Andrew Morgan (Campbell), Tanner Smith (Chattanooga) and Neal Richards (VMI).
 
2019-20 SoCon Wrestlers of the Week
Nov. 6        Quentin Perez, Campbell
Nov. 13       Andrew Morgan, Campbell
Nov. 20       Jonathan Millner, Appalachian State
Nov. 27       Josh Heil, Campbell
Dec. 4        Sean Carter, Appalachian State
Dec. 11       Conor Fenn, Davidson
Dec. 18       Korbin Meink, Campbell
Dec. 24       Fabian Gutierrez, Chattanooga
Jan. 8         Josh Heil, Campbell
Jan. 15       Noah Gonser, Campbell
Jan. 22       Codi Russell, Appalachian State
Jan. 29       Neal Richards, VMI
Feb. 5         Jonathan Millner, Appalachian State
Feb. 12       Andrew Morgan, Campbell
Feb. 19       Jere Heino, Campbell
Feb. 26       Thomas Flitz, Appalachian State