SPARTANBURG, S.C. – App State’s Jon Jon Millner (149) and Carson Floyd (197) have been named the Southern Conference Wrestler and Freshman of the Year, respectively, by the league’s nine head coaches, the conference office announced Thursday.
Coaches, who were not allowed to vote for their own student-athletes, also selected a 10-member all-conference squad and a 10-member all-freshman team.
Millner posted a 26-3 record this season, going undefeated in SoCon duals (8-0) to repeat as the conference’s wrestler of the year. The 149-pounder from Greensboro, North Carolina, ranks third on App State’s all-time wins list with 118 victories and is a perfect 30-0 in SoCon matches for his career. Millner, who also made the all-conference team, earned SoCon Wrestler of the Week back on Nov. 23 and will be the No. 1 seed in his weight class this Saturday at the SoCon Wrestling Championship.
App State put a total of five wrestlers on the all-conference team. Joining Millner on the squad were Caleb Smith (125), Ethan Oakley (133), Tommy Askey (157) and Will Formato (165). Smith was 23-5 this season and went 8-0 in conference matches, earning wrestler of the week distinction on Feb. 22. Oakley, who took over as a starter following a season-ending injury to Sean Carter, went 18-9 overall with a 7-0 mark in SoCon duals. Askey went 27-11 during the season and also had an 8-0 record in conference matches. Formato also went undefeated in conference duals with an 8-0 mark, going 26-7 overall during the season.
Floyd went 22-8 overall with a 7-1 conference record in his first season with the Mountaineers. The Mooresville, North Carolina, native had a 10-3 record in overall duals and finished second on the team in pins with seven for the year. Floyd, who is also a member of the all-freshman team along with teammate Luke Uliano (184), began the conference season with five straight wins and grabbed a win over Virginia’s Colden Dorfman on New Year’s Day during the Southern Scuffle.
Campbell placed four wrestlers on the all-conference team, with Shannon Hanna (141), Caleb Hopkins (184), Levi Hopkins (197) and Taye Ghadiali (285) represented on the team. Hanna, who won SoCon wrestler of the week on Jan. 25, was 21-8 overall with an 8-0 mark in league duals. Caleb Hopkins went 16-8 overall and 7-1 in SoCon matches, while Levi Hopkins was 21-8 overall and 8-0 in conference matches, serving as the only SoCon loss for Floyd during the season. Ghadiali, who was the SoCon wrestler of the month in December, went 23-3 overall and 7-0 in league duals. Dom Baker (165) and Conor Maslanek (197) represented the Camels on the all-freshman team.
Chattanooga’s Rocky Jordan was the only member of the all-conference team not from App State or Campbell. Jordan was 16-2 this season and went undefeated (8-0) in SoCon duals. The St. Paris, Ohio, native is a transfer from Ohio State and enters the SoCon Wrestling Championship as the No. 1 seed at 174 pounds.
Bellarmine put a trio of wrestlers on the all-freshman team, with Michael Schiffhauer (133), Zac Cowan (149) and Thadd Huff (285) appearing for the Knights. The other members of the all-freshman team were Davidson’s Tanner Peake (157) and VMI’s Ryan Vigil (149) and Braxton Lewis (165).
The SoCon Wrestling Championship is set to take place Saturday, March 4, at the Holmes Convocation Center in Boone, North Carolina. The first round of matches will begin at 10 a.m., with finals scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Awards will follow at the conclusion of the final match.
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2022-23 Wrestler of the Year
Jon Jon Millner, 149, R-Sr., App State
2022-23 Freshman of the Year
Carson Floyd, 197, App State
2022-23 All-Southern Conference Team
125 Caleb Smith, R-So., App State
133 Ethan Oakley, R-Fr., App State
141 Shannon Hanna, Sr., Campbell
149 Jon Jon Millner, R-Sr., App State
157 Tommy Askey, So., App State
165 Will Formato, R-Jr., App State
174 Rocky Jordan, Jr., Chattanooga
184 Caleb Hopkins, R-Sr., Campbell
197 Levi Hopkins, R-Jr., Campbell
285 Taye Ghadiali, R-Jr., Campbell
2022-23 All-Freshman Team
Carson Floyd, 197, App State
Luke Uliano, 184, App State
Zac Cowan, 149, Bellarmine
Thadd Huff, HWT, Bellarmine
Michael Schiffhauer, 133, Bellarmine
Dom Baker, 165, Campbell
Conor Maslanek, 197, Campbell
Tanner Peake, 157, Davidson
Braxton Lewis, 165, VMI
Ryan Vigil, 149, VMI