SPARTANBURG, SC – The Southern Conference office announced Thursday afternoon that four-time defending champion App State is the preseason pick to win the 2027 SoCon wrestling title.
The league’s nine head coaches voted on the poll. A 10-man All-Conference team was also selected. Coaches could not vote for their own team or student-athletes.
App State earned all eight available first-place votes and topped the preseason poll. The Mountaineers return 10 starters from last season’s squad, including 2026 NCAA qualifiers and defending SoCon champion wrestlers
Aldo Hernandez (141),
Tomas Brooker (184), and
Stephan Monchery (285).
The SoCon returns eight of its 2026 individual champions and 10 wrestlers who have qualified for the NCAA Wrestling Championships at least once during their career. Gardner-Webb’s
T.K. Davis (133) and Monchery (285) are two-time NCAA qualifiers, both ranked in the top 25 nationally by three major wrestling outlets heading into the 2026-27 campaign.
Davis, who has won 50 matches over the past two seasons, was the SoCon’s Wrestler of the Year following the 2026 regular season. He is ranked as high as No. 8 nationally this preseason (FloWrestling). Monchery has gone 39-19 in his two seasons with the Mountaineers and is ranked as high as No. 16 nationally by FloWrestling heading into his junior campaign.
Davis, Hernandez, Davidson’s
Anderson Heap (149), Bellarmine’s
Grant O’Dell (174), Brooker, and Monchery were unanimous preseason All-SoCon selections. Returning champs
Jeb Prechtel (157) of Bellarmine and
Kade Rule (197) of Chattanooga also earned preseason spots. The Citadel’s
Gylon Sims (125), an NCAA qualifier in 2025, also earned preseason All-SoCon honors. App State’s
Anthony Conetta was the choice at 165 pounds after winning 25 bouts last season.
App State was followed closely in the preseason poll by Chattanooga (56 points), Bellarmine (51 points), Gardner-Webb (40 points), and Davidson (37 points). The Citadel (31 points), VMI (20 points), Campbell (17 points), and Presbyterian (8 points) rounded out the voting.
The 2026-27 regular season begins on Sunday, November 1.
2026-27 SoCon Wrestling Preseason Coaches’ Poll
1. App State (8) – 64 points %
2. Chattanooga (1) – 56 points
3. Bellarmine – 51 points
4. Gardner-Webb – 40 points
5. Davidson – 37 points
6. The Citadel – 31 points
7. VMI – 20 points
8. Campbell – 17 points
9. Presbyterian – 8 points
2026-27 SoCon Wrestling Preseason All-Conference Team
125 – Gylon Sims, Sr., The Citadel (19-12, 7-1 SoCon)
133 – T.K. Davis, Sr., Gardner-Webb (26-3, 8-0 SoCon) %
141 – Aldo Hernandez, Sr., App State (20-16, 4-3 SoCon) %
149 – Anderson Heap, Jr., Davidson (20-11, 8-0 SoCon) %
157 – Jeb Prechtel, Sr., Bellarmine (16-16, 4-3 SoCon) %
165 – Anthony Conetta, R-Sr., App State (25-11, 6-2 SoCon)
174 – Grant O’Dell, R-Sr., Bellarmine (25-10, 5-2 SoCon) %
184 – Tomas Brooker, R-Jr., App State (26-10, 7-0 SoCon) %
197 – Kade Rule, So., Chattanooga (18-7, 8-0 SoCon) %
285 – Stephan Monchery, Jr., App State (24-9, 8-0 SoCon) %
% Defending SoCon Champion