Chattanooga Picked First in SoCon Wrestling Preseason Poll

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Chattanooga was picked as the favorite in the 2025-2026 Southern Conference wrestling preseason poll in voting by the league’s nine head coaches.

Four teams collected at least one first place vote, with the Mocs followed closely in the ranking by defending champion App State and 2025 tournament runner up The Citadel. 

The Mountaineers and Bulldogs wrestled hard through the final whistle in at the Explore Asheville SoCon Championship last March, with the team title hanging in the balance until Stephan Monchery’s arm was raised in a decision in the heavyweight finals – securing a 79.5 to 73.5 win for the Mountaineers.

Bellarmine was picked fourth, followed by Gardner-Webb and Campbell. VMI, Davidson, and Presbyterian rounded out the poll.

The Citadel paced the 11-man preseason All-SoCon Team, with returning SoCon Most Outstanding Wrestler Thomas Snipes leading a trio of 2025 SoCon Champions that includes Gylon Sims (125) and Carson DesRosier (149).

Gardner-Webb’s TK Davis (133) and App State’s Monchery (HWT) also return after winning SoCon titles last season and earned preseason All-SoCon nods. Bellarmine’s AJ Rallo (149) earned a spot on the preseason team after earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships last March.

Chattanooga saw two wrestlers garner preseason honors, with two-time NCAA qualifier Cody Chittum (157) and veteran Kamdyn Munro (174) on the team. Chittum, a junior from Cleveland, TN, transferred closer to home from Iowa State after going 35-15 and qualifying for the NCAA Championships in both 2024 and 2025.

Gardner-Webb’s Josh McCutchen and VMI’s Toby Schoffstall tied for the All-SoCon slot at 197 pounds, with Schoffstall’s teammate Braxton Lewis leading the way at 184 pounds.

The 2025-2026 regular season gets underway on November 2, with all nine teams in action.

2025-2026 Preseason SoCon Wrestling Poll

1. Chattanooga (3) – 58

2. The Citadel (3) – 56

3. App State (2) – 53

4. Bellarmine – 42

5. Gardner-Webb (1) – 37

6. Campbell – 32

7. VMI – 20

8. Davidson – 18

9. Presbyterian – 8

 First place votes in parentheses

2025-2026 Preseason All-SoCon Wrestling Team

125 – Gylon Sims, The Citadel * 

133 – TK Davis, Gardner-Webb *

141 – AJ Rallo, Bellarmine

149 – Carson DesRosier, The Citadel *

157 – Cody Chittum, Chattanooga

165 – Thomas Snipes, The Citadel **

174 – Kamdyn Munro, Chattanooga

184 – Braxton Lewis, VMI

197 (tie) – Josh McCutchen, Gardner-Webb

197 (tie) – Toby Schoffstall, VMI

HWT – Stephan Monchery, App State *

* Denotes Returning 2025 SoCon Champion

** Denotes Returning 2025 SoCon Most Outstanding Wrestler

Season Opening Sunday Schedule (November 2)

App State at Virginia Tech Southeast Open (Salem, VA)

Bellarmine at Clarion Open (Clarion, PA)

Campbell at Virginia Tech Southeast Open (Salem, VA)

Chattanooga vs. Campbellsville, Huntingdon, King (Chattanooga, TN)

The Citadel at Virginia Tech Southeast Open (Salem, VA)

Davidson at Virginia Tech Southeast Open (Salem, VA)

Gardner-Webb at Rutgers Quad (Piscataway, NJ)

Presbyterian at Virginia Tech Southeast Open (Salem, VA)

VMI at Virginia Tech Southeast Open (Salem, VA)