photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com
Conference season is upon us. This week we have five DI conferences in action and each day, we’ll bring a new preview. With the EIWA, MAC, and Pac-12 out of the way, let’s go down south to check out the SoCon Championships. Like everything in this “new normal,” the SoCon meet will have a slightly different look this year. Davidson cannot participate in the tournament as they were forced to pause team activities due to a positive COVID test.
The action on the match will look familiar compared to recent SoCon Championships as we project a razor-thin margin on the team race front. Appalachian State and Campbell have gone down to the wire in recent years, but the Camels have emerged victorious in each of the last two conference tournaments. While this will be the first conference meet under head coach Scotti Sentes, don’t expect any growing pains. Campbell went 8-1 in dual action this year, with their only loss coming on the first weekend of the season to fifth-ranked Virginia Tech. If there is a slip-up by Campbell, expect App State to pounce. The Mountaineers lost a close 21-17 clash to their in-state rivals in a de-facto SoCon dual championship in late-January. Head Coach John Mark Bentley continues to churn out ranked wrestlers that flew under the recruiting radar of experts coming out of high school. Four ASU wrestlers finished the year ranked in the top-20 of their respective weights and none were considered blue-chippers upon their arrival in Boone. The once-dominant team in the conference, Chattanooga, is a threat and shouldn’t be overlooked. They will probably fare better in a tournament format compared to duals, this year.
After the big three teams are Gardner-Webb, The Citadel, Presbyterian, and VMI. With the exception of Gardner-Webb, the other programs in the SoCon are under the direction of relatively new coaching staffs and attempting to load up to compete with the likes of ASU, Campbell, and Chattanooga.
This conference only has been allocated 13 automatic berths at the NCAA Championships in St. Louis, so the intensity levels will be high as wrestlers compete for those precious spots.
Below, we’ve gone through each weight class and previewed its competitors and made predictions for the finals, along with national qualifiers, and the team race.
When: Sunday, February 28th
Where: Boone, North Carolina
How to Watch: ESPN+ (Prelims), ESPN+ (Finals)
125 lbs
1st - #19 Codi Russell (Appalachian State)
2nd - #23 Fabian Gutierrez (Chattanooga)
3rd - Zurich Storm (Campbell)
4th - Benny Gomez (Presbyterian)
5th - Jordie White (The Citadel)
6th - Aedyn Concepcion (Gardner-Webb)
7th - Cliff Conway (VMI)
Automatic NCAA Qualifying Spots Available (1)
Codi Russell is seeking his third NCAA berth and his second SoCon championship. It would be his first at 125 lbs, as his 2019 title came at 133. Russell has been quite impressive this season, logging bonus points in nine of his 11 wins. His only loss of the year came against seventh-ranked Jakob Camacho (NC State) on the second weekend of the regular season. He’ll have his hands full with returning national qualifier, Fabian Gutierrez. Fabian is one of two SoCon opponents that held Russell to a decision this year. Gutierrez lost a narrow 4-3 decision to the Mountaineer. He’ll get the second seed after defeating NC State transfer Zurich Storm 5-3 during their dual meet. This is Storm’s first year official competing for the Camels, as he redshirted in 2019-20 and amassed a 7-3 record competing unattached. Fourth-seed Benny Gomez was solid this year, tallying a 5-2 record with four bonus-point wins. Gomez was an NJCAA National runner-up for Muskegon CC before transferring to Presbyterian. Jordie White rounds out the top-five seeds. He put together a .500 season in his second year with The Citadel.
TOM Predictions
1st) Russell (Appalachian State)
2nd) Gutierrez (Chattanooga)
Projected Automatic Qualifier: Codi Russell (Appalachian State)
133 lbs
1st - Jake Rotunda (The Citadel)
2nd - Sean Carter (Appalachian State)
3rd - Colton Landers (Chattanooga)
4th - Gabe Hixenbaugh (Campbell)
5th - Dominic Chavez (Presbyterian)
6th - Todd Carter (Gardner-Webb)
7th - Cameron Chicella (VMI)
Automatic NCAA Qualifying Spots Available (1)
Without any ranked wrestlers, 133 lbs looks to be pretty wide open and could provide an unheralded wrestler with an opportunity to compete at nationals. Jake Rotunda gets the top seed after putting together a 9-2 campaign. Rotunda’s only conference loss came via injury default against Davidson. He also put together somewhat one-sided wins against the third through sixth seeds. After Rotunda, the seeds go out the window, because many of the rest of the field have all defeated each other. The third seed Colton Landers has downed the second seed, Sean Carter. Landers has a loss to sixth-seed Todd Carter, however. The Moc 133 lber endured a four-match losing streak in mid-January but finished the regular season on a six-match winning streak. A pair of freshmen occupy the fourth and fifth seeds and Gabe Hixenbaugh gets the nod over Dominic Chavez, possibly due to his 6-4 record. The two did not meet in the regular season.
TOM Predictions
1st) Rotunda (The Citadel)
2nd) S. Carter (Appalachian State)
Projected Automatic Qualifiers: Jake Rotunda (The Citadel)
141 lbs
1st - Franco Valdes (Chattanooga)
2nd - Anthony Brito (Appalachian State)
3rd - Trevon Majette (Gardner-Webb)
4th - Shannon Hanna (Campbell)
5th - Jacob Brasseur (Presbyterian)
6th - Tyler Seeley (The Citadel)
7th - Freddy Junko (VMI)
Automatic NCAA Qualifying Spots Available (1)
Like 133 lbs, there are no ranked wrestlers here, so there could be some chaos afoot. Or maybe not. The top seed Franco Valdes is a junior that enters the postseason with a perfect 9-0 record. Valdes has four major decisions on the year and a sudden victory win over the second seed, Anthony Brito. This will be Valdes’ first postseason appearance for the Mocs. Brito’s close loss to Valdes accounts for the only blemish on his conference record. He has seven bonus-point wins total in his 14 bouts. A pair of ex-Old Dominion wrestlers are in this bracket as the third and fourth seeds. Trevon Majette has won his last four bouts and sports a 5-3 record during his junior season. Two of those setbacks came against the opponents seeded above him. Shannon Hanna could be dangerous, as Brito is the only one of the top three that he’s previously faced. Though he has taken some ugly losses on from the rest of the field, fifth-seeded Jacob Brasseur gave Franco Valdes one of his closest matches of the year. Could he be a factor on the bottom half of the bracket?
TOM Predictions
1st) Valdes (Chattanooga)
2nd) Brito (Appalachian State)
Projected Automatic Qualifier: Franco Valdes (Chattanooga)
149 lbs
1st - #12 Jonathan Millner (Appalachian State)
2nd - #11 Josh Heil (Campbell)
3rd - Job Chishko (VMI)
4th - Selwyn Porter (The Citadel)
5th - Aiden Murphy (Chattanooga)
6th - Brandon Bright (Gardner-Webb)
7th - Reid Stewart (Presbyterian)
Automatic NCAA Qualifying Spots Available (2)
The biggest possible matchup of the SoCon Championships could take place in the finals as a pair of 2020 conference champions are set to collide with Jonathan Millner and Josh Heil. The defending 149 lb champion, Millner, gets the top seed. Millner is 11-1 and has earned bonus points in all but one SoCon dual. Heil comes up from 141 lbs, where he earned first-team All-American honors after receiving the eighth seed at the 2020 NCAA Championships. He dropped a match to Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech) the first week of the season, but has been flawless since. A third national qualifier at this weight is Selwyn Porter. He’ll take the fourth seed after dropping a bout in early February to Job Chishko. The two also met three times in 2019-20, with Porter taking two of three. Chishko did suffer a loss to Aiden Murphy; however, Porter defeated the Moc 149 lber, 5-2. Murphy is another entrant at this weight class with a winning record, as he is 6-3.
TOM Predictions
1st) Heil (Campbell)
2nd) Millner (Appalachian State)
Projected Automatic Qualifiers: Josh Heil (Campbell), Jonathan Millner (Appalachian State)
157 lbs
1st - #27 Ben Barton (Campbell)
2nd - #33 Cody Bond (Appalachian State)
3rd - Weston Wichman (Chattanooga)
4th - Taylor Parks (Gardner-Webb)
5th - Blake Showers (VMI)
6th - Zachary Phillips (Presbyterian)
7th - Grant Speer (The Citadel)
Automatic NCAA Qualifying Spots Available (1)
This is another weight class that had to be challenging to seed as one beat two, but three beat one. Ben Barton has had the best season of the bunch and the longest track record. Barton was a SoCon champion in 2019, which accounted for his first appearance at the national tournament. He redshirted last season and returned with nine straight wins this year. That streak ended with a 7-3 loss to Weston Wichman. The Mocs 157 lber gets the third seed as he had a loss in tiebreakers to Cody Bond. To complicate matters worse, Wichman has a loss to fourth-seeded Taylor Parks on the year. Bond gets the second seed after that win and his loss to Barton. Cody is a junior that never appeared in a dual before the 2021 season, but has worked his way into the national rankings. In only seven matches this season, Parks has been able to post half as many wins as he did all of last season. Blake Showers, who is 7-4 on the year, should get Parks a tough match before he can think about upsetting Barton.
TOM Predictions
1st) Wichman (Chattanooga)
2nd) Barton (Campbell)
Projected Automatic Qualifier: Weston Wichman (Chattanooga)
165 lbs
1st - #20 Will Formato (Appalachian State)
2nd - #26 RJ Mosley (Gardner-Webb)
3rd - #28 Drew Nicholson (Chattanooga)
4th - Dazjon Casto (The Citadel)
5th - Austin Kraisser (Campbell)
6th - Jon Hoover (VMI)
Automatic NCAA Qualifying Spots Available (1)
Only one spot will be available for the conference’s deepest weight. Three wrestlers are currently in the national rankings and a fourth started there. Atop the bracket is Will Formato, who took a loss to #13 Jake Keating (Virginia) the first weekend of the season. Since then, he’s been perfect and outscored the competition 120-9! The highlight of that winning streak was downing three-time national qualifier Thomas Bullard (NC State). A loss to Formato is the only setback for second-seeded RJ Mosley during conference duals. Last year, Mosley defeated Formato 9-4 during the regular season, but fell to Mountaineer in the conference semis. He would finish in fourth place. Third-seeded Drew Nicholson has been Chattanooga’s representative at this event on two previous occasions, but this is his best position to qualify for nationals. Dazjon Casto was an alternate for the 2020 NCAA Tournament after finishing third in the SoCon. This year his record is only 5-4, but he has close losses to the three opponents seeded above him. Austin Kraisser has been a mainstay for the Camels winning at least 20 matches in his previous three seasons. In 2021 he’s taken a few extra losses due to this deep weight.
TOM Predictions
1st) Formato (Appalachian State)
2nd) Mosley (Gardner-Webb)
Projected Automatic Qualifier: Will Formato (Appalachian State)
174 lbs
1st - #13 Austin Murphy (Campbell)
2nd - #14 Thomas Flitz (Appalachian State)
3rd - Evan Schenk (Gardner-Webb)
4th - Cole Burke (The Citadel)
5th - Carial Tarter (Chattanooga)
6th - Joel Diaz (Woodbridge)
7th - Victor Tello (Presbyterian)
Automatic NCAA Qualifying Spots Available (1)
Over the past few years, this tournament has been extremely competitive, with Campbell and Appalachian State vying for the title. There’s a chance that the final at 174 lbs could help determine which team leaves as the victors. The top seed belongs to undefeated junior Austin Murphy. Even in this abridged season, Murphy exceeded his 2019-20 win total of nine. His most significant win of the year came against second-seeded Thomas Flitz. Thomas had a breakout campaign in 2019-20 with 30 wins and a runner-up finish at the SoCon Championships. He had previously never had a winning record. With only one automatic berth available, it’s hard to imagine the runner-up missing out on a trip to nationals. The third seed, Evan Schenk, spent the majority of the year at 184 lbs before dropping to 174. He got wins in his final two outings to finish 3-4. None of the other entrants at this weight finished the season with a record above .500.
TOM Predictions
1) Murphy (Campbell)
2) Flitz (Appalachian State)
Projected Automatic Qualifier: Austin Murphy (Campbell)
184 lbs
1st - #27 Caleb Hopkins (Campbell)
2nd - Jha’Quan Anderson (Gardner-Webb)
3rd - #29 Matthew Waddell (Chattanooga)
4th - Zach Brown (VMI)
5th - Julian Gorring (Appalachian State)
6th - Kyle Kretzer (The Citadel)
Automatic NCAA Qualifying Spots Available (2)
A one-point loss on the opening weekend of the 2021 season to top-ranked Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech) is the only thing standing between Caleb Hopkins and a perfect record. Hopkins has turned into quite the pinner, logging five in his nine wins this season. Caleb capped his regular season off with a 5-2 victory over 2020 national qualifier Matthew Waddell. Waddell, the 20th seed at nationals last year, gets the third seed as he has another conference loss on his resume, one to sixth-seeded Kyle Kretzer. That makes Jha’Quan Anderson the second seed after he compiled a 7-1 record. A loss via pin to Hopkins was the only blemish on his record in 2021. Fourth seed Zach Brown is another member of this weight class with just one conference loss. Anderson edged him by a point in their previous meeting. All the way down at the fifth seed, Julian Gorring, comes into the tournament with a winning record. Even the sixth seed, Kretzer, is capable of wrecking this bracket. He’ll have a first-round matchup against Waddell on Sunday.
TOM Predictions
1st) Hopkins (Campbell)
2nd) Waddell (Chattanooga)
Projected Automatic Qualifiers: Caleb Hopkins (Campbell), Matthew Waddell (Chattanooga)
197 lbs
1st - #26 Chris Kober (Campbell)
2nd - Tyler Mousaw (VMI)
3rd - Logan Andrew (Chattanooga)
4th - Mason Fiscella (Appalachian State)
5th - Samuel Mora (Gardner-Webb)
6th - Ben Stemmet (The Citadel)
Automatic NCAA Qualifying Spots Available (1)
The top-seed at 197 lbs, Chris Kober, comes into the weekend with a perfect record, though he only has seen action in four duals. Kober was a SoCon champion in 2019 at 184 lbs. He came out of redshirt last year, up a weight, and rolled to a 20-6 record. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to warrant an at-large berth to nationals. VMI’s best hope for a title this year rests on freshman Tyler Mousaw’s shoulders. Mousaw was a pinning machine at the New York high school ranks and has continued to do so for the Keydets. He’s 10-1 with three falls on the year. Mousaw’s only loss came to Kober’s teammate Levi Hopkins. Just behind the top-two is Logan Andrew. The redshirt freshman suffered one-point losses to both of the wrestlers seeded ahead of him. Andrew has been a step above all others in the conference at this weight. First-year starter Mason Fiscella has assumed the duties at 197 for ASU and turned in an 8-6 record. Fiscella was pinned by the top-two seeds, so he’ll need to step up to be a threat for the title this year.
TOM Predictions
1st) Mousaw (VMI)
2nd) Kober (Campbell)
Projected Automatic Qualifier: Tyler Mousaw (VMI)
285 lbs
1st - #31 Michael McAleavey (The Citadel)
2nd - Anthony Perrine (Gardner-Webb)
3rd - Taye Ghadiali (Campbell)
4th - Michael Burchell (Appalachian State)
5th - Grayson Walthall (Chattanooga)
6th - Airin Spell (Presbyterian)
7th - Giomar Ramos (VMI)
Automatic NCAA Qualifying Spots Available (2)
The conference gets a slight break at 285 lbs since they’ve been allotted two automatic bids at 285 lbs, but currently only have one big man in the national rankings. But that’s what happens, as the SoCon has traditionally had strong heavyweights. With such limited allocations available at other weights, you won’t hear any of the coaching apologizing. Senior Michael McAleavey has been steady for The Citadel in his previous three seasons, but he has really broken out in 2021. McAleavey is 13-1, with more than half of those wins coming via fall. His only loss was courtesy of the #18 285 lber in the land, Quinn Miller (Virginia). We missed out on the opportunity to see McAleavey take on second-seeded Anthony Perrine during the regular season. The two met in the 2018-19 season and McAleavey took the one-point decision. Perrine started the year with losses to a trio of ranked ACC 285 lbers, but has been solid in conference competition. By solid, I mean a perfect, 6-0. An opponent that pushed Perrine the most was third-seeded Taye Ghadiali. Perrine took their bout by a single point. Ghadiali’s 8-2 win over fourth-seeded Michael Burchell helped wrap-up a regular-season dual title for the Camels. Burchell gets the nod over Grayson Walthall, based on his 4-1 win. Walthall has managed to wrestle close matches with the rest of the contenders, so he may be able to turn the corner Sunday.
TOM Predictions
1st) McAleavey (The Citadel)
2nd) Perrine (Gardner-Webb)
Projected Automatic Qualifier: Michael McAleavey (The Citadel), Anthony Perrine (Gardner-Webb)
Projected Team Race
1st) Campbell
2nd) Appalachian State
3rd) Chattanooga
4th) The Citadel
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