Takedown Report

#20 Appalachian State Tops Camels, Wins Another SoCon Title

BOONE, N.C. — During a marathon day with 30 matches, the first two set the tone for a dominant, title-clinching sweep of a SoCon tripleheader.
App State Wrestling carried a strong start in a battle of conference unbeatens to a 22-14 victory against Campbell in a packed Varsity Gym on Sunday, with nearly 1,000 fans in attendance, then followed that with a 43-0 shutout of Presbyterian and 47-0 shutout of Davidson.
Finishing as unbeaten, outright SoCon regular season champions for the second straight season, the 20th-ranked Mountaineers (12-2, 8-0) also secured their sixth title in the last eight years and 14th championship over the last three decades.
The first two matches in the App State-Campbell dual were ranked showdowns, and the Mountaineers collected two huge victories to help them claim six of the first seven matches.
Battling sickness that kept him out of several practices during the week, Caleb Smith earned a tiebreaking takedown with 25 seconds left in a 4-1 win at 125 pounds against 32nd-ranked Anthony Molton, who entered Sunday with three top-15 victories. Ethan Oakley then delivered a takedown with 57 seconds left in the Sudden Victory overtime period at 133 pounds to win 3-1 against 22nd-ranked Domenic Zaccone. That result gave Oakley dramatic wins against top-25 wrestlers from Chattanooga and Campbell in the last two duals.
After a ranked wrestler from Campbell (16-9, 7-1) won by major decision at 141, App State turned a 6-4 edge into a 22-4 advantage thanks to four-point major decisions from Jon Jon Millner (8-0 at 149), Tommy Askey (11-3 at 157 against Troy Nation, who had a top-33 RPI ranking), Will Formato (12-0 at 165) and Will Miller (16-3 at 174).
With three matches remaining and an 18-point margin in the team score, Campbell would need pins … rest of story at APPstatesports.com/news/2023/2/19/-20-wrestling-strong-start-carries-no-20-app-state-to-win-over-camels

Zaccone named SoCon Wrestler of the Week

BUIES CREEK, N.C. – After going 2-0 with another ranked win, Campbell’s Domenic Zaccone has been named Southern Conference Wrestler of the Week.

Zaccone went 2-0, with both wins coming against SoCon competition at 133 pounds. The redshirt junior, ranked No. 22 in the latest NCAA coaches’ panel and No. 18 in the RPI, defeated No. 17 Brayden Palmer 4-2 in overtime on Sunday, helping CU down Chattanooga 24-13, his second straight victory over a ranked opponent after topping No. 18 Chance Rich of CSU Bakersfield 3-1, also in overtime, in January.

The Orland Park, Ill. native also defeated Bellarmine’s Michael Schiffhauer in an 18-6 major decision on Friday in Campbell’s 34-15 SoCon win over the Knights. Zaccone is now 16-3 overall this season with a perfect 5-0 SoCon mark. … rest of story at GOcamels.com/news/2023/2/15/wrestling-zaccone-named-socon-wrestler-of-the-week

Black History Month Spotlights: Randall Diabe

During Black History Month, App State Athletics is highlighting some of the accomplishments and perspective of coaches, administrators and staff members who serve as role models to our student-athletes.
Today, we hear from Randall Diabe, an App State alum who followed a standout career on the Mountaineers’ wrestling team by becoming an assistant coach at his alma mater. Born in Liberia, he moved to the United States when he was 8 years old.

Q: Why is it important that we acknowledge and celebrate Black History Month?
Diabe: At App State, where the community is predominantly white, we have athletes of color, and by acknowledging it, it shows those athletes that equality and representation are important here at App State. It has an effect on people like me, too, because beyond some of us just being known as athletes, it lets people know that black people matter in this community.
Q: What’s the impact of having more representation in wrestling, like younger guys on the team seeing you go from an App State student-athlete to coach?
Diabe: For me, it’s leading by example. In my upbringing, I had people that I looked up to and that helped lead me to pick the path I’m on now. Having a lot of people help me, it makes you feel like, when you grow up, you want to help others, too. Just giving back to the guys and having them see what I’ve experienced and how far I’ve come to being on staff, they realize they can achieve high things and the bigger goals that you set for yourself if you just believe in the process and do the right things.
It’s an honor being here on staff and having those guys feel like they’ve got somebody they can talk to. I hope I can stay here long as possible and keep leading by example and making an impact.
Q: Is it a point of pride to be a role model for some of the younger guys that you coach?
Diabe: It does make you feel good. Some people know my background, that it wasn’t the easiest path, … rest of story at APPstatesports.com/news/2023/2/10/-20-wrestling-black-history-month-spotlight-randall-diabe

February 21, 2023 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized