Category: College

By Katherine Jamtgaard. BOONE, N.C. – Alaura Sharp, who led Presbyterian College to its first NCAA Tournament appearance and win last month, has been named the ninth head coach in App State women’s basketball history, Director of Athletics Doug Gillin announced Friday.

App State will hold a press conference on Friday, April 12 on the fifth floor of the Mark E. Ricks Athletics Complex to introduce Sharp. The press conference is scheduled for 12:15 p.m. Lunch will be provided for media members, staff, students and fans who would like to attend.

“We are thrilled to welcome Alaura to the App State family,” Gillin said. “She is a proven leader who has recruited and developed student-athletes at a high level. Her vision for the program aligns with our core values of academic integrity, competitive excellence, social responsibility and a world-class experience. We are excited about the future of App State Women’s Basketball.”

Fans can support the program by putting down a deposit on 2024-25 season tickets today.

Last month, Sharp guided Presbyterian to its first NCAA Tournament berth in program history, which turned into its first NCAA Tournament victory when the Blue Hose defeated Sacred Heart 49-42 in the First Four. Presbyterian then fell to No. 1 South Carolina, but not before Sharp led her squad to a program-record 21 wins.

In 2024, Sharp guided Presbyterian to its first NCAA Tournament bert and first NCAA Tournament victory — and a program record 21 wins.

Before serving the last six seasons as head coach at Presbyterian, Sharp was an assistant for two years each at Louisiana Tech and Southern Miss, where she helped her teams earn a postseason bid all four seasons. She was also a successful head coach at the junior college level at Garden City (Kan.) Community College and Lamar (Colo.) Community College.

“I’m honored to be named the head women’s basketball coach at App State,” Sharp said. “It is exciting to join an athletic department that has so much momentum and success. I look forward to building relationships with the players and growing this program. The Sun Belt is loaded with great coaches and talented players that I am excited to be a part of.

“I want to thank the Board of Trustees, Chancellor Everts, Doug Gillin and the rest of the administration for believing in me. I am excited to get to work.”

In addition to earning the program’s first NCAA Tournament berth and setting the wins record, Sharp’s 2023-24 Blue Hose team claimed the program’s first Big South Tournament title and became the first No. 5 seed to ever win the Big South women’s tournament when they trounced Radford 60-37 in the championship game on ESPN2.

Coaching at the smallest Division I school in the country, Sharp led Presbyterian to steady improvements throughout her first five seasons leading up to the breakout sixth campaign. Her 2020-21 team turned in the program’s first winning record (11-10) in five years, while her 2022-23 squad captured their best league finish (tied for fourth) in seven years.

Under Sharp’s tutelage, center Bryanna Brady became the program’s first two-time All-Big South honoree, while guard Tilda Sjökvist also earned All-Big South accolades in 2023-24. Sjökvist was named the 2024 Big South Tournament MVP, while Brady and Mara Neira joined her on the All-Tournament Team.

Sharp’s teams are known for defensive tenacity and efficient offense, as evidenced by PC leading the Big South and ranking 56th nationally in scoring defense in 2023-24, while also topping the league in assists per outing. A season earlier, the Blue Hose ranked top 65 nationally in field-goal percentage, 3-point percentage and 3-pointers made per game, while Brady led the league and was 24th in the nation in field-goal percentage.

In two seasons as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Louisiana Tech, she helped the Lady Techsters make their first postseason appearance in six seasons with a WNIT berth in 2016-17, followed by a 19-win season in 2017-18 and a second consecutive WNIT appearance.

Sharp spent the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons as associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at Southern Miss, where she helped the Golden Eagles reach back-to-back Conference USA Tournament championship games and make a pair of WNIT trips. The 2014-15 team advanced to the WNIT quarterfinals, and Southern Miss won a total of 52 games in Sharp’s two seasons on staff.

From 2009-13, Sharp spent four seasons as head coach at Garden City Community College, where she compiled an 83-45 record, defeated 11 nationally ranked teams, and turned the Broncbusters into a top contender each year in the tough Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference and Region VI.

Sharp guided GCCC to its best record in school history at 29-4 and a No. 13 ranking in the NJCAA polls in 2012-13 and mentored an All-American in Tamara Jones from Prosser, Wash., in her last two years. She was awarded the KJCCC Coach of the Year in her first season in 2009-10, while her teams advanced to the semifinals of the Region VI Tournament in 2012 and 2013.

She spent the 2008-09 season as head coach at Lamar Community College in Colorado after a two-year stint as an assistant at Adams State University.

A native of Fredonia, Kansas, Sharp was a second-team All-KJCCC selection and NJCAA Academic All-American at Fort Scott (Kan.) Community College while averaging 14 points and 12 rebounds as a sophomore. She finished her collegiate career at Southwest Minnesota State, where she led her team in steals at 3.5 per game.

Sharp graduated magna cum laude from SMSU in 2006, earning a bachelor’s degree in physical education with a sports management concentration and a minor in coaching.

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — At 1,296, the second largest crowd in Smith Stadium history witnessed solid run production by App State in the early and middle innings on April 2. Scoreless pitching in the final three frames backed up the Mountaineers’ offense, propelling them to an 11-3, non-conference midweek win over regional rival, High Point.

Leftfielder C J Boyd has been in a little bit of a slump of late, but seemed to break out of it in leading off the bottom half of the first inning with a solo shot over the left field fence. The Mountaineers manufactured three more runs in the first frame after Boyd’s leadoff dinger, including a single each by Austin St. Laurent and Banks Tolley before Drew Holderbach ripped a 1-out single up the middle, scoring St. Laurent.

Adam Quintero fouled off the first pitch thrown to him, but then watched patiently as the Panthers’ starting pitcher, Bryan Rivera, chucked four straight balls that passed outside the strike zone, the walk loading the bases for the Mountaineers.

App State right fielder Hunter Wilder worked the count to full, 3-2, before getting a free pass to first, scoring Tolley. Then catcher Tommy Walker pushed Holderbach home with a sacrifice fly to left. That ended the first inning scoring for the Mountaineers, but they jumped in front with a 4-0 lead.

The visiting Panthers closed the deficit, scoring two runs in the second inning and one in the third while blanking App State in the bottom half of the frames with a new pitcher, Howell Polk.

But after St. Laurent singled in the bottom half of the 4th inning, then Tolley and designated hitter Braxton Church hit consecutive doubles to score two more runs, Polk was chased and replaced by Jake Potts on the mound. He didn’t fare much better, giving up run-scoring doubles to Quintero and APP second baseman Joseph Zamora. High Point brought Dalton Olsovsky to the mound to get the final out of the inning, but not before the Mountaineers had batted around in the inning, scoring 5 runs on 5 hits and had pushed the advantage to 9-3, a lead they never surrendered.

App State added two insurance runs in the bottom half of the 5th inning. After Tolley singled, Holderbach took advantage of the wind blowing out, hammering the ball deep over the left field fence for his fifth home run of the season.

Meanwhile, three righthanded relief pitchers each took a turn on the mound for the Mountaineers, including Max Tramontana, Grey LaSpaluto, and Zach Lewis. None of them allowed High Point to score a run, although Tramontana and Lewis each allowed one hit and one walk. Among the five hitters Lewis faced, three were strikeouts, scattered around an early hit, a couple of wild pitches and a walk by the redshirt sophomore from Winston-Salem.

Next up for the Mountaineers is a road trip to Harrisonburg, Va., in a Sun Belt Conference test at James Madison on April 5, 6, and 7.

KEY PERFORMERS

• APP – Drew Holderbach: 3-4, 2 runs scored, 3 RBIs, HR, walk
• APP – Banks Tolley: 3-4, 3 runs scored, 1 RBI, 2B, walk
• APP – Austin St. Laurent: 3-5, 2 runs scored, 2B, walk
• APP – Joseph Zamora: 3-5, 2 RBIs, 2B
• APP – C J Boyd: 1-5, 1 run scored, 1 RBI, HR, walk
• APP – Adam Quintero: 1-3, 1 run scored, 1 RBI, walk
• APP – Hunter Wilder: 0-2, 1 run scored, 1 RBI, 2 walks, hit by pitch
• APP – Braxton Church: 1-5, 1 run scored, 1 RBI, 2B
• HPU – Miggy Echazaretta: 1-2, 1 run scored, 3 walks, 1 stolen base
• HPU – Brayden Simpson: 1-4, 1 run scored, 1 RBI, walk
• HPU – Cael Chatham: 1-2, 1 run scored, 2B, walk

 

 

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Once in a week is one thing, but twice? It may be a High Country epidemic.

Just two days after Watauga High School’s 15-run explosion in the top of the first inning at Freedom, App State counters with 15 runs in the the first two innings against Marshall on March 30 at Smith Stadium in front of an announced crowd of 1,027 mostly Mountaineer fans — on their way to a dynamic, 19-2 win on a bright, sunny day for baseball, jackets optional in the sometimes breezy conditions. It felt like the day before Easter and had the Mountaineers been carrying baskets, there was plenty of good stuff to put in them.

BONUS PHOTOS AT BOTTOM OF ARTICLE

And it started in the top of the first inning with The Thundering Herd at bat and App State’s righthanded sophomore pitcher, Jackson Steensma, on the mound. The Byron Center, Mich., product was “feeling it” on the day, delivering a three up-three down performance in the top of the first, all strikeouts.

App State scored five runs in bottom half of the first, manufactured initially by two RBI doubles from 3B Austin St. Laurent and C Braxton Church. They were followed by run-scoring singles off the bats of Adam Quintero and Kameron Miller.

Steensma did another masterful job in retiring the side again in the top half of the second inning, 3-up and 3-down once again. Meanwhile, the Mountaineer offense was just getting started.

Early in the inning, after St. Laurent had singled through the left side of the diamond, what should have been a routine double play was muffed by the Marshall second baseman and Banks Tolley reached first on the error with St. Laurent advancing to second. Church followed with a walk, loading the bases. Drew Holderbach singled to center, scoring both St. Laurent and Tolley, but it was just the first two of what would become a 10-run inning.

Intermixed among at bats where Quintero walked and Hunter Wilder was hit by a pitch, Miller doubled down the left field line and Joseph Zamora doubled down the right field line, with three more runs scoring.

After The Herd got a second out and it looked like the visitors from West Virginia might avoid any more damage, it turned ugly — or beautiful if you were App State. St. Laurent ripped his second single of the inning, scoring Zamora and Wilder, then stole second. Tolley walked and both he and St. Laurent advanced on a wild pitch. Church walked to load the bases again, then everyone advanced on another wild pitch, St. Laurent scoring.

With obvious control problems, the Marshall righthander Cole Agemy coffed up the last run of the inning on yet another wild pitch, but mercifully the inning ended on a fly ball third out to left. But it didn’t come before App State plated 10 runs in the inning to jump out to a 15-0 lead.

With Steensma rolling on the mound for App State, he kept Marshall scoreless through the fifth inning. Meanwhile, the visitors seemed to find a solution on the mound in senior Peyton Schofield, who managed to pitch three scoreless innings with four strikeouts and just two walks. Even if the Indiana native hit a couple of Mountaineer batters in his three innings of work, he managed to wriggle out of any scoring threats from the 13 batters he faced.

Marshall finally got on the scoreboard with a 2-run blast off the bat of left fielder Elijah Vogelsong, but App State countered with four more runs in the bottom half of the inning, thanks to home runs from Tolley and Miller. For Tolley, his 2-run blast was the third of the weekend series. For Miller, his 2-run dinger was the second HR of the series, the second in as many days, and the second of his young App State career.

Next up for Mountaineers is an April 2 non-conference rematch with High Point, played at Smith Stadium. They resume Sun Belt Conference play at James Madison on April 5, 6 and 7.

TOP PERFORMERS

• APP – Jackson Steensma: winning pitcher, allowed 2 runs on 3 hits over 6 innings, w/ 7 strikeouts
• APP – Kameron Miller: 3-5, 2 runs scored, 6 RBIs, 2B, HR
• APP – Austin St. Laurent: 4-5, 4 runs scored, 3 RBIs, 2 doubles
• APP – Banks Tolley: 1-3, 3 runs scored, 2 RBIs, HR, 2 walks
• APP – Braxton Church: 1-2, 2 runs scored, 1 RBI, 2B, 2 walks
• APP – Joseph Zamora: 1-3, 1 run scored, 1 RBI, 2B
• APP – Drew Holderbach: 1-2, 2 runs scored, 2 RBIs, 3 walks
• APP – Adam Quintero: 1-3, 2 runs scored, 2 RBIs, 1 walk
• MAR – Elijah Vogelsong: 1-3, 1 run scored, 2 RBIs, HR

BONUS PHOTOS

 

 

 

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Senior outfielder Banks Tolley clubbed two home runs in Appalachian State’s 15-10 baseball win vs. Marshall on March 29. Teammate Drew Holderbach described Tolley’s second HR in the decisive 8th inning as “a missile” that might still be in orbit around Mother Earth.

While Tolley’s two home runs provided bookends for his day at the plate, coming in the first and eighth innings, App State’s run production was otherwise broad. A total of seven players in the lineup scored two runs each. The list includes 3B Austin St. Laurent, CF Tolley, C Braxton Church, 1B Holderbach, SS Adam Quintero, RF Hunter Wilder, and 2B Joseph Zamora.

Without hitting a home run, Zamora had arguably the best day at the plate, only an HR short of hitting the cycle, with three RBIs produced by his single, double and triple.

On the mound, Bradley Wilson was the Mountaineers starter, going five full innings while giving up three runs on six hits, with two walks and two strikeouts. In facing 23 batters, Wilson threw 97 pitches, 62 of them strikes.

Wilson was followed on the hill by Grey LaSpaluto, who has been stellar of late but had some challenges on this day. After a sixth inning in which he retired the side in order, LaSpaluto was roughed up in the seventh. Marshall manufactured four runs off the senior righthander from Apex, N.C., on five hits. After Max Tramontana relieved him, two more runs scored were credited to LaSpaluto (runners inherited).

Tramontana, the redshirt freshman, faced three batters before getting the third out of the frame, but the first two proved costly. He hit The Herd’s RF Calin Smith, then gave up a 2-run single to AJ Havrilla before getting 1B Caden Kaiser to ground out to second and bring the inning to a close.

Righthander Zach Lewis, a redshirt sophomore, pitched the final two innings and was the pitcher of record when App State exploded for six runs in the 8th, giving Lewis is third win of the season.

App State hosts Marshall in the third game of the weekend series on Saturday, March 30, with first pitch at 1 p.m.

TOP PERFORMERS

• APP – Banks Tolley: 3-5, 2 runs scored, 4 RBIs, 2 HRs
• APP – Drew Holderbach: 2-3, 2 runs scored, 3 RBIs, 2B, HR, twice hit by pitch
• APP – Joseph Zamora: 3-4, 2 runs scored, 3 RBIs, 2B, 3B
• APP – Braxton Church: 1-3, 2 runs scored, 2 walks
• APP – Adam Quintero: 2-5, 2 runs scored, 1 RBI
• APP – Kameron Miller: 1-4, 1 run scored, 1 RBI, HR, hit by pitch
• APP – Austin St. Laurent: 1-6, 2 runs scored, 1 RBI
• MAR – Owen Ayers: 3-4, 2 runs scored, 1 RBI, SF
• MAR – Gio Ferraro: 2-5, 1 run scored, 1 RBI, 2B
• MAR – AJ Havrilla: 2-3, 1 run scored, 2 RBIs. walk
• MAR – Jack Firestone: 3-4, 1 run scored, 3 RBIs, walk

BONUS PHOTOS by David Rogers for High Country Sports

der

 

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Just when AppNation thought the future looked bright for the Mountaineers’ men’s basketball program after an historic 2023-24 season and regular season Sun Belt Conference championship, we learned today via X (formerly Twitter) that App State big men Tre’Von Spillers and Justin Abson are entering the transfer portal, along with freshman guards Jordan Marsh and Etienne Strothers.

Both Abson and Spillers contributed to App State being ranked No. 1 in NCAA Division 1 blocked shots per game. Young Marsh most often provided a spark in coming off the bench. Strothers didn’t see much, if any, action this past season but came to the Mountaineers with a strong pedigree.

QUESTIONS: Who else might be jumping ship? Is it all for NIL money? Higher exposure playing with a Big 10, SEC, Big East, ACC, or Big 12 team? What is head coach Dustin Kerns’ status?

The answer to that first question is Christopher Mantis, Terence Harcum and Xavion Brown as well as 6-9 freshman forward Josh Hayes, according to our sources close to the program.

When you subtract graduating players that include Donovan Gregory, C J Huntley and Bryant Greene, that leaves junior guard Myles Tate as the only athlete from this season’s 9-man rotation, plus 6-9 freshman center Luke Wilson, freshman guard Luke Ledford, and sophomore guard Dawson Fennema on the roster.

Assuming head coach Dustin Kerns and staff are staying, they will be busy in the coming weeks trying to pluck replacements from the transfer portal and even more aggressively recruiting from among the graduating high school seniors.

By Matt Present. BOONE, N.C. — After falling behind by five runs in the middle innings, App State put together several late-inning rallies, but the Mountaineers stranded the bases loaded in the seventh and eighth innings, falling 9-8 to Marshall in the series opener Thursday at Smith Stadium.

It was a back-and-forth affair that featured a combined 23 hits in the contest.

After falling behind 1-0 in the first inning, the Mountaineers (15-8, 3-4) leveled the score in the second on back-to-back doubles from Adam Quintero and Hunter Wilder.

Marshall (9-16, 3-4) then jumped in front in the third inning with a three-run home run, and after Austin St. Laurent blasted a solo home run in the third to get a run back, the Herd put together another three-run inning in the sixth to push their advantage to 7-2.

In the bottom of the sixth, App State responded with a three-run inning of its own. Graham Smiley and Wilder each walked, and then with two outs, Joseph Zamora belted a three-run home run, his second of the season, bringing the deficit to 7-5.

The Herd answered with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh inning, but the Mountaineers responded again with a run in the seventh and two in the eighth, but left six men aboard across the final two frames and 11 total in the ballgame.

Collin Welch was impressive in relief, striking out four across the final 3.1 innings, and allowing just two unearned runs.

St. Laurent, Banks Tolley, Braxton Church, and Zamora all finished with multi-hit games.

The two teams will play game two of the series Friday at 5 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

CLICK HERE FOR BOX SCORE

By Joey Jones. BOONE, N.C. — With impressive displays of speed, strength, skill and explosiveness, seven seniors from App State’s relatively young 2023 football team went through Pro Day drills and workouts Monday in front of representatives from the NFL, CFL and NASCAR.

Photographic images by David Rogers for High Country Sports

App State had one linebacker (Andrew Parker Jr.), two offensive linemen (Bucky Williams, Isaiah Helms) and four defensive backs (Tyrek Funderburk, Nick Ross, EJ Jackson, Jarrett Paul) participate in an event that began in the North End Zone weight room and concluded in the Sofield Family Indoor Practice Facility.

Some of the highlights included a time of 4.39 seconds in the 40-yard dash from Funderburk, 23 reps of 225 pounds in the bench press from the 185-pound Ross and a series of strong testing numbers from Parker, notably a vertical jump of 38.5 inches and a time of 6.98 seconds in the three-cone drill.

Only one linebacker at the NFL Scouting Combine had a better vertical leap in Indianapolis, and no Combine linebackers had a better three-cone time. Parker’s numbers in the bench press (20 reps), broad jump (10 feet, 4 inches) and 20-yard shuttle (4.26 seconds) all would have ranked third at the Combine when compared to other participating linebackers.

“I just wanted to come out here and show I was an all-around (line)backer,” said Parker, who increased his total from 68 tackles in 2022 to 114 in 2023 as a full-time starter who earned All-Sun Belt recognition. “They had a few questions about me, I think really from my junior tape (in 2022) that they just wanted to see my range. I just wanted to show I could change direction with the best of them, that I can run with the best of them and that I’m just as explosive as some of the best of them.”

Only seven cornerbacks at the Combine had a 40 time faster than Funderburk’s 4.39 seconds.

Given his position, he also put up good numbers in the three-cone drill (7.0 seconds), bench press (14 reps), vertical jump (34.5 inches) and broad jump (10-3).

“A lot of (the scouts) said I looked very fluid — very smooth in my breaks — and I didn’t drop any passes today, which was a huge goal of mine,” said Funderburk, who tied for the Sun Belt lead with four interceptions in 2023 and totaled 11 interceptions in his college career. “When I was down in Florida, we worked (on that) twice a week there. The main thing, I just wanted to come out here, run well and test well overall, but mainly just run well and catch every ball in those position drills.”

In addition to his 23 bench-press reps in the weight room, Ross ran the 40 in 4.55 seconds and had a vertical jump of 33.5 inches.

No safeties at the Combine had more than 22 bench-press reps.

“I think I showed off my strength, being undersized at my position,” said Ross, who had 256 tackles in 66 career games, putting him tied for No. 1 for the most game appearances in program history. “I felt like I hit a good number on the bench press and also showed off my speed as well. I’m just glad I got to put all the hard work into my opportunity.”

Jackson had the next-best 40 time of 4.53 seconds to go with a time of 6.90 seconds in the three-cone drill. Paul tested particularly well in the vertical jump (36 inches) and three-cone drill (7.01 seconds).

Williams and Helms worked as interior linemen — drills for guards and centers — with Helms also performing as a long snapper.

“I feel good,” said Williams, who earned All-Sun Belt recognition as an offensive guard in both 2022 and 2023. “Obviously, there were numbers in my head that I wanted to hit, and I didn’t hit some of them, but, overall, I felt I moved well, did drills well and, overall, had a really good day.”

The 2024 NFL Draft will be held April 25-27, with teams also signing undrafted free agents immediately after the draft.

App State concluded the 2023 NFL regular season with a Sun Belt-leading 14 alums on NFL rosters. The breakdown of that group was split between eight draft picks and six undrafted players.

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — They may not have started out so good but they sure knew how to finish it. And a sell-out crowd on a chilly, blustery afternoon relished the experience.

Appalachian State fell to a 6-0 deficit to No. 13 ranked Coastal Carolina in the first two and a half innings on March 23 at Beaver Field and Smith Stadium, but they pretty much took care of business the rest of the way in a 16-8 romp past the Chanticleers.

Leftfielder and leadoff hitter C.J. Boyd capitalized on there being two runners on base in the bottom half of the third inning with a 3-run blast over the left field wall, but on this day it was the bottom of the Mountaineers’ batting order that had the hot bats. From centerfielder Banks Tolley batting in the No. 4 position, through catcher Braxton Church (No.5), first baseman Drew Holderbach (No. 6), shortstop Adam Quintero (No. 7), rightfielder Hunter Wilder (No. 8) and second baseman Joseph Zamora (No. 9), that quintet accounted for all but three of the 16 runs scored and all but four of the RBIs with their sizzling bats.

And then there was the Mountaineer pitching. Although starter Bradley Wilson, a redshirt junior righthander gave up seven runs in the first four innings, six of them recorded as earned runs, he settled down to blank the Chanticleers in the fifth before giving way to reliever Grey LaSpaluto to start the sixth inning. In his four innings on the mound, the senior righthander from Apex, N.C. gave up just one hit — a home run for the only run — while striking out five with no walks.

The fact that App State used only one relief pitcher on the afternoon could pay dividends when the two teams face each other again on Sunday (March 24) in a doubleheader. In contrast, Coastal Carolina used a total of five relief pitchers after the 3.1 innings of work by starter Alexander Meckley.

Down and Dirty

App State cut its early 6-0 deficit in half with three runs in the bottom half of the third inning. Quintero got things started with a double to left after working the count to 3-2 and scattering nine foul balls. Two batters later, Joseph Zamora singled through the right side, putting runners on the corners with Boyd coming to the plate. He didn’t waste any time. After a called ball on the first pitch, he drove the second pitch over the left field wall for his tenth dinger of the still young season.

The Mountaineers scored three more runs in the fourth frame, to almost match the early seven runs produced by the Chanticleers. After Church led off with a walk, Holderbach was hit by a pitch. When Quintero flied out to center, Church advanced to third to put runners on the corners — but that wouldn’t last long because Holderbach took advantage of there being a runner on third to steal second, putting two runners in scoring position with just one out.  But then Wilder walked to load the bases, bringing up the ninth man in the batting order, Zamora. The junior from Miami promptly ripped a single up the middle, scoring both Church and Holderbach. One batter later, some alert base running by Wilder brought in the third run of the inning.

The Mountaineers were able to tie the game at 7-7 in the bottom of the fifth but it was the sixth inning that proved pivotal.

Tolley homered to left center with a runner on to score the first two runs of the inning, but App State was just getting started. Church laced a double down the left field line, Holderbach singled, and Wilder was hit by a pitch to load the bases with Church scoring the third run of the inning. Then, when Quintero followed up with a walk, the wheels were already starting to come off the Coastal Carolina chariot. Zamora, who finished the day going 3-for-5 with five RBIs, doubled through the gap in right center, scoring Holderbach, Quintero, and Wilder — and giving Boone’s favorite sons a 13-7 lead.

Although LaSpaluto gave up his only run in the seventh inning, a solo home run by CCU second baseman Blake Barthol, the Mountaineers manufactured three more runs in the bottom half of the seventh to provide the final, 16-8 winning margin. LaSpaluto blanked the Chanticleers in the top half of the 8th inning and the 9th inning to secure the win.

Because of Friday’s rain-related postponement, Sunday will feature a doubleheader starting at noon. After the first game is finished, the second game will start approximately 30 minutes later.

TOP PERFORMERS

• APP – Joseph Zamora: 3-5, one run scored, 5 RBIs, 2B
• APP – Banks Tolley: 2-4, 3 runs scored, 2 RBIs, HR, 1 walk
• APP – C J Boyd: 1-3, 1 run scored, 3 RBIs, HR, 3 walks
• CCU – Blake Barthol: 2-4, 2 runs scored, 1 RBI, HR
• APP – Adam Quintero: 2-3, 2 runs scored, 2 RBIs, 2B, 2 walks
• APP – Drew Holderbach: 2-4, 3 runs scored, 2 RBIs, 2B, HBP
• CCU – Corey Zientek: 1-2, 2 runs scored, 1 RBI, 3B, 1 walk
• APP – Braxton Church: 1-4, 2 runs scored, 2B, 1 walk
• APP – Grey LaSpaluto: WP (now 3-0), 4.0 innings, 1 hit, 1 run (solo HR), 5 strikeouts
• CCU – Sam Antonacci: 2-4, 1 run scored, 1 RBI
• CCU – Zach Beach: 1-3, 1 run scored, 2 RBIs, HR

BOX SCORE

By Katherine Jamtgaard. COLUMBIA, S.C. – The App State men’s and women’s track and field team closed out competition at South Carolina’s Weems Baskin Relays with a new school record in the women’s long jump, eight event wins, and 26 top-five finishes.

“Having back-to-back weekends of amazing performances is something the athletes can be proud of,” said director of track & field/cross country Damion McLean. “There were a few lows, but we have to move on and fix it going into next week. A lot of people moved up on the conference rankings and we even had one person move up to the top of the NCAA and the world.”

Graduate Student Ashlee Osaji shattered the App State women’s long jump program record with a leap of 6.54m (21′ 5.5″). Osaji’s jump clinched the win and ranks her second in the nation at the close of the day. The previous school record of 6.22m (20′ 5.25″) was set in 1993 by Melissa Morrison-Howard, who went on to become a bronze medalist in the 2000 and 2004 Olympics.

Senior Chris Wainscott clinched first in the men’s shot put with a toss of 17.16m (56′ 3.75″), while fellow senior Nate Karl took fourth with a mark of 15.48 (50′ 9.5″). Karl went on to take sixth in the men’s discus with a personal best of 50.79m (166′ 7″), which raised him to sixth in the App State all-time list.

The 4×100-meter relay team of freshmen Nicole Wells and Sierra Smith, senior Taylor Smith, and freshman Kendall Johnson stopped the clock at 45.51 for the event win. Taylor Smith went on to round out the top-five in the women’s 200 meters with a time of 24.13. The Mountaineers also saw a first-place finish In the women’s open 1,500 meters, as graduate student Elizabeth Fuller led the pack, clocking a personal best of 4:46.81.

In the men’s 110-meter hurdles, sophomore Harrison Robinson secured silver with a personal-best of 13.93. His time launched him to third in the program all-time list. Robinson had advanced to the final after clocking a time of 14.51 to round out the top-five in the prelims.

In the men’s pole vault, freshman Matthew Gray recorded a clearance of 5.06m (16′ 7.25″) to finish second. Junior Matthew Bigelow and senior Patrick Freeman both cleared a height of 4.91m (16′ 1.25″), taking third and fourth, respectively.

In the men’s 400-meter hurdles, senior Jabari Dalton stopped the clock at 53.37 for a personal best and fourth-place finish, while freshman Davis Hunt clocked a personal best of 55.18 to finish seventh.

Graduate student Alexia Moehling recorded a pair of personal bests and seventh-place finishes in the women’s 100-meter hurdle prelims and women’s 400-meter hurdles. Moehling stopped the clock at 14.02 in the 100-meter hurdle prelims, which moved her to fifth in the App State all-time list. In the women’s 400-meter hurdles, she clocked a time of 1:03.05, which moved her to eighth in the program all-time list. Also posting seventh-place finishes were sophomore Parker Kinney, who posted a personal best of 47.96 in the men’s 400 meters, and senior Megan Plummer, who recorded a season best of 38.72m (127′ 0″) in the women’s discus.

Friday Rewind

Friday’s action saw the Mountaineers tally four event wins and 14 top-five finishes. In the men’s triple jump, senior Niejel Wilkins clinched first with a leap of 14.95m (49′ 0.75″). On the track, sophomore Addison Ollendick-Smith clocked a personal best of 2:12.87 to finish first in the women’s 800 meters. Her time moved her to eighth in the App State all-time list.

In the men’s 3,000 meters, graduate student Jonah Bird led the Mountaineers in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase, clocking a season best of 9:28.96, while junior Steven Smith followed to secure second with a personal best of 9:35.32. Fellow junior Garrett Bivens led the Mountaineers in the men’s 5,000 meters, stopping the clock at 14:43.64 for a first-place finish. Following Bivens was graduate student Ethan Barber, who finished second with a personal-best of 14:51.71.

App State saw third-place finishes from junior Daiyanna Cooper and Wainscott in the women’s and men’s weight throw, respectively. Cooper recorded a toss of 52.12m (171′ 0″) in the women’s event, while Wainscott took third with a season best toss of 57.78m (189′ 6″) in the men’s. Freshman Jared Hiatt landed fourth with a personal best leap of 6.89m (22′ 7.25″) in the men’s long jump.

Up Next

The Mountaineers will venture to Raleigh, N.C. for NC State’s Raleigh Relays on March 28-30.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — App State Wrestling set several program records at the 2024 NCAA Wrestling Championships before falling one victory short of adding to its esteemed list of Division I All-Americans.

With four of their five NCAA qualifiers winning first-round matches, plus three of the four second-day competitors securing top-16 finishes at their respective weights, the Mountaineers had made record-breaking history by the time Friday night’s high-stakes session arrived at the T-Mobile Center.

Tommy Askey’s 3-1 start to the event left him as one of 12 wrestlers remaining in the 157-pound bracket, propelling him to a “Blood Round” showdown against eighth-seeded Nebraska standout Peyton Robb, a five-time NCAA qualifier. A win for the 19th-seeded Askey would be needed to secure a top-eight finish and All-America recognition, but Robb became an All-American for the third time via a 9-4 decision.

Capping a 25-win season, Askey delivered a second-period reversal to cut his deficit to 8-3 against Robb, who had takedowns early in the first and second periods.

Askey’s run to the Blood Round featured two wins against higher-ranked opponents and accounted for three of App State’s eight victories in Kansas City, as 21st-seeded Ethan Oakley (133 pounds) and 18th-seeded Cody Bond (149 pounds) won two matches apiece. Will Miller won his first-round match as the No. 16 seed at 165 pounds, and true freshman Tomas Brooker competed twice as the No. 33 seed at 184 pounds.

Askey won a 17-6 major decision 14th-seeded Cody Chittum from Iowa State before dropping into the consolation bracket with a loss to third-seeded Meyer Shapiro from Cornell on Thursday night.

On Friday, following wins that gave Oakley and Bond records of 2-1 in the event, Askey delivered a tiebreaking takedown with 1:03 remaining in a 4-1 victory against Cal Poly’s Legend Lamar.

Shortly after third-round consolation losses eliminated Oakley (who had opened the tournament with a dramatic win against a former All-American) and Bond (a seventh-year senior who had recorded his 80th career win earlier in the day before dropping an 8-7 decision to Stanford’s Jadan Abas), Askey won a 4-2 decision against 11th-seeded standout Brayton Lee, a sixth-year senior who was an All-American in 2021.

A takedown late in the first period allowed Askey to claim a 3-1 lead entering the second period. Escapes from Lee in the second and Askey in the third accounted for the other scoring.

Oakley had a first-period takedown against Lock Haven’s Gable Strickland in his first match Friday before sealing an 8-2 victory with a takedown in the closing seconds. He then lost 6-0 against 13th-seeded Kurt Phipps from Bucknell.

The Mountaineers’ four Session 1 wins sets a program record.

Bond followed an early takedown by Rutgers’ Michael Cetta in his Friday opener with a reversal and trailed 4-2 after one period. A second-period takedown gave him a 6-4 lead, and he was ahead 6-5 on the scoreboard (with riding time locked in) when he added a takedown in the closing seconds.

Facing Abas, a four-time NCAA qualifier and 2021 All-American, Bond gave up a takedown and two near-fall points to trail 5-1 after one period. An escape and takedown from Bond in the second period tied the match, with Bond riding out the final 1:05 of the period.

Instead of letting Bond start the third back on top, Abas chose neutral and finished a scramble with a takedown midway through the third period to move ahead 8-5. Bond scored single points on an escape and an Abas stall in the last 49 seconds, but he was just short on possessing enough riding time to earn another point.

In Miller’s 9-8 loss to Maxx Mayfield from Northwestern on Friday, two first-period takedowns gave Mayfield a 6-2 lead. Miller stormed back to take a 7-6 lead on a quick reversal early in the second period and a three-point near fall. Mayfield chose neutral instead of the bottom position to start the third — Miller had stayed on top for the last 1:47 of the second period — and recorded a go-ahead takedown with 1:03 remaining.

DAY 1 RECAP

Oakley, Bond, Askey and Miller all won first-round matches in exciting fashion before dropping Thursday night matches against opponents ranked No. 5, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 1 in the country.

App State’s most improbable qualifier, Brooker, dropped a 10-8 decision in a pigtail match Thursday morning at 184 pounds before losing by fall in his second match.

With App State’s four other qualifiers all making their second career NCAA appearances and looking for their first main-draw wins — Oakley won a pigtail match last year — the veterans went a combined 4-0 in Session 1, including three wins against higher-seeded opponents.

The Mountaineers’ four Session 1 wins set a record for the best opening-round performance in program history, topping the 3-2 mark from 2022.

Oakley delivered a tiebreaking takedown with 1:18 left in an 8-7 decision against Virginia Tech’s Sam Latona, a 12th-seeded senior and multi-time All-American, before Bond used a takedown and four near-fall points to lead 8-0 in the second period of an 11-4 decision against 15th-seeded Corbyn Munson from Central Michigan. Askey had five takedowns in his major decision against Chittum, and a second-period takedown provided separation for Miller in a 5-0 shutout of 17th-seeded Tyler Lillard from Indiana.

Oakley erased a 6-5 deficit on his takedown with 1:18 remaining and managed to stay on top until the closing seconds before finally giving up an escape (to avoid a stalling penalty) with three seconds remaining.

Oakley began the second period with a takedown to cut his deficit to 4-3, but Latona answered with a reversal to move ahead 6-3. An escape from there, plus an escape early in the third, put Oakley in position to claim control with a takedown.

The success on Thursday afternoon meant Round of 16 matchups with some of the nation’s highest-ranked wrestlers. Oakley did record a takedown in the third period of an 11-5 loss to fifth-seeded Michigan standout Dylan Ragusin.

Bond hung tough in a 4-2 loss to second-seeded Arizona State star Kyle Parco, a four-time All-American who recorded a first-period takedown, and Askey lost by tech fall (17-2 score) against Shapiro.

Top-seeded Keegan O’Toole, a two-time national champion from Missouri, remained unbeaten this season by recording a tech fall pin in the third period against Miller, who had a second-period reversal to score two of his points on the three-time All-American.

The 2023-24 season is presented by Hungry Howie’s and Penn Station.

NCAA RESULTS

133: No. 21 Ethan Oakley (26-7)
W, Dec (8-7) vs. #12 Sam Latona, Virginia Tech
L, Dec (11-5) vs. #5 Dylan Ragusin, Michigan
W, Dec (8-2) vs. #27 Gable Strickland, Lock Haven
L, Dec (6-0) vs. #13 Kurt Phipps, Bucknell

149: No. 18 Cody Bond (24-6)
W, Dec (11-4) vs. #15 Corbyn Munson, Central Michigan
L, Dec (4-2) vs #2 Kyle Parco, Arizona State
W, Dec (10-5) vs. #33 Michael Cetta, Rutgers
L, Dec (8-7) vs. #26 Jadan Abas, Stanford

157: No. 19 Tommy Askey (22-5)
W, MD (17-6) vs. #14 Cody Chittum, Iowa State
L, TF (17-2) vs. #3 Meyer Shapiro, Cornell
W, Dec (4-1) vs. #29 Legend Lamar, Cal Poly
W, Dec (4-2) vs. #11 Brayton Lee, Indiana
L, Dec (9-4) vs. #8 Peyton Robb, Nebraska

165: No. 16 Will Miller (24-6)
W, Dec (5-0) vs. #17 Tyler Lillard, Indiana
L, Fall (5:58) vs. #1 Keegan O’Toole, Missouri
L, Dec (9-8) vs. #31 Maxx Mayfield, Northwestern

184: No. 33 Tomas Brooker (21-13)
L, Dec (10-8) vs. #32 Anthony D’Alesio, Long Island U. (pigtail match)
L, Fall (1:22) vs. #30 Malachi DuVall, George Mason