No. 22 App State Shows Grit in 23-11 Loss to No. 9 Hokies

Story Links BOONE, N.C. — App State Wrestling head coach JohnMark Bentley clapped his hands and flashed an impressed smile when Will Miller briefly flipped his

high-profile opponent — the one with an NCAA championship and two NCAA finals appearances to his credit — onto his back with a first-period escape.   The action was just

getting good at 174 pounds, and there was plenty of it throughout a top-25 showdown between the 22nd-ranked Mountaineers and ninth-ranked Virginia Tech on Friday night.   App

State won three matches, earning bonus points in two, and three other matches were decided by one point in regulation or in overtime. The Hokies finally inched ahead halfway

through the dual and won 23-11 in front of 946 fans in a frenzied, packed Varsity Gym.   🎙@CoachJMBentleyHear from Coach Bentley after the 22nd-ranked Mountaineers' dual

against No. 9 Virginia Tech.#ReAchTheSummit pic.twitter.com/fK7h4dT8wm — App State Wrestling (@AppWrestling) January 14, 2023   With wrestling starting at 149 pounds,

back-to-back bonus-point victories gave App State an 8-3 lead after three matches, as No. 31 Tommy Askey won a 12-4 major decision over Clayton Ulrey at 157 pounds and No. 26 Will

Formato pitched a shutout in a 12-0 major decision against Ty Finn at 165. No. 21 Caleb Smith improved to 3-0 in duals against ranked or NCAA-experienced foes from the ACC with an

8-3 decision against No. 20 Eddie Ventresca at 125 pounds.   The other three ranked showdowns went down to the wire, as No. 11 Caleb Henson rallied to win a 6-4 overtime decision

against No. 8 Jon Jon Millner in the opener at 149 pounds and No. 6 Sam Latona used a Sudden Victory takedown to win a 3-1 overtime decision against No. 24 Sean Carter at 133.  

The crowd erupted when Miller used an explosive takedown to put 2019 national champion and 2022 runner-up Mekhi Lewis on his back and tie their match at 5-all in the final 30

seconds. During the next stoppage with 15 seconds left, there was a video review of App State's challenge that additional near-fall points should have been awarded to Miller, but

no back points were given, and Lewis' escape with seven seconds left gave him a 6-5 win.   Varsity Gym sure can get loud!The crowd erupts as Will Miller produces a tying

takedown in the final 30 seconds vs. 2019 NCAA champ/2022 NCAA runner-up Mekhi Lewis.No back points were awarded after a review, and Lewis used an escape to win 6-5 in a

high-powered showdown. pic.twitter.com/C836kaq6Xz — App State Wrestling (@AppWrestling) January 14, 2023   After winning a matchup of top-11 wrestlers to begin the dual,