SPARTANBURG, S.C. – As the countdown to the 2023-24 season creeps to a smaller number, it was announced on Friday afternoon that Dominic Chavez of the Presbyterian College men's wrestling team qualified for the 10-man list of preseason All-Southern Conference.

A senior hailing from Arlington, Texas, Dominic was spotlighted by the league in the lightweight category after publishing 11 total victories next to a 5-1 SoCon record last time around.

Rebounding from an early-season injury in the 125-lb. class, the then-junior achieved a 7-3 mark when competing in a dual setting, kickstarted by a 21-6 technical fall versus Truett McConnell, a 5-2 decision at Davidson, and a 19-9 MD against the Duke Blue Devils all in December alone.

Dominic nearly capped off his third year at PC with an NCAA Championship ticket, having his hand raised in four of his last five regular season meetings on his way to a runner-up standing at the SoCon tournament.



During the final stretch pre-postseason, Chavez downed his opponents from Chattanooga, Campbell, Gardner-Webb, and Bellarmine by a combined clip of 35-8. Based on that strong finish, he was given the number two seed by the SoCon among all 125-pounders where he promptly won his first two matches in the league bracket.

The Texan defeated VMI and Campbell in succession by an added margin of 11-2 with the campaign in the balance, only three points shy of advancing to nationals in the conference title bout opposite Appalachian State.

Head coach Mark Cody's club will undergo its fifth season on November 1 in a neutral encounter against NC State, followed by the Mountaineer Invitational in Boone, North Carolina 10 days later. More details on PC's full schedule will be revealed at the top of next week.

The full list of preseason all-conference honorees – as well as the coaches' poll – can be found below:
 
2023-24 SoCon Men's Wrestling Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Campbell (59 points, 7 first-place votes)
2. Appalachian State (49 points, 1 first-place vote)
3. Chattanooga (44 points)
4. Gardner-Webb (37 points)
5. The Citadel (31 points)
6. Davidson (23 points)
T7. VMI (16 points)
T7. Bellarmine (16 points)
T7. Presbyterian (16 points)
 
2023-24 SoCon Men's Wrestling Preseason All-Conference Team
125: Dominic Chavez – Presbyterian
133: Brayden Palmer – Chattanooga
141: Shannon Hanna – Campbell
149: Noah Castillo – Chattanooga
157: Tommy Askey – Appalachian State
165: Will Miller – Appalachian State
174: Austin Murphy – Campbell
184: Caleb Hopkins – Campbell
197: Levi Hopkins – Campbell
285: Taye Ghadiali – Campbell