BOONE, N.C. – The Presbyterian College men's wrestling squad – one week removed from their first Southern Conference victory of the year in a heartstopper over Gardner-Webb – was unable to keep that momentum rolling versus an elite Appalachian State unit on Sunday afternoon in Boone, falling by a final score of 43-0 to the 20^th-ranked Mountaineers.

Slotted as the #5 team in the nation among mid-major programs in the latest NWCA poll, Appalachian State improved to 11-2 overall beside its perfect SoCon resume, winning their 19^th consecutive league matchup dating back to the 2021 season. Earlier in the day, the Mountaineers squeezed out a 22-14 W over Campbell to officially claim the 2023 conference crown, facing PC as part two of a tripleheader on Sunday.

Held from the same city as the upcoming SoCon Championships two weeks from now, the Blue Hose were unable to get out of the box against the domineering App. State club, although a handful of decisions came close to tipping towards the other side.

197-pounder Malcolm Wiley – sporting the best win percentage on the roster at 15-6 after taking the match-clinching MD in the Gardner-Webb triumph – came only a pair of points away from besting Mountaineer Carson Floyd in the meeting's penultimate bout, while three other Blue Hose grapplers held strong with standard decision defeats.

Michael Ramirez, Tyler Chittum, and Dominic Chavez gathered 11 combined points in their respective encounters at the weekend's conclusion, sending PC (4-10 overall, 1-6 in league play) to their last outing at Bellarmine in four days.
 
RESULTS
 
125: Caleb Smith (APP) def. Dominic Chavez (PC) by Dec., 9-3 – 3-0 APP
133: Ethan Oakley (APP) def. Jacob Brasseur (PC) by Dec., 8-1 – 6-0 APP
141: Heath Gonyer (APP) def. Trenton Donahue (PC) by Dec., 7-1 – 9-0 APP
149: Jon Jon Miller (APP) def. Khalid Brinkley (PC) by Fall, 1:25 – 15-0 APP
157: Tommy Askey (APP) def. Michael Ramirez (PC) by TF, 21-5 – 20-0 APP
165: Will Formato (APP) def. Tyler Chittum (PC) by MD, 15-3 – 24-0 APP
174: Will Miller (APP) def. Zach Wells (PC) by MD, 12-2 – 28-0 APP
184: Luke Uliano (APP) def. Cordel Duhart (PC) by Fall, 6:38 – 34-0 APP
197: Carson Floyd (APP) def. Malcolm Wiley (PC) by Dec., 6-4 – 37-0 APP
285: Jacob Sartorio (APP) def. Morvens Saint Jean (PC) by Fall, 2:39 – 43-0 APP
 
UP NEXT
The aforementioned road trip to Louisville against the Knights will mark the regular season curtain call for head coach Mark Cody's roster, hoping to atone for a slim 19-18 setback in the two teams' last outing from Clinton 12 months ago.

Notching 36 combined points in the two contests with Bellarmine since joining the SoCon, Presbyterian will face a lineup that hasn't registered the most impressive league record at 3-4, although holding an undeterred 11-0 mark against nonconference foes and a 4-1 trek when serving as the hosting party.