App State Secures Fourth SoCon Wrestling Title in a Row

ASHEVILLE, NC – For the second year in a row the Explore Asheville SoCon Wrestling Championship came down to the final bout. For the second year in a row, App State heavyweight Stephan Monchery came through in the clutch to deliver a team title.

Monchery left no doubt on Saturday, rolling to an 11-1 major decision over Chattanooga’s Ethan Vergara to give the Mountaineers their fourth SoCon tournament title in a row – by a narrow 1.5 points over the Mocs (94.5-93.0).

After Chattanooga freshman Kade Rule used three-straight takedowns to power a 13-3 major decision at 197 pounds, the Mocs held the lead going into the final weight class. Monchery stepped up, recording a takedown just 13 seconds into his match, and putting the match out of reach with an escape and takedown just seconds into the third period. He pushed the lead to 10-1 with 51 seconds left before adding a point with riding time for the final score.

The finals were highlighted by tremendous parity early on, as six different schools won titles over the first six weight classes – a streak punctuated by VMI senior Ryan Vigil’s 7-2 win at 165 pounds. Vigil entered the tournament as the No. 8 seed but knocked off defending champion Thomas Snipes in a 5-2 sudden victory on Friday morning and followed with a 5-4 win over No. 4 seed Bryce Griffin that afternoon. His efforts earned Vigil the 2026 SoCon Most Outstanding Wrestler Award.

Bellarmine made an impression in the team race, picking up a pair of individual titles, two second-place medals, and three third-place medals to finish a close third with 88.5 points. Knights head coach Ned Shuck was named SoCon Coach of the Year as a result.

The Citadel (53.5 points) finished in fourth after placing three wrestlers in the finals, followed by Davidson (42.5 points), Gardner-Webb (39.5 points), and VMI (36.0 points). Campbell (19 points) and Presbyterian (18.5 points) rounded out the field, with Blue Hose 184-pounder Reed Douglas earning a silver medal in a strong effort.

Davidson’s Anderson Heap earned an 8-5 sudden victory over Carson DesRosiers in an exciting 149-pound final, becoming the first Wildcat to earn a bid to the NCAA Championships since 2015. Gardner-Webb’s T.K. Davis, the SoCon Wrestler of the Year after a 21-1 regular season, picked up a 12-4 major decision for his second 133-pound title in as many years.

In addition to Vigil’s upset at 165 pounds, App State’s Aldo Hernandez was victorious at 141 pounds as the No. 5 seed, and Bellarmine’s Jeb Prechtel won as the No. 6 seed at 157 pounds.

The tight team race and parity on Saturday shouldn’t be surprising following a regular season that saw a three-way tie for first and a three-way tie for fourth in final standings.

Chattanooga, with seven freshmen and sophomores in its starting lineup, won a pair of SoCon titles Saturday and had five more podium finishes. In addition to Rule’s gold at 197, veteran Cooper Flynn earned a bid to the 2026 NCAA Championships in Ohio with a win at 125. 

Full results are available here.