Campbell claimed its first SoCon title (Photo/Todd Drexler)CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Campbell picked up two key victories in the championship round to secure the 2017 Southern Conference championship Saturday evening inside McAlister Field House.
The Camels finished Saturday's event with an overall team score of 89.5 points to claim their first SoCon Championship in team history. Appalachian State finished second with 86 points and SIUE finished third with 69.5 points.
Campbell's 89.5 points is the highest team score by a champion since 2013 when Chattanooga scored 102.5 points.
Joshua Heil and Quentin Perez collected first place medals at 141 and 165, respectively. Both competitors defeated their Appalachian State counterparts, which proved to be the difference maker in the team score.
The Camels entered the championship round with a 2.5-point lead, 82.5-80, over the Mountaineers. Neither side added to their total through the opening three matches of the championship round until Heil's win at 141.
The Brunswick, Ohio native won by a 10-2 major decision over Irvin Enriquez to extend the Campbell lead to 6.5 points. His match was the first of three Campbell championship round matches against Appalachian State.
Halfway through the final round, App State's second competitor, Matt Zovistoski, picked up three points at the 149-pound final to close the gap to 3.5 points.
With Campbell holding a slim 3.5-point lead, Perez rose to the occasion in his 8-4 victory over App State's Forrest Przybysz. His win increased the Campbell lead to 6.5 points and clinched the team title with four matches remaining.
Six competitors reached the podium for Campbell Saturday evening. Along with the two first place finishers, the Kraisser brothers (Austin and Nathan) and Heino brothers (Jere and Ville) picked up second place finishes in their four respective weight classes. Benjamin Barton won his third place matchup, 3-1, in sudden victory at 149-pounds.
Five Camels have qualified for the NCAA Championships in St. Louis, Mo., March 16-18. Austin Kraisser also has the potential to qualify, but will have to wait until the NCAA Selection Show, March 8th at 6 p.m.
The five NCAA qualifiers are the most in Campbell history. Last season, CU sent two, Nathan Kraisser and Ville Heino, to the 2016 NCAA Championships.
The Camels sprinted out of the gate in Saturday's quarterfinal round as all 10 competitors won their opening match. Seven of the 10 wins were bonus point victories, including four falls. As a team, Campbell totalled 10 bonus point wins on Saturday.
After the opening two rounds, Campbell had a 16-4 combined record, as six competitors qualified for the championship round.
The NCAA qualifiers will now set their eyes on the NCAA Championships, March 16-18, at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo.
For more up-to-date information, follow Campbell Wrestling on Twitter @GoCamelsWrestle.
Team standings
Campbell - 89.5
Appalachian State - 86.0
SIUE - 69.5
Chattanooga - 66.0
Gardner-Webb - 37.5
The Citadel - 33.5
VMI - 9.5
Davidson - 7.0
Individual champions/NCAA qualifiers
125 - Freddie Rodriguez, SIUE
133 - Chris Debien, Chattanooga
141 - Josh Heil, Campbell
149 - Matt Zovistoski, Appalachian State
157 - Ryan Mosley, Gardner-Webb
165 - Quentin Perez, Campbell
174 - Jake Residori, SIUE
184 - Bryce Carr, Chattanooga
197 - Jake Tindle, SIUE
HWT - Denzel Dejournette, Appalachian State
Additional NCAA allocations
125 - Nathan Kraisser, Campbell; Vito Pasone, Appalachian State
157 - Aaron Walker, The Citadel
184 - Ville Heino, Campbell; Hunter Gamble, Gardner-Webb
HWT - Jere Heino, Campbell ; Jared Johnson, Chattanooga
Southern Conference Coach of the Year
Cary Kolat, Campbell
Tournament Most Outstanding Wrestler
Ryan Mosley, Gardner-Webb
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