SoCon Recap (3/13/2024)

Hey besties and happy Bracket Day,

I hope the Sunday Scaries didn’t hit y’all too bad this weekend - I know it did a number on me. Conference championships + daylight savings + working = rough times. But it’ll be nothing compared to the fun times that are about to be had in Kansas City: good wrestling, good food, and (my favorite part of it all) good people. But first, let’s talk about the conference championships. 

This weekend had EVERYTHING: upsets, true freshman champions, true second-place matches, and plenty of challenge bricks thrown.

125: Champion - Brayden Palmer (UTC)

The day started off strong for the top four seeds of the bracket - starting out with quarterfinal wins. The semifinals saw an unprecedented upset: Drew West (GWU) pinned Anthony Molton (CAMP). It could be argued that West had Molton pinned earlier in the match - but after a hard switch, West had Molton flat on his back, punching his ticket to the finals. Chad Bellis (APP) and Brayden Palmer (UTC) last met in February, where Bellis bested Palmer 10-0 in the dual. Fast forward to March 9th, Palmer then beats Bellis 5-2 in the semis. Palmer ultimately outshined his opponent in the finals by a 14-2 major decision victory, and will be making his second NCAA appearance in Kansas City.

133: Champion - Ethan Oakley (APP)

The 133lb bracket was (in my opinion) the most difficult - because of the three automatic qualifying slots. So if you lost one of your first matches, the wrestle-back for third mattered very much. The #5 seed from VMI Dyson Dunham (whose mother Billie Sims wrestled in StreetLeague), lost in the semi-final against Domenic Zaccone (CAMP). In the consolation final, Dunham had a rematch with his first-round opponent Tyson Lane (GWU), where he finished the evening with a hefty black eye and the pride of being VMI’s first NCAA qualifier since Neal Richards in 2020 (shout out to VMI’s SID for having that stat readily available). Now we look at the championship side of the bracket: Ethan Oakley’s semifinal bout against UTC’s Blake Boarman ended in a 5-4 decision, much improvement from the results of their last match where Boarman pinned Oakley. Oakley and Zaccone had a rematch from the dual in February, where Oakley had beaten Zaccone via a major decision. The score was substantially closer this time around, Oakley winning 5-4, and ended with Oakley being a conference champion. 

141: Champion - Isaiah Powe (UTC)

True freshman Isaiah Powe finished the season in style - topping off an undefeated conference schedule with a conference championship title and a ticket to KC. Powe earned his victories via technical fall and decision over Presbyterian’s Ryan Luna and Campbell’s Wynton Denkins. Gardner Webb’s Todd Carter’s road to the finals mirrored Powe’s, brandishing a tech fall and decision victory over opponents from Davidson and VMI. “It’s big, I’m happy I did it and put in the work. It’s a blessing to get to go to Nationals,” Powe said. 

Wrestling in the Convocation Center was a new experience for Powe, with his first arena-style wrestling experience being the Southern Scuffle earlier this season. “It’s a little more nerve-wracking, but I got through it.” Powe’s influences in the room are Noah Castillo (149) and Brayden Palmer (125), leaning on some seasoned starters as a true freshman in the lineup. His favorite moment of the season? Winning a conference title.

149: Champion - Cody Bond (APP)

App State’s Cody Bond has been around for quite some time - a seventh-year senior and now a two-time Southern Conference champion, also received the Pinnacle Award. Bond beat The Citadel’s Jeff Boyd, a grad transfer from WVU. Boyd turned around for a true second match against GWU’s Zach Price, where Boyd became The Citadel’s first NCAA qualifier since 2022. 

157: Champion - Tommy Askey (APP)

This bracket was most interesting to watch unfold: in the Earnest (CAMP) vs Peake (DC) semifinal, there was a bit of a tussle at the edge of the mat, resulting in Earnest’s disqualification - not from the tournament, just the match. Peake, a U20 Puerto Rico World Team member, lost by a 9-2 decision to App State’s Tommy Askey. 

165: Champion - Will Miller (APP)

One of the first matches wrestled in the evening, the Miller (APP) vs Baker (CAMP) final ended with Miller on top, winning via 8-3 decision. Campbell’s Dom Baker went on to wrestle UTC’s Kam Munro for true second. Baker and Munro battled head-to-head all three periods, finishing with a 1-0 victory for Baker, who will represent the Camels at the NCAA Championships.

174: Champion - Austin Murphy (CAMP)

Austin Murphy came into the tournament ready to rumble - remaining undefeated in conference competition, Murphy presented a pin over Josh Williams (PRES) in the quarters, and defeated Luke Uliano (APP) 10-8, who went on the wrestle back for third place. #2-seed Braxton Lewis (VMI) wrestled back for a fourth-place finish, after an 8-4 semifinal loss to UTC’s Sergio Desiante. Desiante fell short, after a tough 5-4 battle against Murphy. 

184: Champion - Tomas Brooker (APP)

The true freshman was on top - Tomas Brooker avenged his 0:54 pin loss to Caleb Hopkins (CAMP) earlier this season, scoring an exhilarating takedown at the last second of the championship bout, ending the match with a 5-4 victory. The upset of the day came from Presbyterian’s Caleb Roe, pinning #2-seeded Jha’Quan Anderson in 1:35. Anderson went on to wrestle back for third place. Both Brooker and C. Hopkins served up tech falls in their quarterfinal matches, while Hopkins beat Davidson’s Wyatt Ferguson 7-0, and Brooker posted his first fall of the day against Roe (PRES). In an incredibly tense match, Brooker and Hopkins battled it out until the very last second. 

197: Champion - Levi Hopkins (CAMP)

Levi Hopkins was surely Jagger’s MVP of the weekend - winning a conference title in (I believe) five minutes and six seconds, he made quick work of his finals match, pinning his opponent, Patrick Brophy (CIT) in 0:30. Carson Floyd lost to Brophy in the semifinals 14-10, wrestling back for third place. 

HWT: Champion - Taye Ghadiali (CAMP)

The Southern Conference Wrestler of the Year was at the top of the podium yet again after pinning App State’s Sartorio in the finals bout. Ghadiali has credited leaning on his faith as being an integral part of his season, expressing thankfulness for his teammates and the continued growth they’ve experienced as a program. Ghadiali ends the season as the highest-ranked wrestler in the conference, #9 per the coaches’ poll and InterMat rankings. 

Overall this weekend was a mix of emotions - we laughed, we cried, we had high heart rates, but we had a great time. I’m so thrilled to see y’all in Kansas City!!

xoxo