Wrestling Adds Six for 2013-14 Season
8/23/2013 2:32:00 PM | Wrestling
DAVIDSON, N.C. – The Davidson wrestling team will grow by six this year, as newcomers James McCord, Nick Pappayliou, Alex Palinski, Jordan Wang, Michael Moore and Josh Sawyer have committed to join the Wildcats for the 2013-14 season.
"We're looking to adding these six young men to our program," said head coach Bob Patnesky. "We feel that every one of them will have a significant impact in one way or another to continue building upon the recent success we have achieved."
McCord is a native of Olney, Md., where he was a three-year letterwinner at Georgetown Prep under the direction of head coach Mike Kubik. At 138 pounds, he was a three-time IAC Champion and Second Team All-Gazette as a senior in 2012-13. McCord finished in the top five at the Maryland state championships three times, also taking sixth place at the National Prep Tournament to earn All-American acknowledgements. A team captain and Washington Post Honorable Mention, he is a member of the 100 win club and participated with Team Maryland at Fargo, N.D. McCord, who boasted a record of 48-12 as a senior, received first honors and dean's list accolades in the classroom and was also a member of the football and lacrosse teams.
Pappayliou arrives in Davidson from Long Branch, N.J., where he was a three-year letterwinner at 160 pounds for head coach Dan George at Long Branch High School. The 2013 District 22 champion for his weight class, he was also a first team all-division and second-team all-Monmouth county honoree after racking up 76 career wins. In addition, Pappayliou was a Region 6 Bronze medalist who finished in the top-10 at the N.J. State Tournament. A four-year high honor roll member, he was a 2012 AP Scholar Award recipient and national honor society member, and also competed in track and football for the Green Wave. Pappayliou is the third Wildcat in the family, as father Ted ('78) played football for Davidson and sister Diane was a member of the class of 2013. His twin brother, Chris, will be a member of the track team at nearby Wake Forest.
From Cary, N.C., Palinski join the Wildcats out of Cardinal Gibbons High School, where he wrestled for four seasons for coach Stan Chambers and Charles Blumell. The captain of the 2013 squad, he was named all-state (2013) and all-conference (2012-13) as a two-time N.C. state qualifier. Palinski placed fourth at the 2013 NCHSAA, compiling a 29-4 overall record that season and a 60-18 career mark. In the classroom, he was a three-year National Honor Society member and spent four years on the A/B Honor Roll.
From Philadelphia, Pa., Wang wrestled at 125 pounds for Charlie Neely at Chestnut Hill Academy. Wang was a four-year letterwinner for the Blue Devils, finishing in the top 10 at the PAISWT/PAISAA state meet all four seasons. He was a four-time National Prep honoree, with a 26-7 record as a junior and a 25-15 mark as a senior. Also a member of the crew and cross country teams, Wang earned the Lawrence R. Mallery Cup as the top scholar-athlete in the senior class and received both the Yale and Rhode Island School of Design Book Awards before graduating cum laude. He is also an accomplished musician, having received honors in both instrumental music and art.
Moore joins the Wildcats from Ringgold, Ga., where he recently wrapped up a four-year career at Heritage High School. A four-year letterwinner for head coach Kenny Hill, he compiled a career record of 105-19. As a senior, Moore led the team in pins with 27 on his way to a team-best record of 44-8. He was the Region 7AAA runner-up and AAA state runner up as a junior at 195 pounds, and was the Region 7AAAA and AAAA runner up as a senior at 182 pounds. Moore was also a member of the AAA Traditional State Champions team in 2012, when he eared Chattanooga Times Best of Preps Second Team honors. An all-region honoree and four-year letterwinner on the football team, Moore was also a member of the BETA Club and National Honor society before graduating with highest honors.
Rounding out the newcomers is Sawyer, who hails from Durham, N.C. Sawyer spent four seasons at 170 pounds for coach Chase Kernodle at Durham School of the Arts, where he was a four-year letterwinner. He was a four-time all-conference honoree, finishing in the top-five of the state in 2012. Sawyer was the runner-up at the 2012 regional meet before taking third at the 2013 event to earn team MVP honors and qualify for the state meet. He placed third at Southeast Freestyle Regionals in 2012, qualifying for the national meet that season. Also a member of the North Carolina Junior National Team in 2012 and 2013, Sawyer boasts 137 career wins. He was a member of the Honor Roll and A.P. Scholar while also playing for the baseball team.
