Saturday, January 27
Boone, NC
10:00 a.m.
Davidson College
at
Appalachian Open
Photo by: Jeff Sochko/DavidsonPhotos.com
Four Wildcats Place at Appalachian Open
1/27/2024 4:30:00 PM | Wrestling
BOONE, N.C. – Four Wildcats placed at the Appalachian Open in Boone, N.C. on Saturday. Tyler-Xavier McKnight, Tanner Peake, and Dylan Smith all finished third while Jaden Hardrick returned to action and took fourth place.
Freshman Tyler-Xavier McKnight began his day by collecting his first collegiate pin after receiving a first-round bye in the 149-pound weight class. McKnight pinned NC State's Trevor Kantor late in the second period after already having a 13-3 lead. In the quarterfinals, McKnight fell to Virginia Tech's Mac Church in a 7-3 decision sending him to the consolation bracket.
From there, the Georgia native went on a tear. McKnight won three straight including wins over UNC's Connor Alexander, 7-1. Then, he took down SoCon opponent Freddy Junko of VMI in an 8-2 decision before taking down another conference opponent in App State's Kaden Keiser in a 14-6 major decision. In the third-place match, McKnight was able to exact revenge on Church by grinding out a 2-1 overtime win after Church received his second stall warning with 47 seconds left in the extra period.
It marked the second time this season McKnight has placed at an event with the last time coming on a second-place finish in the freshman/sophomore division at the Southeast Open. McKnight is now 18-10 on the season.
Sophomore Tanner Peake entered the weekend having snapped a five-match losing streak after defeating his opponent from Campbell last Sunday. The New Jersey native kept that momentum rolling with a pair of wins by tech fall in the first two rounds to earn a spot in the semifinals at 157 pounds. Peake fell to App State's Anthony Conetta on a late take down with under 20 seconds left in the third period. The New Jersey native then advanced to the third-place match via no contest after being paired against teammate Dan Yetick in the consolation semis. In the third-place bout, Peake imposed his will with four takedowns to cruise to a 16-7 victory over Gardner-Webb's Drew Pepin.
With the 3-1 outing, Peake earned his 10th win of the season and sits at 10-14 on the year.
Another freshman that made moves on Saturday was Dylan Smith at 197 pounds. The local product of Newton, N.C. began his day with a 17-4 major decision before dropping the quarterfinal match to App State's Carson Floyd. In the consolation bracket, Smith took down App State's Gunnar Pool in a 10-1 major decision before recording seven takedowns in a 21-5 tech fall in the third-place match. The first-year man moved his overall record to 8-2 on the season.
The Wildcats also got their captain Jaden Hardrick back on the mat for the first time this season. The 174-pounder made it to the semifinals following a 9-2 opening-round win and a 14-5 major decision in the quarterfinals. Hardrick nearly advanced to the final, but a late takedown by NC State's Luke Ahrberg in the final 45 seconds sent the senior to the consolation bracket. The Dayton, Ohio native picked right back up with a 4-1 overtime win over UNC's Nolan O'Boyle, but dropped the third-place bout to Virginia Tech's Kolton Clark to take fourth.
Up Next
The Wildcats will continue their weekend at Chattanooga tomorrow afternoon at 2:00 p.m.
Freshman Tyler-Xavier McKnight began his day by collecting his first collegiate pin after receiving a first-round bye in the 149-pound weight class. McKnight pinned NC State's Trevor Kantor late in the second period after already having a 13-3 lead. In the quarterfinals, McKnight fell to Virginia Tech's Mac Church in a 7-3 decision sending him to the consolation bracket.
From there, the Georgia native went on a tear. McKnight won three straight including wins over UNC's Connor Alexander, 7-1. Then, he took down SoCon opponent Freddy Junko of VMI in an 8-2 decision before taking down another conference opponent in App State's Kaden Keiser in a 14-6 major decision. In the third-place match, McKnight was able to exact revenge on Church by grinding out a 2-1 overtime win after Church received his second stall warning with 47 seconds left in the extra period.
It marked the second time this season McKnight has placed at an event with the last time coming on a second-place finish in the freshman/sophomore division at the Southeast Open. McKnight is now 18-10 on the season.
Sophomore Tanner Peake entered the weekend having snapped a five-match losing streak after defeating his opponent from Campbell last Sunday. The New Jersey native kept that momentum rolling with a pair of wins by tech fall in the first two rounds to earn a spot in the semifinals at 157 pounds. Peake fell to App State's Anthony Conetta on a late take down with under 20 seconds left in the third period. The New Jersey native then advanced to the third-place match via no contest after being paired against teammate Dan Yetick in the consolation semis. In the third-place bout, Peake imposed his will with four takedowns to cruise to a 16-7 victory over Gardner-Webb's Drew Pepin.
With the 3-1 outing, Peake earned his 10th win of the season and sits at 10-14 on the year.
Another freshman that made moves on Saturday was Dylan Smith at 197 pounds. The local product of Newton, N.C. began his day with a 17-4 major decision before dropping the quarterfinal match to App State's Carson Floyd. In the consolation bracket, Smith took down App State's Gunnar Pool in a 10-1 major decision before recording seven takedowns in a 21-5 tech fall in the third-place match. The first-year man moved his overall record to 8-2 on the season.
The Wildcats also got their captain Jaden Hardrick back on the mat for the first time this season. The 174-pounder made it to the semifinals following a 9-2 opening-round win and a 14-5 major decision in the quarterfinals. Hardrick nearly advanced to the final, but a late takedown by NC State's Luke Ahrberg in the final 45 seconds sent the senior to the consolation bracket. The Dayton, Ohio native picked right back up with a 4-1 overtime win over UNC's Nolan O'Boyle, but dropped the third-place bout to Virginia Tech's Kolton Clark to take fourth.
Up Next
The Wildcats will continue their weekend at Chattanooga tomorrow afternoon at 2:00 p.m.
Players Mentioned
165
/ Wrestling
149
/ Wrestling
157
/ Wrestling
184/197
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