App State wrestling was back on the mats Wednesday as they faced off against the Duke University Blue Devils at the historic Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Mountaineers saw dominant victories in the first 7 matches, which saw 2 technical falls and a pin to push the team to an early 28-0 lead before winning the matchup 31-8.
The technical falls came from 184-pound redshirt sophomore Tomas Brooker and 125-pound freshman Cooper Foster. Brooker kicked off the dual with a dominant performance netting a takedown in just 10 seconds on his way to an 18-3 win. Foster took a little more time to get to work, but 3 takedowns in the second period powered him to a 17-2 victory.
Sandwiched between Brooker and Foster was 197-pound redshirt sophomore Logan Eller and heavyweight sophomore Stephan Monchery. Eller continued a great start to his season with a 13-8 victory over Owen McGrory. The win moved Eller to 16-6 overall.
Monchery faced off against the first of two ranked wrestlers in the Blue Devils lineup, meeting 2025 NCAA qualifier No. 19 Connor Barket. In classic fashion, Monchery gave up the first takedown, but an escape moments later mixed with a fresh start in the second period gave way to a takedown for the Black and Gold’s heavyweight eventually winning 6-4.
The next 3 matches for App State continued their winning ways as 133-pound redshirt freshman Jarvis Little picked up a pin early in the third period followed by a defensive masterclass from 141-pound redshirt sophomore Aldo Hernandez for a 2-0 victory. The 149-pound class saw a new face for the Mountaineers as redshirt freshman Brayden Fahrbach started his first career dual and picked up a huge 10-4 win.
The 149-pound weight class has been led by redshirt junior Kaden Keiser, who was slated to start in the preview provided by App State Athletics, but Fahrbach was announced as the starter the day of. It is unclear why Keiser did not wrestle.
In the 165-pound class redshirt junior Anthony Conetta got the final win for the Black and Gold with a 8-5 victory over Aurelius Dunbar. The win marks Conetta’s 48th career victory and 17th on the season.
The two losses on the day came from 157-pound redshirt sophomore Jeremiah Price and 174-pound freshman Colt Campbell. Price was unable to get on the offensive side as he lost 4-1. Campbell faced off against No. 23 Aidan Wallace where he got blanked 19-1.
The matchup against Duke marked the end of the 2025 calendar year for App State Wrestling as they turn the page towards 2026. They will hit the mats again Jan. 3 and 4 for the Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
