App State wrestling was back in Boone to host the Appalachian Open Saturday. The Mountaineers had 19 wrestlers in action for the event that saw five weight classes with a bracket format while the other five had a round robin format.
The event was put in question after concerns for the winter storm that went through Western North Carolina and other parts of the United States, but it was able to proceed after the start time was moved from 10 a.m. to 8 a.m.
“We needed some competition. The other teams here today needed some competition too. We really didn’t need the two week layoff leading into our next set of competitions,” head coach JohnMark Bentley said about the decision to hold the event.
Even with all of the questions around whether or not the event would continue, No. 25 149-pound redshirt Kaden Keiser continued his phenomenal January form with a 3-0 record in his round robin group. The performance moves Keiser to 5-1 since the turn of the calendar year.
“Body’s feeling good and ready to wrestle,” Keiser said. “I was out for a couple weeks with a little injury in December but now I’m back and in the full swing of things.”
Redshirt sophomore 197-pound Gunnar Pool showed out in his bracket using 2 first period pins to advance him to the finals. His momentum could not career him to first place but a second place finish marked the best placement in his early App State career.
App State wrestling will be back on the mat Friday as they travel to Southern Conference favorite Campbell University for a rivalry dual in Buies Creek. The match is slated for 7 p.m
