Senior Scott Ervin, SoCon Champion 149-pounds (Photo: Derek DeSha-The Appalachian)

Ervin Claims Second-Straight SoCon Wrestling Title, Mountaineers Finish Second
by ASU Sports Information

March 8, 2008 - Chattanooga, Tenn. – The 2008 SoCon MatJam was one for the ages. Appalachian State put the moves on No. 19 ranked Chattanooga, but finished in a close second place. The Mountaineers led early in the day before being overtaken by the Mocs. ASU cut the lead to four before the final session, but could not overtake UTC.

Senior Scott Ervin captured his second consecutive SoCon title from the No. 1 seed with a 4-3 victory in the 149-pound final. The Weatherford, Okla. native punched his ticket for St. Louis with a takedown and a pair of escapes in one of the most charged bouts of the evening.

At 133-pounds, senior Terreyl Williams had a strong day which included his first pin of the season in the first round of the day. In the final, he lost, 6-4 to UNCG’s Jeff Hedges. Following the match, Williams was given a wild-card entry into the NCAA Wrestling Championships. In the 141-pound final, Marcus Cox suffered his third pin of the season to Chattanooga’s Cody Cleveland. Marcus finishes the 2008 SoCon MatJam in second place at 141-pounds with a 1-1 record on the day. Senior Eddie Hutchinson made a strong run to the finals at 157-pounds. In the final, he dropped a 8-2 decision to UTC’s William Garvin.

Senior Neal Martin improved on his third-place finish a year ago to net runner-up honors this year. Martin dropped the final 12-5 to Lloyd Rogers of Chattanooga. The Cobleskill, N.Y. native tallied two wins and a loss on the day at 174-pounds. At 184-pounds, freshman Austin Trotman reached the final, but lost, 9-3 to Chattanooga’s Josh Edmondson. Trotman earned SoCon freshman of the year honors as voted on by the league’s coaches and a wild-card entry into the NCAA Championships.

Sophomore Frank Celorrio captured third place with a win in the consolation final at 125-pounds. He swiped a 10-4 win, besting The Citadel’s Tyler Sim. Senior Tommy Hutchinson followed suit a few minutes later with a 3-1 victory at 165-pounds to claim third place. Moments later, freshman Dylan Temple gave ASU the trifecta in third place matches, winning by a 9-1 major decision.

Senior Jared Campbell was the only Mountaineer not to place as he closed his career with a pair of defeats.

Fans can recap ASU’s bout-by-bout coverage on www.GoASU.com under the story, “SoCon MatJam Live Blog.”

The 2008 NCAA Championships run March 20-21 in St. Louis Mo. Ervin along with Trotman and Williams will compete there for the title of “National Champion.”