1000 x 90

No. 17 App State Wrestling Drops Heartbreaker to No. 5 Missouri, 24-13

Freshman Colby Smith upset No. 8 Jaydin Eierman in the second sudden death period with a pin (8:30), but it wouldn't be enough as 17th-ranked Appalachian State University wrestling fell 24-13 to No. 5 Missouri. Courtesy: Tim Cowie - DavidsonPhotos.com via App State Athletics
Freshman Colby Smith upset No. 8 Jaydin Eierman in the second sudden death period with a pin (8:30), but it wouldn’t be enough as 17th-ranked Appalachian State University wrestling fell 24-13 to No. 5 Missouri. Courtesy: Tim Cowie – DavidsonPhotos.com via App State Athletics

Appalachian State University wrestling battled back in a furious rally attempt late in the match with a sudden-victory pin but was unable to complete the upset, falling 24-13 to fifth-ranked Missouri on Tuesday afternoon at the Hearnes Center.

The No. 17 Mountaineers (7-2, 3-0 Southern Conference) got two bonus point victories on the day and one upset over the nationally ranked 133-pounder in the loss to the Tigers (5-1, 3-0 Mid-American Conference).

Appalachian’s fierce comeback effort began when freshman 133-pounder Colby Smith (Wentzville, Mo./Holt) made a big return to his home state by pinning No. 8 Jaydin Eierman in the second sudden victory period of the match after outlasting the nationally ranked grappler for 8:30.

After a misconduct call on Missouri led to one point being removed from the Tiger’s team score, the Mountaineers were suddenly within striking range. Irvin Enriquez (Aberdeen, N.C./Pinecrest) battled hard at the 141-pound weight class and almost came away with the victory that would have cut the deficit to one match, but unfortunately, the sophomore allowed a late takedown to Zach Synon, making it 7-5 for Missouri. 

Also securing impressive victories for App State was senior No. 8 heavyweight Denzel Dejournette *(Winston-Salem, N.C./R.J. Reynolds), who got a 10-1 major decision over Austin Myers, and junior No. 21 Nick Kee (Laurinburg, N.C./Scotland), who forced a 7-2 decision at the 174 match over Taylor Watkins.

The Black and Gold went toe-to-toe with the Tigers on the day, having four matches decided by three points or less. Senior Forrest Przybysz (Jefferson, Ga./Jefferson) fell in a tough one at 165 pounds with a 6-4 decision to No. 4 Daniel Lewis, while junior 184-pounder David Peters-Logue (Hillsborough, N.C./Orange) dropped a tight 6-4 decision to Matt Lemanowicz.

Sophomore Gavin Londoff (St. Louis, Mo./Holt) opened up the action on the day at the 157 pound match, but was unable to get the victory, falling 12-1 in a major decision before 18th-ranked senior *Vito Pasone *(Wilkes-Barre, Pa./E.L. Meyers) had his five-match win streak at 125 pounds snapped, falling to No. 7 Barlow McGhee 11-3 in a major decision.

Appalachian State wrestling now has a 19-day break between dual matches but will be participating in the Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tenn. on New Year’s Day. The Mountaineers next duals match will be in Varsity Gym on Jan. 8 as they return home to host both The Citadel and Clarion. The action is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.

*RESULTS: *125: #7 Barlow McGhee (MO) def. #18 Vito Pasone (APP), 11-3 maj. dec.

133: Colby Smith (APP) def. #8 Jaydin Eierman (MO), SV-2/Pin (8:30)

141: Zach Synon (MO) def. Irvin Enriquez (APP), 7-5 dec.

149: #3 Lavion Mayes (MO) def. #15 Matt Zovistoski (APP), 13-10 dec.

157: #3 Joey Lavallee (MO) def. Gavin Londoff (APP), 12-1 maj. dec.

165: #4 Daniel Lewis (MO) def. Forrest Przybysz (APP), 6-4 dec.

174: #21 Nick Kee (APP) def. Taylor Watkins (MO), 7-2 dec.

184: Matt Lemanowicz (MO) def. David Peters-Logue (APP), 6-4 dec.

197: #1 J’Den Cox (MO) def. Randall Diabe (APP), 18-3 TF

HWT: #8 Denzel Dejournette (APP) def. Austin Myers (MO), 10-1 maj. dec.

NOTES: Smith’s pin at 133 only adds to his impressive freshman campaign as he improves to 15-2 overall with a 7-2 duals record … both of the Mountaineers losses this season have been to Top 10 opponents (No. 9 NC State, No. 5 Missouri) … the team moves to 2-2 on the season against Top 25, Power 5 schools … App State is 2-0 against 10th-25th-ranked schools and 0-2 against first-ninth-ranked schools … App is still off to one of its best starts in program history, where winning out would tie them with 2002-03’s team, who finished 11-2 to win the SoCon … during the match, Appalachian was bumped up three spots in the *InterMat* dual rankings to a program-best No. 17 … in the *USA Today*/NWCA poll, App State stayed firm at No. 21 … Dejournette continues to be a powerhouse at the heavyweight position, improving to 14-2 on the season and 7-0 in duals action … Dejournette is also nearing in on 120 career victories and is currently ranked third all-time in program history at 117 wins … the heavyweight also owns an impressive .764 career winning percentage at Appalachian.