March Ready: Wrestling Set for SoCon Championships

DAVIDSON – The Davidson wrestling team is set for the postseason as the Southern Conference Championships kick off tomorrow at the Holmes Convocation Center in Boone, N.C.

Match Information
Date: March 9, 2024
Location: Boone, N.C.
Site: Holmes Convocation Center
Times:

10:00 a.m. (Quarterfinals)
12:00 p.m. (Semifinals)
2:00 p.m. (Consolation)
5:30 p.m. (Consolation Finals)
7:00 p.m. (Finals)

Watch (ESPN+):

Where They're Seeded
125 – Enis Ljikovic – No. 7
133 – Hale Robinson – No. 7
141 – Joshua Viarengo – No. 7
149 – Tyler-Xavier McKnight – No. 7
157 – Tanner Peake – No. 2
165 – Bryce Sanderlin – No. 4
174 – Marc Koch – No. 6
184 – Wyatt Ferguson – No. 4
197 – Cameo Blankenship – No. 6
HWT – Jake Fernicola – No. 4

Things to Know
Davidson enters March with solid momentum under second-year head coach Nate Carr Jr. The team has won its last three dual matches, and six different wrestlers come into Saturday on a three-match win streak.

The most on-fire of the bunch is sophomore Tanner Peake. Despite it being just his second collegiate season, Peake already knows what it takes to wrestle on the biggest stage at the conference tournament. Last season, Peake came in as the No. 3 seed and defeated the six-seed in the opening round. He then upset No. 2 seed Troy Nation of Campbell, 4-3, to earn a spot in the finals. Peake held his own with top-seeded Tommy Askey (who is also the top seed at 157 this season) but fell 6-2. Fast forward to the present, and Peake comes into the tournament winning six of his last seven matches and sports a 6-1 mark in SoCon duals.

Other 'Cats that placed last year were seniors Bryce Sanderlin and Jake Fernicola. Both took fourth place, battling back in the consolation bracket and are seeded as four-seeds this year. Sanderlin has wrestled in just 16 matches this year after suiting up for almost 30 last year, but he owns a 10-6 mark and earned his 50^th career win in just his 77^th career match in the regular season finale. Fernicola comes in riding a three-match win streak and owns a 4-4 record against conference opponents. He has wins over Chattanooga, Gardner-Webb, VMI and Presbyterian. He also dropped a one-point match to App State's Jacob Sartorio in a showdown that went down to the last second.

Senior Cameo Blankenship (197), sophomore Joshua Viarengo (141) and freshman Wyatt Ferguson (184) also come into the postseason riding three-match win streaks. Hale Robinson (133), Marc Koch (174), Enis Ljikovic (125) and Tyler-Xavier McKnight (149) will all make their SoCon Championship debuts.

There will be one NCAA-qualifying allocation at each weight class except 133 pounds (3), 149 (2) and 165 (2). The champion at each weight class is guaranteed a spot in the NCAA Tournament, where a true second-place match will be held to decide the qualifiers at 149 and 165 pounds.

SoCon Postseason Selections
Davidson was one of three SoCon teams to have multiple selections to the All-Freshman team this week.

Tyler-Xavier McKnight and Wyatt Ferguson were recognized among the 10 best freshmen in the conference. McKnight became the third Wildcat in the last nine years to win 20 matches in a season after he went 20-15 overall. Ferguson impressed in SoCon action and found his stride late as he won six of his eight conference matchups with a 14-14 overall record.

This year's selections marked the sixth straight year Davidson has had at least one All-Freshman selection.

All Roads Lead to Kansas City
The 2024 NCAA Wrestling Championships will be held in Kansas City, Mo., at the T-Mobile Center from March 21-23. Davidson is seeking its first NCAA qualifier since Scott Patrick in 2015.

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