WREST: Millner Repeats as Wrestler of Year as All-SoCon Honors Announced

BOONE, N.C. — Jon Jon Millner of regular season champion App State has repeated as SoCon Wrestler of the Year, making it three straight years that a Mountaineer has won the award.

Millner was joined on the 10-wrestler All-SoCon team by four teammates who also went unbeaten in league duals: Caleb Smith, Ethan Oakley, Tommy Askey and Will Formato — who was the 2021 SoCon Wrestler of the Year.

App State true freshman Carson Floyd (22-8 overall, 7-1 in league duals at 197 pounds) earned the SoCon Freshman of the Year honor and was joined on the All-Freshman Team by fellow starter Luke Uliano (5-3 in SoCon duals at 184 pounds).

Millner, who is 26-3 overall at 149 pounds after going 8-0 in conference duals, is the first repeat SoCon Wrestler of the Year since App State’s Denzel Dejournette from 2016-17 and just the fourth wrestler to be a four-time All-SoCon selection. The first three were The Citadel’s Aaron Walker (2014-17), Chattanooga’s Nick Soto (2012-15) and VMI’s Leslie Apedoe (1996-99).

The only other repeat winners of SoCon Wrestler of the Year were App State’s Travis Drake (2001-02), Apedoe (1998-99) and VMI’s Charlie Branch (1994-95).

Millner, Smith (8-0 in league duals at 125 pounds), Oakley (7-0 at 133 pounds), Askey (8-0 at 157 pounds) and Formato (8-0 at 165 pounds) will all enter the SoCon Championship as No. 1 seeds. The five All-SoCon selections are App State’s highest total since the 2002-03 team accounted for seven of the league’s 10 winners.

The tournament will run all day Saturday at the Holmes Convocation Center in Boone, with doors opening at 9 a.m. and competition starting at 10 a.m. Semifinals are tentatively scheduled for noon, followed by consolation matches at 2:30 p.m. and consolation finals at 5:30 p.m. before the championship finals begin at 7 p.m.

The 2022-23 season is presented by Hungry Howie’s and Penn Station.

2022-23 SoCon Wrestler of the Year
Jon Jon Millner, 149, R-Sr., App State

2022-23 SoCon Freshman of the Year
Carson Floyd, 197, App State

2022-23 All-Southern Conference Team
125 Caleb Smith, R-So., App State
133 Ethan Oakley, R-Fr., App State
141 Shannon Hanna, Sr., Campbell
149 Jon Jon Millner, R-Sr., App State
157 Tommy Askey, So., App State
165 Will Formato, R-Jr., App State
174 Rocky Jordan, Jr., Chattanooga
184 Caleb Hopkins, R-Sr., Campbell
197 Levi Hopkins, R-Jr., Campbell
285 Taye Ghadiali, R-Jr., Campbell

2022-23 All-Freshman Team
Carson Floyd, 197, App State
Luke Uliano, 184, App State
Zac Cowan, 149, Bellarmine
Thadd Huff, HWT, Bellarmine
Michael Schiffhauer, 133, Bellarmine
Dom Baker, 165, Campbell
Conor Maslanak, 197, Campbell
Tanner Peake, 157, Davidson
Braxton Lewis, 165, VMI
Ryan Vigil, 149, VMI