There were sighs of relief in numerous corners Saturday following the 184-pound championship match.
In winning his third title, Austin Trotman finally said goodbye to Southern Conference wrestling.
He leaves as Appalachian State's all-time wins leader (124) and has a shot to become the school's single-season wins leader with any kind of showing at the NCAA tournament March 15-17 in St. Louis.
Trotman, though, is more than a wrestler. He is president of the school's student advisory board and has plans, according to APSU coach JohnMark Bentley, to become a missionary.
"A lot of people say it seems like he's been around forever, and I think the reason is that he had success right off the bat," Bentley said. "He's just a great kid. He's an extremely hard worker - one of those kids that people love to be around. He's been very good for us in wins and losses, but he also has the type character to help build and mold the future of the program."
He is ASU's first three-time conference winner since Travis Drake (133) and Mark Fee (165) achieved the feat from 2001 to '03.
Retirement for Wince
Richard Wince coached his last Gardner-Webb match Saturday, but the 63-year-old waxed philosophical about his retirement after more than two decades of service to the school.
"There are still too many whitetails walking around, too many trout that haven't been caught, and my grandchildren are getting older every day. I still need to get them to 'revere' me," he said with a laugh.
Ex-Mocs in MMA
Former University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestler John Davis, a three-time conference champion at 184 pounds, has entered the mixed martial arts field. Davis, who wrestled at UTC from 2003 to '06, has an MMA amateur record of 8-1. He'll begin fighting professionally in April.
Another former Moc, John Cofer (2004-07), also is in the MMA and recently signed to appear in the next Ultimate Fighter television show.
Youth movement
UTC's Nick Soto (133) and Kevin Malone (285) were among 23 freshmen in the 67 tournament slots. It was by far the largest group by class, with seniors having 17 spots, juniors 15 and sophomores 12.
With just three seniors in the lineup this weekend - Manny Ramirez (125), Dan Waddell (157) and Brandon Wright (165) - the Mocs should be among the most seasoned teams in the league next season.
That, of course, depends on decisions by the wrestlers and the coaching staff on possible redshirt seasons.
As of Saturday, projected senior starters next season will be Dean Pavlou (149), Robert Prigmore (184) and Niko Brown (197). Bucky Johnson, who missed all but one match of this season after a knee injury, has indicated that he will likely apply for a sixth-year hardship from the NCAA.
Odds and ends
Campbell wrestler Joey Rizzolino finished runner-up to the Mocs' Soto but would be the winner for best results in least amount of time. The Fighting Camels freshman scored quarterfinal and semfinal pins in a total of 0:26. Rizzolino was Campbell's first soCon finalist. ... Appalachian 125-pounder Tony Gravely avenged a regular-season loss to the Mocs' Ramirez. Gravely lost 13-1 in the dual meet at UTC.