Around the Mountain - January 1

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BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University wrestling brings in the New Year with its 10^th consecutive trip to the two-day Southern Scuffle from Jan. 1-2 at the McKenzie Arena in Chattanooga, Tenn. The Mountaineers are set to join 21 other teams at this year's tournament, which will be held on the campus of UTC for the second straight season.

MEDIA

For more information about the Southern Scuffle, visit thesouthernscuffle.com. Fans can follow live results through the website and on Twitter by searching the hashtag #letsscuffle.

LAST TIME OUT

The Apps finished 15^th out of 27 teams at the Tournament of Champions in Reno, Nev. on Dec. 16. Sophomore Jesse Johnson headlined a group that totaled 17 wins on that day. Johnson rattled off four-straight victories before dropping three-straight to finish in 6^th place at 184 pounds.

Redshirt sophomores Dominic Parisi (125 pounds) and Paul Weiss (197) each recorded three wins on the afternoon, as they both approach 30 wins for the respective careers. The duo has now recorded at least three victories in every tournament this season.

After falling in their opening bouts, senior Brett Boston (133) and sophomore Joe Cummings (285) each responded with two-straight victories before falling in their fourth bout of the afternoon, each going 2-2.

FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH

After sending seven seniors to last year's Scuffle, the Mountaineers are projected to be without a senior for the second straight tournament. The most experience wrestler that traveled to Reno was junior Chris Johnson, posting two victories on the day.

SCOUTING THE FIELD

Appalachian faces its toughest competition of the season, as seven teams in the top 20 and the top-three teams in the country will make the trip to Chattanooga. Seven individual NCAA champions and five top-ranked wrestlers highlight the 21-team field.

The field is top-heavy with top-ranked Penn State and No. 2 ranked Oklahoma State headlining one of the toughest tournaments in the country. The Mountaineers will be one of four Southern Conference members looking to dethrone the nation's best, as Campbell, The Citadel and host Chattanooga seek good showings at this year's Scuffle.

The action from the MacKenzie Arena is set to begin at 10 a.m. on Tuesday and will conclude on Wednesday at 6 p.m. with the finals.