Blue Devils Host Appalachian State in Thursday Night Dual

Thursday, January 13

Durham, N.C.

7 P.M.

Duke University

Appalachian State

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Blue Devils Host Appalachian State in Thursday Night Dual

1/12/2022 4:14:00 PM | Wrestling

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DURHAM – The Duke wrestling program (6-4, 0-0 ACC) resumes its dual match schedule on Thursday night, as the Blue Devils are set to match up with Appalachian State (1-2, 1-0 SoCON) at 7 p.m., in Card Gymnasium.

Thursday night's matchup will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.

LAST TIME OUT
Duke completed play at the final regular season tournament of the winter, as the Blue Devils finished ninth in a field of 29 teams at the Southern Scuffle, in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Redshirt senior Josh Finesilver shined on the mats, taking home the title at 149 pounds in the prestigious event that featured wrestlers from eight ranked universities. Finesilver became just the second Blue Devil in program history to win a title at the Southern Scuffle, joining two-time winner Jacob Kasper (2017 & 2018).

Finesilver went 5-0 on the weekend, capping off his victory with an 11-10 win over 22nd-ranked Josh Edmond of Missouri. Finesilver went on to be named the ACC Co-Wrestler of the Week and PNC Achievers Student-Athlete of the Week for his efforts.

His brother Matt Finesilver also turned in a strong performance, going 4-2 overall and finishing in fifth place at 174 pounds. While his season-opening win streak of 20 matches came to an end, Finesilver capped off his stint in Chattanooga with a convincing 14-0 major decision over Iowa's Brennan Swafford.

OPPONENT HISTORY

The Blue Devils will match up with Appalachian State for the 25th time in program history. The Mountaineers won the last matchup on Jan. 23, 2020, in Boone, N.C., and lead the all-time series 16-8.
The two teams know each other well already, with several rematches looming from early season competition in the Mountaineer Invitational, as well as sporadic meetings at the Battle at The Citadel and the Southern Scuffle.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Both Finesilver brothers carry national rankings via InterMat, with Josh checking in at No. 8 in the nation at 149 pounds, while Matt ranks No. 13 in the 174-pound weight class.
Matt Finesilver is 3-1 against ranked opponents this season and is projected to face his fifth of the season in No. 33 Thomas Flitz on Thursday. Finesilver has already set a career-best against ranked opponents this season.
Josh Finesilver is amid a 16-match win streak and will face off against the No. 5 wrestler in the nation, Jonathan Millner in a top-10 clash this Thursday.
Both Finesilver's, recently passed the 70-win threshold. Josh is now three away from 75, while Matt stands at 70 career victories.
After not competing at the Southern Scuffle, sophomore Logan Agin is back and carries a three-match win streak into the dual. Agin has won six of his last seven matches.
Redshirt senior Kaden Russell is closing in on 40 career victories. The Cleveland, Ohio, native stands at 36 in his career.
Appalachian State enters the dual after receiving votes in the latest NWCA Wrestling Poll. The Mountaineers received six votes and have the 32nd-most in the country.

Duke Probable Lineup
Weight	Rank	Name	Year	Record
125	--	Logan Agin	Sophomore	10-6
133	--	Drake Doolittle	R-Sophomore	4-13
141	--	Patrick Rowland	R-Sophomore	6-14
149	8	Josh Finesilver	R-Senior	21-1
157	--	Wade Unger	Junior	10-10
165	--	Gabe Dinette	R-Junior	7-5
174	13	Matt Finesilver	R-Senior	21-2
184	--	Vincent Baker	Junior	9-10
	--	Luke Chakonis	Sophomore	4-6
197	--	Kaden Russell	R-Senior	11-8
285	--	Jonah Niesenbaum	Junior	12-6

App State Probable Lineup
Weight	Rank	Name	Year	Record
125	27	Caleb Smith	R-Sophomore	13-4
133	28	Codi Russell	R-Senior	11-6
141	--	Heath Gonyer	Sophomore	13-7
	--	Anthony Brito	R-Senior	9-5
149	5	Jonathan Millner	R-Senior	8-1
157	32	Cody Bond	R-Senior	9-7
165	21	Will Formato	R-Junior	12-4
174	33	Thomas Flitz	R-Senior	7-4
184	--	Barrett Blakely	R-Junior	8-5
197	--	Wyatt Miller	Freshman	6-6
	--	Triston Norris	Freshman	5-8
285	--	Michael Burchell	R-Junior	7-5