Appalachian State uses multiple bonus-point wins to beat VMI 40-3
Cooper Foster’s first-period technical fall and late bonus-point results helped Appalachian State build a decisive margin in Boone.
BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State beat Virginia Military Institute 40-3 on Jan. 15, 2026, in a Southern Conference dual meet.
Appalachian State opened the dual with back-to-back bonus-point wins that set the tone. Cooper Foster recorded a 15-0 technical fall at 125 pounds after a takedown and three near-falls in the first period, a sequence that produced the match-ending margin. Jarvis Little followed with a 17-4 major decision at 133, and those two results supplied nine team points early in the lineup.
The Mountaineers added a string of high-scoring outcomes through the middle and late weights. Jeremiah Price built a multi-point lead and finished with a 17-9 major decision at 157. Tomas Brooker reached a technical-fall victory at 184 with repeated takedowns across the periods, and Logan Eller recorded an 8-0 major decision at 197.
Stephan Monchery closed the dual at heavyweight with a fall that produced six team points. Collectively, Appalachian State’s tech falls, major decisions and the pin accounted for the bulk of the team’s scoring late in the lineup.
VMI’s lone match victory came at 141 pounds, where Dyson Dunham edged Aldo Hernandez 4-3. Dunham’s second-period takedown and late escape held up for the decision in that slot.
No. 26 Kaden Keiser contributed a 4-2 decision at 149, and Anthony Conetta recorded a 7-0 result at 165, both of which helped preserve App State’s scoring advantage through the middle weights.
Team summaries and bout-level results indicate Appalachian State recorded bonus-point wins in multiple matches; those bonus outcomes were a decisive factor in creating the final margin. App State’s athletics communications noted the team received bonus points in seven of nine wins in the dual and listed the 40-3 result in its postmatch recap.
Appalachian State’s victory featured a combination of early near-fall scoring, midline major decisions and a closing pin that together produced the margin. VMI was limited to its single 141-pound decision in a dual that kept the Mountaineers firmly in control throughout the lineup.