Greenville, S.C. - Three members of the Lincoln Memorial University Men's Wrestling team were named to the Conference Carolina's Wrestlers to Watch list, as the conference has released its preseason coaches' poll. The Railsplitters were tabbed to finish 14th in the conference with 44 total votes.  

The Railsplitters finished last season on the upswing, tying the program record for wins in a season with two with conference wins over Emory & Henry and Shorter.  

Returning senior Porter Finstad was the first Splitter named by the conference as a player to watch. Finstad is coming off a season where he earned four wins over three meets, including a major decision win to open the season in the East Stroudsburg Open and two wins via fall in the Georgia Open.  

Sophomore Spencer Reep joins Finstad as a conference wrestler to watch after an outstanding freshman season in which Reep finished with five wins in eight matches. Reep started his season by winning three-straight bouts in the East Stroudsburg Open, with two coming via fall in the first minute and the third being a 14-3 major decision over an opponent from Kutztown. Reep would follow this up with consecutive wins to open the Georgia Open by technical fall.  

The third and final Railsplitter highlighted by the conference was junior James Thaxton. Thaxton appeared in 20 separate meets across last season, earning 17 wins between the 149-pound and the 157-pound weight classes, including seven via technical fall.  

Lincoln Memorial will begin its season with the East Stroudsburg Open, hosted by East Stroudsburg University on November 2nd in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.  

The full coaches poll and wrestlers to watch can be found below.  

Conference Carolinas Preseason Coaches' Poll 

Rank School (1st place votes) Points 

1 Lander (13) 195 

2 Mount Olive (1) 172 

3 UNC Pembroke 160 

4 King 154 

5 Newberry (1) 149 

6 Belmont Abbey 134 

7 Montevallo 110 

8 Coker 96 

9 Emmanuel 84 

10 Bluefield State 64 

11 Ferrum 63 

12 Allen 61 

13 Shorter 50 

14 Lincoln Memorial 44 

15 Emory & Henry 39 

Wrestlers To Watch 

Allen 

Dharrin Smith, 149 pounds, Stone Mountain, Georgia 

Jerrel Baskins, Jr., 174 pounds, Atlanta, Georgia 

Quincy Gash, Sr., 157 pounds, Edgewood, Maryland 

Belmont Abbey 

Luke Kunath, Sr., 141 pounds, Raleigh, North Carolina  

Kyler Pickard, Sr., 184 pounds, Rockwell, North Carolina 

Caleb Moore, Sr., 197 pounds, Denver, North Carolina  

Bluefield State 

Larry "Ryder" Rhodes, So., 125 pounds, Colorado Springs, Colorado 

Greg Dennard, Sr., 197/285 pounds, Fort Myers, Florida 

Charniece McClarence, Jr., 160 pounds, Atlanta, Georgia 

Coker 

Stephen Spitko, Sr., 133 pounds , Douglassville, Pennsylvania 

Frank Bianco, So., 141 pounds, Rolesville, North Carolina 

Jorge Gonzalez, So., 149 pounds, Winter Park, Florida 

Emmanuel 

Mike McCarthy, Sr., 174 pounds, Melbourne, Florida 

Christian Gordon, Sr., 149 pounds, East Coweta, Georgia 

Kobe Pablo, Gr., 285 pounds, Anaheim, California 

Emory & Henry 

Evan Alger, So., 197 pounds, Pulaski, Virginia 

Levi Field, Gr., 157 pounds, Manassas, Virginia 

Sebastian Gaberrete, Jr., 165 pounds, Jeffersonton, Virginia 

Ferrum 

Andres Cortes, So., 157 pounds, Woodbury, New Jersey 

Braeden Fluke, Sr., 285 pounds, Chesapeake, Virginia 

Joseph Olade, Sr., 141/149 pounds, Roselle, Illinois 

King 

Brenan Watkins, Senior, 149, Kingsport, Tennessee 

Clint Morisette, Senior, 174, Kingsport, Tennessee 

David Bertrand, Grad Student, 197, Dunwoody, Georgia  

Lander 

David Hunsberger, Sr., 165 pounds, Duncan, South Carolina  

James Joplin, Gr., 133 pounds, Greensboro, North Carolina  

Elijah Lusk, Gr., 141 pounds, Merritt Island, Florida  

Lincoln Memorial 

Porter Finstad, Sr., 141 pounds, Mascot, Tennessee 

Spencer Reep, So., 133 pounds, Knoxville, Tennessee 

James Thaxton, 149/157 pounds, Crawfordville, Florida 

Montevallo 

Cole Hunt, So., 125 pounds, Sugar Hill, Georgia 

Carson Freeman, Jr., 157 pounds, Alabaster, Alabama 

Jake Chisolm, Jr., 165 pounds, Oxford, Alabama 

Mount Olive 

Tommy Nichols, Sr., 157 pounds, Bristol, Connecticut 

Brent Nicolosi, So., 165 pounds, So., Haverhill, Massachusetts 

Calan Staub, Sr., 184 pounds, Fayetteville, North Carolina 

Newberry 

Matthew Hoelke, Sr., 157 pounds, Blackwood, New Jersey 

Andrew Reed, Jr., 184 pounds, Altoona, Iowa 

John Parker, Sr., 197 pounds, Yulee, Florida 

UNC Pembroke 

Caleb Grau, Gr.., 165 pounds, Belleville, Illinois 

Keegan Roberson, Jr., 157 pounds, Chicago, Illinois 

Logan Robinson, Sr., 133 pounds, Chesapeake, Virginia 

Shorter 

Ethan Ross, So., Auburn, Georgia 

Riley Davis, So., Rome, Georgia 

Eli Kimball, So., Trenton, Georgia