App State Brew 6/12: Mighty Matthew

Gray Earns First Team All-American Accolades In First Trip To NCAA Championships

June 12, 2026

Good morning, App State Fam. Don’t get left out! Lock in your spots TODAY!

What all do we have stirring in today’s Brew? Check it out below.

🎽 Mighty Matthew
🎾 Hard Work Recognized
🏐 Setting The Slate
🟡 And much more

Throughout the summer, we will be counting down the days
to the return of App State Football this fall. The Mountaineers will
host Maine on September 5 at 3:30 p.m.

85 Days Away. Last season, David Larkins wore the #85 App State jersey for the final time after five hard-fought seasons with the Mountaineers.

The Cincinnati, Ohio native finished his career having played in 47 games, making 16 starts, including all 13 during the 2025 season.

Larkins hauled in 46 catches for 365 yards, including a career-best 218 yards last year. He finished with six TD receptions with the Mountaineers.

🔼 Mighty Matthew. App State pole vaulter Matthew Gray capped a season full of record-setting accomplishments with First-Team All-America recognition at the NCAA Outdoor Championships on Wedneday night.

Gray finished fifth among the 24 national qualifiers in the pole vault Wednesday night, clearing 5.60 meters (18 feet, 4.5 inches) at Hayward Field.

He is the third top-five NCAA finisher in the history of the men's track & field program at App State and the 21st athlete in the history of App State's track & field program to pick up All-America accolades, making it back-to-back years for a Mountaineer pole vaulter after Lilly Nichols received All-America Honorable Mention at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships.

🔼 Hard Work Recognized. The accolades continue to roll in for App State Tennis All-American Savannah Dada-Mascoll.

This week, the Sun Belt Women’s Tennis Player of the Year added to her collection by being named the Carolina Region's Most Improved Player by the International Tennis Association (ITA).

The award recognizes the student-athlete who has shown the greatest improvement throughout her career while making significant contributions to her team through leadership, sportsmanship and performance.

Dada-Mascoll's selection reflects one of the most remarkable career trajectories in program history. After beginning her collegiate career unranked, she rose to as high as No. 5 in the nation entering the 2026 spring season and finished the spring with 103 career singles wins.

🔼 Setting The Slate. This week, App State Volleyball announced its full schedule for the upcoming 2026 season, the second year under the direction of head coach Chad Sutton.

This fall's slate will feature four nonconference tournaments, two additional nonconference matches and 16 Sun Belt Conference matches, with Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Louisiana and Marshall coming to Boone for two league matches on consecutive days.

The Mountaineers' nonconference schedule includes matchups against regional opponents and strong mid-major programs, highlighted by contests at Clemson and NC State.

As mentioned, Matthew Gray became the third top-five national finisher in program history on Wednesday.

Who are the other two Mountaineers to earn that distinction?

Got a guess?

Scroll down to see if you know your stuff!

All times listed in ET

Thursday, June 18th
👟 Men’s Track & Field at USATF U20 Championships (Eugene, Ore.)

Friday, June 19th
👟 Men’s Track & Field at USATF U20 Championships (Eugene, Ore.)

Saturday, June 20th
👟 Men’s Track & Field at USATF U20 Championships (Eugene, Ore.)

Answer: Warren Posey (second place - 1988 triple jump) and Michael Hanks (third place - 1987 triple jump)

🟡 Have a great one, y’all!