BRISTOL, Tenn. – The all-conference honors for Conference Carolinas men's wrestling in the 2024-25 season were released on Friday prior to the Conference Carolinas Men's Wrestling Championship that willl be held at Lander on Sunday, February 16. The 2024-25 all-conference awards were chosen by the head coaches in Conference Carolinas
King had four individuals earn awards. Three athletes earned All-Conference awards:
Clint Morrisette earned First Team honors at the 174-pound weight class,
Ethan Lopez was named to the Second Team at the 184-pound weight class, and
Trent Mahoney was named Third Team in the 157-weight class. Head Coach,
Blaze Shade, was named Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year.
Clint Morrisette, a junior from Kingsport, Tennessee, went 30-8 overall and had the best record for King against conference opponents at 13-1. He finished the regular season with a 20-3 tech fall over Emory & Henry. He earned a first-round bye before advancing and winning a 17-5 major decision to win the 174-pound class Cumberland Open. At the National Duels, he won a 11-2 major decision over 15th ranked opponent on the Tiffin team. He defeated his teammate to win the King Open at the 174-weight class.
Ethan Lopez, a junior from Oviedo, Florida, went 7-1 against conference opponents and 15-7 overall. He won 14-2 to help King defeat #9 Tiffin at the National Duels. Lopez finished in second place at 184 pounds at the King Open and third place at the Glenville State Invite.
Trent Mahoney, a redshirt senior from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, won the most matches of any Tornado wrestler, going 32-8 overall and 11-2 in conference matches. Mahoney won the 157 pound bout against #25 Maryville and #3 Wisconsin-Parkside at National Duels. He achieved his 100th career win on February 4th. He went undefeated at the Cumberland Open winning the championship with a 2:35 pin. He was named Conference Carolinas Wrestler of the Week on February 4.
Head Coach
Blaze Shade led the Tornado to a 11-6 overall record in his second season. Against Conference Carolinas opponents, King went 8-2. Shade coached the team to a 4
th place finish at the Glenville State Invitational in a field of 13 before a 28
th of 41 finish at the Midwest Classic hosted by the University of Indianapolis. The men's wrestling team finished 11
th at NWCA National Duels and will be the #2 seed in the West Division for the upcoming Conference Carolinas Men's Wrestling Championships on February 16.
