Wrestling Southern Conference

Citadel Wrestling Class Rated 16th in Nation

Charleston, SC - The Citadel's wrestling team sent a record four athletes to the NCAA championships last season. If the Bulldogs' current recruiting class is any indication, that number could increase dramatically in coming years.

Bulldogs coach Rob Hjerling's latest recruiting class of 14 wrestlers, including four from South Carolina, is ranked No. 16 in the country by Intermat, which covers college wrestling.

"It is a big deal for us," said Hjerling, whose team went 13-3 and finished third in the Southern Conference last year. "It's the first time in the history of our program that we've had a nationally ranked recruiting class. When we recruit, we're looking for athletes that we think will fit into our program and the institution, and to be able to put together a class ranked in the top 25 in the country is very exciting."

Three of the Bulldogs' incoming wrestlers are ranked among the top 20 in the country in their respective weight classes by Intermat.

They are Levi Duyn (No. 4 at 145 pounds) of Venice (Fla.) High School; Michael Arias (No. 6 at 125 pounds) of Okmulgee (Okla.) High School; and Danny Ruiz (No. 11 at 103 pounds) of Woodlands (Texas) High School.

Four others received honorable-mention rankings from Intermat: Jacob Allman (152 pounds), Clint DeGain (171 pounds), Darius Caldwell (189 pounds) of Swansea High School and Nick Leone (215 pounds) of Dutch Fork High School in Irmo.

The class includes wrestlers who won 12 individual state championships and seven runners-up medals.

The two other signees from South Carolina are Kyle Settle of Chapman and Alex Piper of Hilton Head, who was a Class AAAA state champion at 145 pounds and went 61-0 as a senior.

Caldwell and Leone also won state championships in South Carolina.

"A lot of these athletes were looked at by the top wrestling conferences in the country in the Big 10, the Big 12," Hjerling said. "It's a good sign when you are going up against some of the top programs in the country in recruiting. The way to make the program better is to have competition in the wrestling room.

"You need good training partners, and I think that is what we are creating now."

The Bulldogs return 10 starters from last year's team, including four sophomores who advanced to the NCAA championships: Keith Clifton and Billy Linane, who won SoCon titles, and Ryan McClester and Sean Markey, who earned at-large berths.

"Our focus next year will be to get as many wrestlers to the NCAA and to earn All-America honors as we can," Hjerling said. "And, to win the Southern Conference and earn a national ranking. I think with the schedule we are putting together, we can earn a national ranking."