Wrestling Southern Conference

Clifton and the rest of the Bulldogs have come a long way

Charleston, SC - If Keith Clifton had a slightly better jump shot, he might not even be at The Citadel today.

Instead, a failed basketball tryout has turned into a stellar wrestling career, one that has mirrored the rise of the Bulldogs' program in recent years.

"I didn't make the basketball team in seventh grade," said Clifton. "So I figured I'd try out for wrestling."

Nine years later, that decision is paying off in a big way for Clifton and the Bulldogs.

The redshirt junior from Colleyville, Texas, is ranked No. 20 in the nation in the 174-pound weight class with a record of 25-8. And the Bulldogs -- seeking their first Southern Conference championship since 1967 -- can take a major step toward that goal Saturday against 25th-ranked Chattanooga.

Clifton, who was 39-1 and a state champion his senior year at Colleyville Heritage High School, was a member of Bulldogs coach Rob Hjerling's first recruiting class in 2000. The Bulldogs were coming off a 2-11-2 season in Hjerling's first year, and Hjerling was telling recruits they could earn mat time right away.

But Texas was not exactly a wrestling hotbed, and Clifton had to convince Hjerling to take him.

"When I was in Texas, it had a reputation where college recruiters said, 'Don't waste your time on Texas kids,' " said Clifton, who grew up in Virginia before moving west. "There were no college wrestling programs in Texas, so I figured I'd come back east somewhere."

Said Hjerling, "Keith made it clear to us that we should take a good look at him. We've had guys do that before, and I respect that. It was one of those things where someone was under the radar, and I'm glad we finally came around. It was a reality check for us as coaches, to not just focus on guys we've been able to see."

Clifton struggled to a 14-24 record as a freshman, and Hjerling recognized immediately that Clifton needed to improve his flexibility.

"It was a big adjustment from high school," Clifton said. "As a freshman, the matches I was winning were close ones. And I'd lose some close ones, but I was getting blown out some, too."

Clifton redshirted in 2001-02 and worked 30 to 45 minutes a day on stretching exercises designed to improve his flexibility. The work paid off with a 27-8 record, a SoCon individual title and an NCAA Championships berth last season.

"When Keith got here, he couldn't touch his toes with his knees locked, and now he's out there doing splits," Hjerling said. "That shows how hard he's worked. He has a great work ethic and very high expectations of himself."

He's not the only one. Juniors Ryan McClester, Sean Markey and Billy Linane also qualified for the NCAAs last year, and McClester (125 pounds) and Markey (133) are nationally ranked this season.

The progress the Bulldogs have made under Hjerling -- going from 2-11-2 that first season to 13-3 last year and 7-2 this season -- helped spare Citadel wrestling from the budget ax last summer, when the school dropped men's soccer and men's golf. The golf team raised $50,000 to buy itself at least one more season.

"I think we could see the program was on the right path, and everyone else could, too," Clifton said. "We're becoming the best team on campus."

The Bulldogs were ranked in the Top 25 earlier this season and have lost dual matches only to 10th-ranked Lehigh and No. 19 Purdue.

"Traditionally, people think Citadel athletics does a lot of losing," Clifton said. "But we're getting up there with the best teams in the country, and we're proud of that."

-- Chattanooga (8-5,3-0) will wrestle at Virginia Military Institute (7-4, 2-0) in another key SoCon match tonight before traveling to The Citadel on Saturday. The Mocs are coached by Olympic bronze medalist Terry Brands and have three ranked wrestlers -- No. 16 Josh Keefe (133 pounds), No. 15 Mike Keefe (141) and No. 20 Matt Pitts (125). The match is Senior Night for the Bulldogs.