Charleston, S.C. - The Citadel (6-8, 2-2 SoCon) led Appalachian State (8-8-1, 1-4 SoCon) from start to finish, and sophomore heavyweight John Buck capped off the match with pin as the Bulldogs defeated the Mountaineers, 31-10 in Southern Conference wrestling action in front of a cadet-filled crowd of 562 Thursday night in McAlister Field House.
"No matter what happens at the beginning of the season we seem to get our act together and peak in February," said Head Coach Rob Hjerling. "Momentum is key heading into the SoCon and NCAA tournaments."
"Tonight's individual matches were crucial for seeding in the conference tournament. We came out on top in most of them tonight and that puts us in good shape for success at MatJam."
The match opened up at 125 pounds with The Citadel's Anthony Easter accepting a forfeit to give the Cadets a 6-0 lead. Appalachian earned their first points at 133 pounds when Terreyl Williams beat Billy Bullwinkel, 8-4.
In the 141 pound bout, ninth ranked Sean Markey gained his 13th fall of the season when he pinned App's Ryan Scott at 2:33. Markey's pin gave the Dogs a 12-6 advantage.
Appalachian put together back-to-back wins with Eric Burns defeating The Citadel's Nick Orio, 5-3 at 149 pounds and 18th ranked Scott Ervin beat Chris Humphries with a 12-2 major decision. The two wins slimmed The Citadel's advantage to 12-10, but those were the last points the Mountaineers would score.
At 165 pounds, the Dogs' Dan Thompson downed Lee Roper, 3-0, then Darius Caldwell held onto a 2-0 decision over Neal Martin at 174 pounds. John Dickerson all but sealed the win for The Citadel with his 13-4 major decision over Aaron Barnette at 184 to give the Bulldogs a 12-point lead at 22-10 with two matches left.
The 197 pound match officially clinched the win for The Citadel when Mark Thompson beat Josh Carroll, 4-0. Bulldog heavyweight John Buck put the exclamation point on the victory when he overcame a nearly 40-pound disadvantage to takedown and pin Jared Campbell in 2:04. Appalachian State will head to Buies Creek, N.C. to face Campbell at 7:00 pm on Monday, February 13, while The Citadel will host Davidson for Senior Night at 7:30 pm on Tuesday, February 14 in McAlister Field House.
Appalachian State 10
The Citadel 31
125 - Easter (CIT) fft. (6-0 CIT)
133 - Williams (ASU) def. B. Bullwinkel, 8-4 (6-3 CIT)
141 - No. 9 Markey (CIT) fall Scott; 2:33 (12-3 CIT)
149 - Burns (ASU) def. Orio, 5-3 (12-6 CIT)
157 - No. 18 Ervin (ASU) maj. dec. Humphries, 12-2 (12-10 CIT)
165 - D. Thompson (CIT) def. Roper, 3-0 (15-10 CIT)
174 - Caldwell (CIT) def. Martin, 2-0 (18-10 CIT)
184 - Dickerson (CIT) maj. dec. Barnette, 13-4 (22-10 CIT)
197 - M. Thompson (CIT) def. Carroll, 4-0 (25-10 CIT)
Hwt. - Buck (CIT) fall Campbell; 2:04 (31-10 CIT)