The Citadel 26, Campbell 12
Charleston, S.C. ? The Citadel grapplers secured their first dual meet win of the season tonight, Thursday, Dec. 13, against Campbell. The Bulldogs took six of the ten matches, with five of the wins coming from freshman wrestlers. The 26-12 win was highlighted by two pins and two major decisions.
“The most important thing is that we are seeing improvement during each competition. We are seeing more and more potential as the season continues. Both the staff and the team know that we still have a lot of work to do but we are impressed with the way our guys were able to come through in the tight matches tonight. Having this win under our belts is a great motivator,” stated head wrestling coach Rob Hjerling.
True freshman Derek Sickel was the first one on the mat for the Bulldogs. After a challenging five minutes, Sickel was faced with a five point deficit to make up. He was able to secure four points in the third to make up ground, but it was not enough as Cambell’s Dillon Landi took the victory at the 174-pound match-up.
Joe DeLisle picked up his second major decision of his collegiate career to put The Citadel in the lead 4-3 after the second match. The 184-pound Bulldog controlled the pace of the match securing four takedowns; including one in the final two seconds of the third period to take an 11-4 lead. With 1:45 riding time, DeLisle recorded a 12-4 major decision.
Redshirt Senior John Buck found himself in the middle of many scrambles throughout his 197-pound bout with Campbell’s Parker Burns. Both were able to fight off the others attacks through the first six and a half minutes. The final scramble of the match ended in Burns’ favor as he locked in the two point takedown and essentially the 3-1 win over Buck. The win put three more points on the board for the Fighting Camels, affording them the lead for the final time in the dual.
Heavyweight wrestler Aaron Brown improved to 3-0 in dual meet competition with his 14-4 major decision over Campbell’s Rob Yoder. The redshirt junior scored six takedowns by way of counter attacks and accumulated close to three minutes riding time, after the big guys were finished, the dual started to speed up as the 125-pound wrestlers fought for position with quick shots and instant reactions. Freshman Paul Sanford was the first to score, securing a takedown and two nearfall points with four seconds remaining in the first period. His Campbell foe, C.J. Gittens, got on the board in the second period before Sanford locked up his sixth pin of the season at the 5:17 mark.
Junior 133-pound grappler Anthony Easter made his dual meet premier against the Fighting Camels’ David Wise. After being down in points through the first period, Easter tied the match up at 3-3 half way through. Wise was able to narrowly edge out Easter in the final period 7-5. The Fighting Camels secured a win at the 141-pound weight class as well to decrease The Citadel’s lead down to only two points.
The Bulldogs closed the night with three freshmen, Derek Royster at 149 pounds, Keith Koziel at 157 pounds and 165-pound grappler Brendan Prince. All three proved that they could come through with big wins when the team needed them.
Royster fought back from a 5-0 deficit early in the first period to control the pace of the rest of the match. The redshirt freshman answered Campbell’s Bob Matthews five points with six of his own before the Fighting Camels 149-pound grappler tied the match up at six going into the final period. Matthews chose the defensive position in the third and was unable to escape as Royster accumulated more than two and a half minutes riding time. With the addition of the advantage time point, Royster defeated Matthews 7 6. Koziel secured the win for the Dogs with a first period fall at the 2:25 mark. This gave The Citadel an insurmountable lead over Campbell going into the final match of the dual.
The meet closed with another even match-up between the Bulldogs and the Fighting Camels. The 165-pound bout was scoreless in the first period and no offensive or defensive points were awarded in the second. Prince fought through the final period scoring two takedowns and taking the win for the Cadets. His 5-3 victory improved The Citadel’s team score to 26.
The Bulldogs will travel to the prestigious Reno Tournament of Champions next week, Dec. 18, to face the nations top ranked competition. For complete coverage of Bulldog Wrestling, visit the official home of The Citadel Athletics at www.CitadelSports.com.
Weight Class Order
The Citadel 26, Campbell 12
125: Paul Sanford (Cit) pin. C.J Gittens (CU), at 5:15; Citadel leads 14-6
133: David Wise (CU) dec. Anthony Easter (Cit), 7-5; Citadel leads 14-9
141: Kelin Bidelspach (CU) dec. Michael Arias (Cit), 11-5; Citadel leads 14-12
149: Derek Royster (Cit) dec. Bob Matthews (CU), 7-6; Citadel leads 17-12
157: Keith Koziel (Cit) pin. Jake Fose (CU), at 2:25; Citadel leads 23-12
165: Brendan Prince (Cit) dec. Chris Mazzatta (CU), 5-3; Citadel leads 26-12
174: Dillon Landi (CU) dec. Derek Sickel (Cit), 11-7; Campbell leads 3-0
184: Joe DeLisle (Cit) maj. dec. Kyle Higgins (CU), 12-4; Citadel leads 4-3
197: Parker Burns (CU) dec. John Buck (Cit), 3-2; Campbell leads 6-4
HWT: Aaron Brown (Cit) maj. dec. Rob Yoder (CU), 14-4; Citadel leads 8-6
Match Order
The Citadel 26, Campbell 12
174: Dillon Landi (CU) dec. Derek Sickel (Cit), 11-7; Campbell leads 3-0
184: Joe DeLisle (Cit) maj. dec. Kyle Higgins (CU), 12-4; Citadel leads 4-3
197: Parker Burns (CU) dec. John Buck (Cit), 3-2; Campbell leads 6-4
HWT: Aaron Brown (Cit) maj. dec. Rob Yoder (CU), 14-4; Citadel leads 8-6
125: Paul Sanford (Cit) pin. C.J Gittens (CU), at 5:15; Citadel leads 14-6
133: David Wise (CU) dec. Anthony Easter (Cit), 7-5; Citadel leads 14-9
141: Kelin Bidelspach (CU) dec. Michael Arias (Cit), 11-5; Citadel leads 14-12
149: Derek Royster (Cit) dec. Bob Matthews (CU), 7-6; Citadel leads 17-12
157: Keith Koziel (Cit) pin. Jake Fose (CU), at 2:25; Citadel leads 23-12
165: Brendan Prince (Cit) dec. Chris Mazzatta (CU), 5-3; Citadel leads 26-12