SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The Citadel junior Odie Delaney has been selected as the Southern Conference Wrestler of the Week for all competitions from January 11-17.
Wrestling as a heavyweight, Delaney was dominant over the weekend at the Virginia Duals, notching a perfect 5-0 record with pins in three of his matches.
Delaney started the event with a 5-3 upset against No. 16 Brendan Barlow of Kent State. He followed that with a narrow 5-4 decision against Bucknell's Tyler Lyster as the Bulldogs picked up a 21-16 victory.
On Saturday, Delaney recorded falls in all three of his matches, dispatching North Carolina's Frank Abbondanza in 1:21 to start the day. The redshirt junior then pinned North Dakota State's Evan Knutson in 1:59 and Buffalo's Jedd Mason in 42 seconds to wrap up the competition.
Delaney's exploits pushed him into all of the major national rankings this week, including a high of No. 17 by D1 College Wrestling.
Other Nominees: Tony Gravely (Appalachian State), Ryan Krecker (Campbell), Robert Prigmore (Chattanooga) and Matthew Brock (VMI).
2011-12 SoCon Wrestlers of the Week
Nov. 16 Austin Trotman, Appalachian State
Nov. 23 Niko Brown, Chattanooga
Nov. 30 Nick Rex, Campbell
Dec. 7 Chip Powell, Appalachian State
Dec. 14 Mark Hartenstine, Campbell
Dec. 21 Nick Soto, Chattanooga
Jan. 4 Nick Soto, Chattanooga
Jan. 11 Austin Trotman, Appalachian State
Jan. 18 Odie Delaney, The Citadel