Wrestling Southern Conference

The Citadel?s Delaney Named Wrestler of the Week

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Citadel’s Odie Delaney has been named the Southern Conference wrestler of the week for all competition from Feb. 13-19, marking his third consecutive weekly award. The selection is made by the league office.

The honor is Delaney’s fourth of the season, pushing his career total to a league-record eight. This week’s selection breaks Delaney’s tie with former Appalachian State standout Austin Trotman, who won the award seven times from 2008-12.

Delaney went 3-0 with a pin and a major decision on the week, leading the Bulldogs to a 2-1 team showing.

In The Citadel’s 25-9 win over VMI on Friday, the heavyweight from Santa Rosa Beach, Fla., pinned the Keydets’ Mike LaPrade in 4:34. The pin was Delaney’s league-best 15th of the season and clinched his third undefeated SoCon dual slate. The redshirt senior finished his conference dual career with a 20-3 SoCon mark, with all three of those losses coming during his sophomore campaign in 2009-10.

On Sunday, the Bulldogs trailed Duke 17-15 heading into the heavyweight bout. Delaney lifted The Citadel to the win, earning a 13-4 major decision over the Blue Devils’ Brian Self to clinch the team victory, 19-17.

In his second match of the day, Delaney squared off against No. 24 North Carolina’s Jake Barnhart. Delaney took an 11-4 decision, but The Citadel fell 27-9 to the Tar Heels. The win was the 117th of Delaney’s career, moving him into a tie for second place in school history.

The winner of 14 consecutive matches, Delaney is ranked 15th nationally by InterMat Wrestling and 13th in the NCAA coaches’ panel rankings.

Prior to this season, no SoCon wrestler had ever been named wrestler of the week three straight times, but The Citadel has now had two student-athletes pull off the feat this season. Delaney’s teammate Ugi Khishignyam took the weekly honor three consecutive times in December and January. The award originated with the 2000-01 season.

The Citadel (7-6, 5-2 SoCon) is idle until the SoCon Wrestling Championship, hosted by VMI in Lexington, Va., on March 9.

Also nominated: Nick Rex (Campbell), Anthony Elias (Davidson) and Jake Residori (SIUE).


2012-13 SoCon wrestlers of the week
Nov. 7    Nick Soto, Chattanooga
Nov. 14    Niko Brown, Chattanooga
Nov. 21    Odie Delaney, The Citadel
Dec. 5    Patrick Myers, SIUE
Dec. 12    Ugi Khishignyam, The Citadel
Dec. 19    Ugi Khishignyam, The Citadel
Jan. 3    Ugi Khishignyam, The Citadel
Jan. 9    Zack Strickland, Appalachian State
Jan. 16    Eric Montoya, Campbell
Jan. 23    Marshall Haas, The Citadel
Jan. 30    John Merickel, Campbell
Feb. 6    Odie Delaney, The Citadel
Feb. 13    Odie Delaney, The Citadel
Feb. 20    Odie Delaney, The Citadel
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