Charleston, S.C. - The Citadel grapplers took home their first team victory of the 2008-09 season. The Citadel wrestling team tallied an impressive 28-6 victory over the Crusaders from Belmont Abbey.

The Bulldogs jumped out to an early 15-0 lead as J.C. Oddo, Kelby Smith, Odie Delaney and Aaron Brown each came away victorious against the Crusaders. Brown won by fall in 2:05 in the first round against Belmont Abbey’s Alex Dinelli in his first victory of the 2008-09 season. Decision wins by Oddo, Smith, and Delaney earned three points each, adding to the Bulldog’s team score.

“For a young team, in the first meet of the year, our guys wrestled really well tonight,” stated head coach Rob Hjerling. “The guys showed great effort and tonight’s match-ups gave us some good opportunities to see what we did well on as well as the areas where we need to work, technique wise.”

Six of The Citadel's grapplers earned their first collegiate career victories as Bulldogs. 133-pound freshmen, Pierre Frazile had his first career win, with a 6-4 decision over Belmont Abbey’s Colby Yates, adding three points to the Bulldog's team score. The Citadel’s 141-pound grappler Derek Royster notched a bonus point on the scoreboard for the Bulldogs, with his 9-1 major decision win over the Crusader's Jake Calvin.

The final points for the Bulldogs were earned by freshmen David Ivanschenko, with a 7-0 decision over Ross Patterson, followed by teammate Justin Sparrow with his first career win as a Bulldog, in a 9-3 decision over the Crusader's Chris Maclafferty.

Wrestling action will continue throughout the weekend as the Bulldogs host the annual Citadel Open. The tournament will begin Saturday at 10 a.m. in McAlister Field House located on The Citadel’s campus. The finals are projected to begin around 4:30 p.m. The Citadel Open allows freshmen and sophomores from all over to compete and gain valuable experience before the 2008-09 season gets underway.

For results from this weekend’s action and complete coverage of Bulldog Wrestling, visit the official home of The Citadel Athletics at www.CitadelSports.com.

Results
The Citadel 28, Belmont Abbey 6
125: Chris Neiderermeier (BA) Dec. Tyler Sim (Cit), 6-0
133: Pierre Frazile (Cit) Dec. Colby Yates (BA), 6-4
141: Derek Royster (Cit) M. Dec Jake Calvin (BA), 9-1
149: David Ivanschenko (Cit) Dec. Ross Patterson (BA), 7-0
157: Justin Sparrow (Cit) Dec. Chris Maclafferty (BA), 9-3
165: Nick Rees (BA) Dec. Keith Koziel (Cit.), 10-6
174: J.C. Oddo (Cit.) Dec. Adam Phillips (BA), 5-2
184: Kelby Smith (Cit.) Dec. Jerami Bartley (BA), 3-2
197: Odie Delaney (Cit.) Tim Stanton (BA), 9-3
HWT: Aaron Brown (Cit) Pin Alex Dinelli (BA) 2:05