Bulldog Wrestling Hosts Duke in Dual Meet Friday Night

Meet Notes

Charleston, S.C. - The Citadel Wrestling team returns to action this Friday, Jan. 6, as the Bulldogs host Duke in a dual meet at the McAlister Field House starting at 7:00 p.m. Both schools return to the mat after competing in the Southern Scuffle last weekend in Chattanooga, Tenn.

ABOUT THE BULLDOGS
The Bulldogs (1-3, 0-0 SoCon) return to the McAlister Field House tonight as they host the Blue Devils of Duke. Tonight's dual meet is the first action for The Citadel since they competed in the Southern Scuffle hosted by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga on Jan. 1-2. It was the fourth tournament of the season as they also took part in the Hokie Open, the Navy Classic and the Nittany Lion Open. Tonight's matchup with the Blue Devils is The Citadel's second-straight dual against Atlantic Coast Conference competition, as the Bulldogs defeated North Carolina State 19-18 on Dec. 17.

ABOUT DUKE
The Blue Devils kick off their 2011-12 dual match schedule at The Citadel tonight. The senior leadership for Duke will come at 149 pounds and heavyweight from A.J. Guardado and Andrew Fulk, respectively. Guardado is 10-6 overall for the year and took second at the Davidson Open. Fulk returns after an early season injury and is 2-4 overall on the year.

ALL-TIME VS. THE BLUE DEVILS
The Citadel trails in the all-time series against Duke, 10-28-3. However, the Bulldogs have won the last six duals against Duke, including last season's 31-9 victory in Durham, N.C. The last time The Citadel fell to the Blue Devils was Jan. 13, 2001, a 19-15 defeat in Raleigh, N.C.

LAST MEETING
Last year, The Citadel raced out to a 25-0 lead at Duke and never looked back as the Bulldogs won 31-9. The 22-point win over the Blue Devils tied the record for the largest margin of victory over Duke for The Citadel. The Bulldogs also won by 22 points when they earned a 25-3 decision on Feb. 12, 1962 in Durham. The 31 points also tied for the most points scored against the Blue Devils with the squad that won 31-16 on Jan. 24, 2004.

January 11, 2011 - The Citadel 31, Duke 9
125: Richard Alarcon (CIT) wins via forfeit
133: Tyler Sim (CIT) pinned Nick Adamo (DUKE), 2:54
141: Jordan Dix (CIT) dec. Mike Bell (DUKE), 12-9
149: Derek Royster (CIT) dec. Andrew Guardado (DUKE), 8-3
157: Pierre Frazile (CIT) dec. Chris Mullen (DUKE), 11-5
165: #9 Turtogtokh Luvsandorj (CIT) major dec. Willy Mello (DUKE), 12-4
174: Brett Klopp (DUKE) dec. #32 J.C. Oddo (CIT), 10-4
184: Justin Sparrow (CIT) pinned Diego Bencomo (DUKE), 1:49
197: Brian Self (DUKE) dec. Kelby Smith (CIT), 2-1 
HWT: Andrew Fulk (DUKE) dec. Luke Johnson (CIT), 10-4

NATIONALLY RANKED BULLDOGS
Junior Turtogtokh Luvsandorj has remained in the national rankings over the last several weeks (No. 15 by W.I.N, No. 16 by WrestlingReport.com, No. 17 by D1CollegeWrestling.net and No. 18 by InterMat Wrestling). Redshirt-junior Odie Delaney entered the WrestlingReport.com rankings at No. 29.

WHAT TO WATCH

• At 197 pounds, Kelby Smith and Brian Self will face off in a rematch of their bout at the Southern Scuffle last weekend. Smith captured the opening-round match with a 5-1 overtime victory to send Self into the consolation bracket.
• Duke's 2011 NCAA quarterfinalist Diego Bencomo to the returns to the lineup. Bencomo did not compete in the first semester of the season and will line up at 184 pounds in search of his 56th career victory.

Saturday's Probable Starters
The Citadel (1-3) vs. Duke (0-0)
125: Richard Alarcon (9-11) vs. Peter Terrezza (13-8) 
133: Kyle Casaletto (11-7) vs.Brandon Gambucci (15-5) or Nick Adamo (0-0)
141: Jordan Dix (10-12) vs. Tanner Hough (13-4) 
149: David Ivashchenko (3-10) vs. AJ Guardado (10-6) 
157: Pierre Frazile (11-10) vs. Immanuel Kerr-Brown (17-7) 
165: Mike Harper (1-10) vs. Ryan Harding (14-10)
174: #18 Turtogtokh Luvsandorj (14-7) vs. Randy Roden (10-9) 
184: Jack Duane (5-9) vs. Diego Bencomo (0-0) 
197: Kelby Smith (17-6) vs. Brian Self (4-6) 
HWT: Odie Delaney (8-2) vs. Andrew Fulk (2-4) 

A recap and results will follow the dual meet. For more information on Bulldog Wrestling, visit the official website of The Citadel Athletics at www.CitadelSports.com.

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