Wrestling Looks to Rebound Against VMI on Sunday

Charleston, S.C. – After dropping their Southern Conference opener to Appalachian State by a razor-thin 21-19 margin Friday night, The Citadel wrestling team returns to action Sunday, Jan. 22, as the Bulldogs host Virginia Military Institute in a dual meet at the McAlister Field House starting at 2:00 p.m.

About The Bulldogs
The Bulldogs enter this afternoon's dual with a 4-7 overall record after dropping their SoCon opener to Appalachian State Friday night by a 21-19 score. No. 18 Turtogtokh Luvsandorj, No. 19 Odie Delaney, Kelby Smith, Kyle Casaletto and Seth Vernon posted victories for The Citadel in the loss.

About Virginia Military Institute
VMI enters today's dual meet with a 4-6 overall record and a 2-1 mark in the Southern Conference. On Friday, after a back-and-forth dual match in the early going, the VMI wrestling team pulled out a 22-15 decision over Gardner-Webb in SoCon action, giving the Keydets a second-straight win for the first time this season.

What To Watch For

• With a win in today's dual match, The Citadel head coach Rob Hjerling will record his 100th victory at the helm of the Bulldog program. Hjerling currently has a 99-103-4 overall dual meet mark.
• Luvsandorj, Delaney and Smith all have posted seven-match winning streaks coming into today's dual.

All-Time vs. the Keydets
The Citadel leads the all-time series against VMI, 19-12. The Bulldogs have each of the last four meetings, including last season's 27-13 victory in Lexington, Va.

LAST MEETING: January 29, 2011
The Citadel 27, VMI 13
125: Richard Alarcon (CIT) pinned Charles Gray (VMI), 4:14
133: Tyler Sim (CIT) dec. Luke Todd (VMI), 6-2
141: David Yost (VMI) dec. Jordan Dix (CIT), 3-1
149: Derek Royster (CIT) tech fall Jacob Barton (VMI), 6:11
157: Mike Burnett (VMI) dec. Nick LaFevre (CIT), 3-2
165: #6 Turtogtokh Luvsandorj (CIT) pinned Ted Gottwald (VMI), 1:24
174: Matt Brock (VMI) dec. #31 J.C. Oddo (CIT), 4-2
184: Justin Sparrow (CIT) dec. John Dommert (VMI), 6-4
197: Kelby Smith (CIT) major dec. Josh Phillips (VMI), 15-5
HWT: #13 Josh Wine (VMI) major dec. Luke Johnson (CIT), 10-2

Delaney Named SoCon Wrestler of the Week
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.

Nationally Ranked Bulldogs
Turtogtokh Luvsandorj has remained in the national rankings over the last several weeks at No. 14 by W.I.N, No. 18 by Wrestling Report, No. 18 by D1 College Wrestling and No. 18 by InterMat. After his 5-0 performance last weekend, Odie Delaney entered several rankings, including No. 17 by D1 College Wrestling, No. 18 by Wrestling Report, No. 19 by Intermat and No. 20 by W.I.N.

Sunday's Probable Starters (with InterMat rankings)

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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