Citadel wrestlers sweep ACC competition

There's a month left in The Citadel wrestling team's season, and by all accounts, this could be one of the best teams since the Bulldogs captured their lone Southern Conference crown in 1967.

Why the optimism?

The Citadel finished last season third in the league standings for only the seventh time in history, and fourth-year coach Rob Hjerling has the Bulldogs rolling this year. The Citadel thus far has swept its Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) competition with dual wins over Duke, North Carolina State and Virginia. As a result, The Citadel has already tied the school record for most wins in a season (10) and four dual matches remain (as of Jan. 28).

In addition to going 3-0 against ACC teams, The Citadel has posted dual wins over East Stroudsburg, Campbell, American, Franklin & Marshall, Carson-Newman, Anderson and SoCon rival Davidson. The team's defeats have come at the hands of Army and league power Appalachian State. "I'm real happy with the way the team has come together this year," says Hjerling. "This has been a real successful season thus far.

Citadel Bulldogs offer the only sanctioned wrestling in the barracks. Weather permitting, wrestlers will hold their February 15 match on the quad.

However, the most important time of the year is in March (and the Southern Conference Championships) and we can't lose focus and dwell on the things that we've done. There's much more that we set out to accomplish and that's what we are focusing on now."

Two cadets have stood out so far, with sophomore Sean Markey (Randolph, NJ) ranked 17th in the nation at the 133-lb. class and rookie Travis Piccard (Allendale, MI), at the 157-lb. class, is on track to break The Citadel record for most wins by a freshman. Markey, a runner-up in last year's SoCon Championships, is 28-6 overall with 13 pins. He is 10-1 in dual competition and 1-1 in the league.

Piccard, who entered The Citadel with a 202-3 high school record, owns a 23-10 overall record that includes a 9-2 mark in dual competition and a perfect 2-0 mark in the league.

The team's captains are senior brothers Vince Bartges and Troy Bartges (Goose Creek), junior Keith Clifton (Colleyville, TX) and Markey.

The Citadel competes in the All-Academy Championships in New London, CT, on February 1, which brings together all military college-oriented wrestling teams (Army, Navy, Air Force, VMI, Merchant Marine, Norwich, Coast Guard Academy and The Citadel).

The season concludes on March 8 with the Southern Conference championships, hosted by Appalachian State. If successful there, individuals from The Citadel could participate in the NCAA Championships, slated for March 20 in Kansas City.

This year's Citadel squad features a national look as eight of the team members hail from the Palmetto State. Four grapplers are from Michigan, three from Florida, two from Pennsylvania and one each from California, Georgia, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, Texas and Washington State.