The Citadel Athletics

Rob Hjerling is in his 18th year as the head coach at The Citadel and has seen his wrestlers reach lofty heights during his successful tenure.

Three Bulldog wrestlers have garnered spots on the All-America team the past two years after claiming only one such distinction in the prior history of the program. Turtogtokh Luvsandorj finished sixth at the 2014 NCAA Championships, capping off a career which saw him earn his second Southern Conference Wrestler of the Year award while setting a school record with 135 wins.

Luvsandorj was one of five wrestlers to qualify for nationals last spring, tied for the most in a single meet in school history. The 165-pound Luvsandorj was joined in Oklahoma City by Ugi Khishignyam (141), Matt Frisch (149), Aaron Walker (157) and Marshall Haas (197).

The Citadel finished with a record of 11-3 and placed second at the conference tournament, helping Hjerling earn SoCon Coach of the Year honors for the second time in his career, having also claimed the award in 2004. He enters the 2014 campaign with a record of 122-114-4 and has coached 33 NCAA qualifiers.

In 2013 the Bulldogs sent three wrestlers to nationals with two coming home with All-America status. Khishignyam became the highest finisher at the NCAA Meet with a fourth-place showing while Odie Delaney took seventh.

The 2012 campaign saw two grapplers win SoCon titles while the team finished second. Delaney captured three wins at nationals, falling just one shy of All-American status, while Luvsandorj and Kelby Smith also had successful runs at the NCAA Championships.

One of the best individual seasons in school history came in 2011 as Hjerling guided Luvsandorj to the highest ranking in program history. Then a sophomore, Luvsandorj ascended into the top 10 in all of the major national polls, returned to the NCAA Championships for a second consecutive season and earned SoCon Wrestler of the Year honors.

Highlighting the season was a second place finish at the All-Academy Championships, which took place in Charleston, and Luvsandorj and Smith earned titles. The Bulldogs took fourth place at the SoCon Championships and placed six wrestlers.

The 2010 season saw the Bulldogs finish strong, winning eight of their final 10 dual meets of the season to post a 9-6 record. The late surge also propelled them to a second place finish at the SoCon Championships, their highest since 2005. Delaney moved up to heavyweight and won a league title as did Luvsandorj at 157 as a true freshman.

Following a pair of rebuilding seasons in 2007 and 2008, Hjerling returned The Citadel to the upper echelons of the SoCon, posting a record of 9-6-1 in 2009 including three victories in league matches. The Bulldogs hosted the SoCon Championships and had seven individual placers with Delaney winning the title at 197, becoming the second true freshman to qualify for nationals.

The Citadel finished fourth at the SoCon Tournament in both 2007 and 2008 and the former season featured a nationally-ranked wrestler in Travis Piccard, who was invited to the All-Star Classic.

Hjerling guided the 2006 squad to a historical season as Dan Thompson became the first All-American in Bulldog history by placing seventh at 165. Thompson also won the SoCon title to lead The Citadel to a third place finish. Sean Markey joined Thompson at nationals at 141, earning an at-large bid by finishing second in the league and being named the SoCon Wrestler of the Year.

The 2006 campaign marked the seventh straight year The Citadel sent wrestlers to the NCAA Championships and sixth with multiple qualifiers.

The 2004 season saw the Bulldogs match their highest winning percentage with a record of 13-3 (.813) on their way to the school’s first SoCon title since 1967. Hjerling’s grapplers included conference champions Ryan McClester (125), Dan Thompson (157), Keith Clifton (174) and Billy Linane (HWT), while Sean Markey (133) earned one of the leagues at-large bids to give The Citadel five wrestlers at nationals. McClester was named the SoCon Wrestler of the Year.

The Citadel also had a record of 13-3 and winning percentage of .813 in 2003, Clifton (184) and Linane (HWT) won SoCon championships and six others finished in the top three. The season was capped when four Bulldogs headed to the NCAA Meet, and Markey and Piccard were ranked as high as 18th and 19th in the nation, respectively.

In 2002 the Bulldogs scored the most points at a conference meet since winning the title in 1967 and went 10-7 in dual matches for their best record since 1991. The Citadel had five finalists with one SoCon champion and NCAA qualifier. The previous year there were two conference finalists, one SoCon champion and two NCAA qualifiers, and the team was ranked 16th in the National Wrestling Coaches Association’s Academic Top 25.
   
Hjerling joined The Citadel staff for the 1999-00 season after spending the previous year as an assistant at George Mason, where he helped the Patriots to a runner-up finish in the Colonial Athletic Association while coaching four NCAA qualifiers.  

He was an assistant at his alma mater, American University, from 1996-98, coaching five NCAA qualifiers during those two seasons. He got his start in coaching at Manheim Township (Pa.) High School as an assistant coach during the 1995-96 campaign.
   
As a senior at American, Hjerling posted a 28-4 overall record, captured the Colonial Athletic Association championship at 158, garnered CAA Most Outstanding Wrestler honors and earned a berth in the NCAA Championships. He completed his wrestling career with 69 victories.
   
Hjerling has three sons, Séamus, Liam and Fintan.