Feb. 25, 2004

Boiling Springs, NC - With the SoCon regular season championship in hand, No. 25 The Citadel downed Gardner-Webb 23-15 in collegiate wrestling action Tuesday night. The Citadel improved its overall record to 13-3 and 5-0 in the Southern Coference. The 13 wins for the Bulldogs ties a team record set in 2003.

The action started in the 125-pound weight class as The Citadel's Ryan McClester dominated early to grab the 10-2 lead after two periods. Jonathan Neal opened the final period with an escape and followed it up with a takedown and near fall to climb back to within three at 10-7. Neal remained in control for the rest of the match, but could not score any more points. McClester got a point for riding time and claimed the 11-7 win, giving The Citadel a quick 3-0 edge. McClester is ranked No. 21 in the nation, and now leads all grapplers in the 125-pound division with 36 wins. After No. 28 Sean Markey climbed into second in the nation for 133-pounders with his 33rd win of the season, GWU's Justin Lansley scored a 7-6 decision over Nolan Roggenkamp to draw the Bulldogs to within 7-3. The wrestlers entered the final period knotted at 5-5 but Lansley scored a reversal to grab the 7-5 lead and held on for the 7-6 win.

The Citadel went on to claim a major decision at 149 and a pin fall at 157 to extend its lead out to 17-3.

The Runnin' Bulldogs refused to give in and showed their heart over the final five matches of the night. Sheldon Sisk controlled his match at 165 against Mike Martinez and took the 7-4 decision.

With GWU trailing 17-6, Erik Wince took the mat in front of the home Gardner-Webb crowd for the final time in his career. Not only did Wince need a win to keep Gardner-Webb in the match, but he needed a win to finish his career with a perfect record at home. Wince came through in convincing fashion, pinning the No. 15 rated wrestler in the174 division, Keith Clifton, in just one minute and 24 seconds. Wince's win brought the crowd to its feet, and GWU back to within striking distance at 17-12. With 24 wins, Wince is now just one win shy of tying for ninth in the nation for wins in the 174-pound class.

Brandon Beach kept the pressure on with his 10-5 decision at 184, drawing GWU even closer at 17-15. Beach seemingly cruised to his fifth win in his last six matches by taking each of the first two periods 3-2. Beach then outscored John Dickerson 3-1 in the final frame and tacked on a point for riding time for the 10-5 final.

At 197, GWU's Brent Blackwell and The Citadel's Jordan Everett faced off, knowing the winner would give his team the lead heading into the 285 match. Both wrestlers left everything on the mat, battling through all three periods and four overtime periods before Everett finally pulled out the 4-3 decision to give The Citadel a secure 20-15 lead heading into the final match of the night. Billy Lilane sealed the win for The Citadel with his 3-0 decision over Titus Phile at 285.

Next up for the Bulldogs will be the Southern Conference Tournament on March 6 in Charlottesville, VA.

RESULTS

No. 33 The Citadel Def. Gardner-Webb, 23-15

125- (Citadel) Ryan McClester 11-7 dec. over Jonathan Neal, 0-3

133- (Citadel) Sean Markey 10-1 Major Dec. over Josh Pniewski, 0-7

141- (GWU) Justin Lansley 7-6 dec. over Nolan Roggenkamp, 3-7

149- (Citadel) Travis Piccard 13-2 Major Dec. over Daniel Elliott, 3-11

157- (Citadel) Dan Thompson 2:07 pin of Adam Glaser, 3-17

165- (GWU) Sheldon Sisk 7-4 dec. over Mike Martinez, 6-17

174- (GWU) Erik Wince 1:24 pin of Keith Clifton, 12-17

184- (GWU) Brandon Beach 10-5 dec. over John Dickerson, 15-17

197- (Citadel) Jordan Everett 4-3 (4 ot) dec. over Brent Blackwell, 15-20

285- (Citadel) Billy Linane 3-0 dec. over Titus Phile, 15-23