April 26, 2006

Oklahoma City, Okla. - Since the phone never rang from a Division I coach, Dan Thompson had no definite plans for college. But he knew it would be with best friend, Travis Piccard.

So when Piccard said he was going to The Citadel, in Charleston, S.C., Thompson didn't hesitate to join. It's a long way from Howard City, Mich., but it was a decision that paid off - for all parties.

The two had wrestled together from age four. Thompson won three state titles in Class AAA for Howard City, Mich. and Piccard did the same for Allendale, the town next door - 20 miles from Grand Rapids. Piccard beat Thompson at 145 as a senior handing him his only loss in three years.

Despite his success, Thompson's recruiting was limited to a sniff from Michigan State. When The Citadel wrestled Central Michigan during their senior campaign, the two drove over. They met with coach Rob Hjerling and assistant Jeff Ragan and were sold.

Four years later, Thompson finished the toughest climb a Bulldog wrestler has ever taken. Onto the awards stand for seventh place at 165 pounds in the NCAA Wrestling Championships in Oklahoma City March 18 becoming the school's first All-American.

Like all incoming freshman with an impressive high school resume, Thompson learned quickly.

"In high school you can make mistakes; in college people make you pay for them," said Thompson. "You can't come back from 5-0.

"Coach Hjerling is the best. He saw my style and helped mold me. He worked with me on my feet, showed me how to scramble and use my athletic ability. You need to know where you are on the mat and how to get yourself into position to score."

The long hours, in and out of the wrestling room, began to bare fruit. In Hjerling's inaugural season, 1999-2000, they went 2-11-2, 1-4. Two years ago, the Bulldogs won the Southern Conference (13-3, 5-0) for the first time since 1967 and qualified five for nationals with four conference champions. A first-year starter at (157), Thompson went 0-2 at nationals. Limited by injuries, he took third in the conference last year and saw Piccard come up four points short of making All-American. Tuning up his training regimen, Thompson won conference and came in with a winning mindset.

"Seeing what Travis did pushed me that much more over the summer. I wanted to prove someone from The Citadel could do it," said Thompson. "I felt I could wrestle with anyone in the country."

He didn't sneak in the back door, either. First he beat No. 10 seed Pat Pitsch of Arizona State 10-4. Next up was No. 7 seed Troy Letters of Lehigh, a NCAA champion and three-time All-American. Thompson reversed Letters and stuck him with a form of half nelson called The Citadel 'career ender' at 2:09.

Then came Oklahoma State's two-time national champion Johny Hendricks. A takedown with an inside trip and reversal pulled Thompson to 5-4 after the second period. Hendricks got two takedowns in the third for a 9-6 decision.

But he would bounce back. In the wrestlebacks he drew Illinois' No. 9 Mike Poeta. He took Thompson down and put him to his back midway through the second period to tie the match at six. Thompson escaped in the third period and held off Poeta for a 7-6 decision advancing to the All-America round. After Edinboro's Deonte Penn pinned Thompson in the first period, he proved his mettle with an 8-3 decision over Iowa's Eric Luedke for seventh.

It was a watershed mark for The Citadel's program. One that Hjerling and his staff were anxiously awaiting.

"Talking with some of the other coaches they said the first one is always the hardest," said Hjerling, a Lancaster, Pa. native and American University graduate.

The Citadel's story has a David vs. Goliath element. Ragan, an All-American at Oklahoma State, joined the staff in 2000. They beefed up their schedule and went after prospective recruits up the East Coast, in the Midwest and throughout the South. The Bulldogs finished in the middle of the pack at Las Vegas, the Southern Scuffle and Virginia Duals.

Being apart of the sport's richest program, Ragan was elated after Thompson's achievement.

"At Oklahoma State you took things for granted," said Ragan. "You had the best of everything: facilities, recruiting budget, the top kids in the country in the room. But at The Citadel you appreciate what you have that much more.

"There are a lot of great programs that have come out of nowhere. Here you have a chance to be a part of something that's never happened before - and that's priceless. We've fought tooth and nail to get here. We have great coaching, you can train here and still compete with the best.

"With the schedule we have, Dan's gone against a lot of guys at Nationals. He got some momentum going and just wrestled a great tournament.

"He's a strong, athletic kid. He earned everything. He could have sat back in the last match, but he stepped it up.

"Our conference is getting tougher every day; we're not in the shadows anymore."