Charleston, S.C. -- The Citadel wrestling team dominated the grapplers from Gardner-Webb on Feb. 24 in the final dual match of the 2008-09 season.
The Bulldogs started with an early 18-0 lead as the team from Gardner-Webb decided to forfeit three of the ten matches. In the 125-pound match Tyler Sim defeated Gardner-Webb's Cortney Roberts, 11-5, to earn three points for the team score. Fellow Bulldog Pierre Frazile won the 149-pound match over Austin Reece, 9-5.
The Citadel wrestler Keith Koziel battled back and forth with Gardner-Webb's Thomas Knapp in the 157-pound match. Koziel came away with a 12-6 win. Bulldog grappler J.C. Oddo dominated in the 174-pound match-up pinning Blake Salyer in 1:59 making the team score 33-0 with three matches left in the meet.
True Freshman Kelby Smith faced Gardner-Webb's Jonathon Velasquez in an exciting match at 184-pound. The match was tied 8-8 with less than thirty seconds on the clock. Smith earned a one point escape in the final seconds of the match winning, 9-8. The Citadel's 197-pound Odie Delaney used the team's momentum to dominate Gardner-Webb's Randall Herring pinning him in 1:01.
Going into the final match of the night, The Citadel had a team score of 42-0. Red-shirt Senior Aaron Brown competed in his final dual match of his collegiate career to close out the competition. In the heavyweight match, Gardner-Webb's Dustin Porter was able to takedown Brown in overtime for a 3-1 decision. The Citadel was able to defeat Gardner-Webb in their final dual meet of the 2008-09 season, 42-3.
The Citadel wrestling team will return to action on Mar. 7 as they host the 2009 Southern Conference Wrestling Championships in McAlister Field House. For complete results from the meet against Gardner-Webb and all news on The Citadel Wrestling and Bulldog Athletics visit www.CitadelSports.com.
