CLINTON, S.C. – Aside from a brief one-and-done within Southern Conference territory over one month ago that officially started the Presbyterian College men's wrestling team's league journey, the rest of the SoCon slate remains a mystery for the Blue Hose awaiting another busy afternoon on Sunday in the Templeton Center. PC will receive a two-for-one special on their home turf at the close of the weekend, welcoming both VMI and The Citadel to Clinton for back-to-back conference meetings beginning at noon.

Program director Mark Cody and co. have progressed through a two-week rest period after taking on Brown and Franklin & Marshall in a similar doubleheader back on January 5 before a segue into the F&M Open in Pennsylvania the following day. After grabbing a 25-15 victory over the Bears – the team's third head-to-head win of the season – Presbyterian submitted 13 competitors to the Diplomat-hosted tourney, translating to 19 total victories in eight different weight classes.

Among the recent highlights for the Blue Hose, the 174/184 tandem of Zach Wells and Cordel Duhart continue to bloom into larger roles for the squad, both holding a 7-4 personal record after being sidelined for the first month of the campaign. Wells and true freshman Reed Douglass both finished the F&M Open with a trio of wins to their credit, part of a seven-wrestler core that posted at least a pair of W's in the colossal bracket.

However, the focus on Sunday shifts back to dual play – a format that has given Presbyterian a 3-5 record thus far. Redshirt-junior Trenton Donahue (141) enters the weekend as the team-leader in dual victories (six), followed closely by Duhart (five) and a combined 12 head-to-head wins from Wells, sophomore Malcolm Wiley (197), and newbie Tyler Chittum (165) at four each.

Another case of PC's underclassmen depth, Chittum has emerged with the highest number of pinfalls (four) on the roster after scooping up three of them over his last appearance in Lancaster (one in a dual setting and two more in the multi-team event). The Blue Hose have received nine wins via pin when competing in a dual, hoping to bounce back from their lone SoCon loss at the hands of Davidson back on December 16 by a 26-7 clip.

The first obstacle to that intended recovery is the Keydets of VMI, a group that has scattered six dual victories in nine tries, although with an 0-1 league record akin to Presbyterian. Under the direction of head coach Jim Gibson, VMI's only SoCon bout prior to Friday night was a 30-9 defeat to Chattanooga in Lexington, a result that snapped a season-starting five-match winning streak. Three of those W's in that series were all by a 53-0 margin, heading to Appalachian State this evening after a 35-3 triumph against Sacred Heart in their last appearance.

While not taking part in as many duals as either the Blue Hose or the Keydets, The Citadel has trudged through the 2022-23 slate in a similar manner behind a 4-1 record (coincidentally, the only loss coming against a conference adversary). Beating Queens, Long Island, Truett McConnell, and Keiser by an average difference of 34 points, the Bulldogs saw their momentum slowed by Appalachian State last weekend, 34-6 in Charleston. Much like VMI, head coach Ryan LeBlanc's club still looks forward to one more league bout before visiting PC, traveling to Gardner-Webb on Friday night.

As the Blue Hose prepare for their second home appearance of the season and first of the new year, a live statistics link can be found below or at the top of this page.
 
PC vs. VMI / The Citadel Live Stats - https://www.trackwrestling.com/seasons/MainFrame.jsp?TIM=1674230731012&twSessionId=opqqmcbyru&loadBalanced=true&pageName=%2Fseasons%2FTeamSchedule.jsp