LOUISVILLE, Ky. — In its second dual in as many days, Bellarmine wrestling responded to a loss on Friday night with a comeback victory over The Citadel on Saturday evening at Knights Hall.
 
After falling behind 11-0, the Knights (11-3, 3-3 SoCon) rallied with 22 consecutive points and held on for a 22-14 win.
 
"This was an incredible performance by our men," Knights Head Coach Ned Shuck said.  "The guys had each other's backs. Sometimes things don't go as planned and you need someone to pick you up. Our men did that for each other, for the program, and for the university tonight."
 
The Citadel (6-5, 2-5 SoCon) had the early momentum with major decision victories at 125 and 133.  The Bulldogs nabbed another win by decision at 141, but then the scoring drought hit for the visitors.
 
Bellarmine's Zac Cowan battled into extra time to beat Ethan Willis 5-3 with a takedown at 149.  Tavius Hosley followed with a hard-fought 3-1 victory by decision at 157.  Cole Nance kept it rolling with BU's first extra points of the night, handling Aidan Lenz 10-2 for a major decision win at 165.  Devan Hendricks proceeded to beat Benjy Haubert at 174 by a final score of 2-1 thanks to a riding time point.
 
Following the 174 bout, Bellarmine led 13-11.  A massive swing occurred in the 184 match with Kennedy Wyatt besting Will Rogers 5-4.  Wyatt trailed by one point with just seconds remaining, but the freshman earned a takedown with one second remaining on the clock to win the bout and put BU ahead 16-11.
 
Royce Hall sealed the match at 197 with a third period pin of Mark Chaid (5:43), giving Bellarmine its final six points.  The Knights held on for a 22-14 win and moved evened its conference record at 3-3.
 
"I'm not sure how many, if any matches we were favored to win tonight, but our guys focused on what we preach in training, believed it, and executed with courage and tenacity," Shuck added.  "The Citadel is a well-coached team and well-prepared, so we feel great about the team win.  To turn around a team score from last year to this year shows how tough these guys are. I feel like God has blessed me tremendously with an incredible group of men that I get to hang with every day and share life. With 18 guys redshirting this year, I am really excited about our future as a program and for each of these guys' individual development. Let's Go Knights!"

Next, Bellarmine will compete in its final road dual of the season on Friday, Feb. 17 at Chattanooga.  Start time is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET (7:00 p.m. CT).

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125:  Blair Orr (Citadel) def. Jack Parker (BU), 10-0 by MD
133:  George Rosas (Citadel) def. Michael Schiffhauer (BU), 12-1 by MD
141:  Jacob Silka (Citadel) def. Chase Hall (BU),  5-1 by Dec
149:  Zac Cowan (BU) def. Ethan Willis (Citadel), 5-3 (SV-1)
157:  Tavius Hosley (BU) def. Anthony Allen (Citadel), 3-1 by Dec
165:  Cole Nance (BU) def. Aidan Lenz (Citadel), 10-2 by MD
174:  Devan Hendricks (BU) def. Benjy Haubert (Citadel), 2-1 by Dec
184:  Kennedy Wyatt (BU) def. Will Rogers (Citadel), 5-4 by Dec
197:  Royce Hall (BU) def. Mark Chaid (Citadel), Fall (5:43)
285:  Jonathan Chesser (Citadel) def. Thad Huff (BU), 7-0 by Dec
 
Extra (125):  Damion Ryan (BU) def. Malik Hardy (Citadel), 8-2 by Dec
Extra (165):  Grant O'Dell (BU) def. Brodie Porter (Citadel), 9-4 by Dec
Extra (285):  Ben Stemmet (Citadel) def. William Muckler (BU), 14-8 by Dec