LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Bellarmine wrestling will kick off the new year with some stiff competition at a pair of tournaments this weekend, sending squads to the Southern Scuffle and Soldier Salute January 3-4.

The Knights have regularly attended both events under head coach Ned Shuck. The Southern Scuffle, hosted by SoCon foe Chattanooga, will take place in McKenzie Arena with action starting at 9 am E.T. both days. Bellarmine is one of 27 schools competing in the event, joining Chattanooga along with other SoCon opponents Appalachian State, Campbell, The Citadel, Davidson, Gardner-Webb and Presbyterian. There are also five schools ranked in the NWCA Coaches' Poll entering the event in Penn State (1), Oklahoma State (5), Virginia Tech (7), N.C. State (9) and Cornell (20).

In last year's event, grad student Daulton Mayer (285) and redshirt sophomore AJ Rallo (141) led the way for the Knights with podium finishes. Mayer placed eighth in the heavyweight division while Rallo took seventh at 141.

The Soldier Salute will take place at the Xtream Arena in Coralville, IA with action on the mat beginning at 11 am E.T. on Saturday, January 3 and 12 pm E.T. on Sunday, January 4. Bellarmine will join a strong field of 13 schools at the event, including fellow SoCon member VMI. There are also eight schools in the field ranked in the NWCA Coaches' Poll in Iowa State (3), Iowa (4), Oklahoma State (5), South Dakota State (8), Minnesota (11), North Carolina (13), Northern Iowa (16) and Missouri (18).

Last year, four Knights earned placements in their respective weight classes with Mayer leading the group with a fifth-place finish at 285. Devan Hendricks was second on the team with a seventh-place finish at 184, followed by redshirt junior Keenan Wyatt (184) and Jack Parker (125) with eighth-place finishes.

Bellarmine returns to the mat this weekend for the first time since winning the Kent State Holiday Classic Open on December 20.

Results from both events this weekend can be found at FloWrestling.org.

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