The wrestling team will pay homage to the men and women who serve our country as it hosts The Citadel tonight at 7 p.m. on Military Appreciation Day. In honor of the United States military, Major General Karl Horst of the U.S. Joint Forces Command and Lieutenant Colonel Kenneth Ratashak of the N.C. State ROTC will serve as honorary team captains for the match.
Having grown up in Virginia Beach, coach Carter Jordan said he developed a high esteem for individuals serving in the military and had many close friends and family members in the service.
“I’m really excited about the whole environment,” Jordan said. “I grew up in Virginia Beach and been surrounded by military my whole life. All of my friends and family were in the military when and have an admiration for anyone involved in serving our country.”
With a bevy of military personnel on hand as well as those showing their support, Reynolds Coliseum will undoubtedly be infused with a special kind of energy. Sophomore heavyweight Eloheim Palma said he expects the crowd to be lively and hopes the team can show how much it appreciates the men and women in service.
“The cheering from the crowd always get us more excited and hyped,” Palma said. “Plus, seeing that there are going to be a lot of military guys, I’m sure they’ll get in to it and appreciate what we do. So is just a way of showing that we appreciate what they do too.”
The Citadel (7-10) poses a tough matchup for the Pack (8-9), according to Jordan. The Bulldogs are led by Turtogtokh Luvsandorj, the No. 6-ranked wrestler in the 165-lb. weight class, who is 34-6 this season.
All-American Darrion Caldwell, the No. 1 wrestler in the 149-lb. weight class, looks to keep his record perfect as he squares off against The Citadel’s Derek Royster. The other two members of what has become known as ‘death row’ – redshirt juniors Darrius Little (24-8) and Colton Palmer (25-10) – will face off against the Bulldogs’ Jordan Dix (8-16) and Pierre Frazile (14-14), respectively.
After breaking State’s record for most wins by a freshman heavyweight (23), Palma has experienced a bit of a sophomore slump, suffering close defeat after close defeat. Palma currently carries an 11-10 record and said he is working harder than ever despite suffering a slight regression from last season.
“This year, I’ve definitely experienced something I never have before in my whole life,” Palma said. “But I’m proud to say that I’m still pushing. I haven’t lost any motivation. If anything, I’ve gained from it. There’s light at the end of the tunnel and I just have to keep pushing.”
Building momentum to take into the ACC Championships will be something both Palma and the Wolfpack will be focused on as they seek to pay tribute to the military by winning. But Jordan admitted that although the team is talented, every wrestler must perform their best for the Pack to win.
“We’re not good enough to win when we’re wrestling at anything but our best,” Jordan said. “We’re just not. They know that. So they have to be at their best to win those individual matches. We have to be at our best in every dual [match] in order to win.”
