Three Citadel wrestlers came home with hardware from the Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga this weekend, a showing that suggests the Bulldogs program is building the kind of depth needed to compete in the Southern Conference.

Carson DesRosier and Thomas Snipes each finished fourth in their respective weight classes at the two-day tournament, while Kyrel Leavell secured a sixth-place finish. In a tournament that draws programs from across the country, any podium finish counts as a statement.

The Southern Scuffle, hosted annually at the Chattanooga Convention Center, serves as an early-season measuring stick for programs looking to gauge their progress against national competition. For The Citadel, the results suggest improvement from a program that has worked to elevate its standing in recent years.

DesRosier has been a consistent performer this season, and his fourth-place showing confirms his trajectory heading into the heart of conference competition. Snipes matching that finish in a different weight class gives the Bulldogs two wrestlers capable of scoring points when it matters.

Leavell’s sixth-place finish rounds out a weekend that exceeded expectations for a program still building its roster. Every point scored at conference tournaments adds up, and having three wrestlers capable of reaching the podium at a competitive invitational bodes well for February’s Southern Conference Championships.

The Citadel wrestling program competes in the Southern Conference against programs including Campbell, Appalachian State, and Davidson. The conference tournament, held in late February, determines automatic qualifiers for the NCAA Championships.

The Bulldogs return to action in the coming weeks with dual meets against conference opponents. This weekend’s results in Chattanooga should boost confidence heading into a stretch of competition that will determine seeding for the conference tournament.

For a program working to establish itself among the Southern Conference’s best, three podium finishes at a national-level event represents exactly the kind of progress the coaching staff has been working toward.