(please note - an error in the original scoring did not give Delaware Valley credit for a pin in one of the matches. Those bonus points moved the Aggies into third place)

FORT LAUDERDALE (FL) – Delaware Valley College senior Emmanuel Ajagbe defeated the top-ranked wrestler in Division III and a nationally-ranked Division II foe on Sunday as he captured the 149-pound title and helped the 30th-ranked Aggies place third out of 12 teams at the Citrus Invitational.

Delaware Valley racked up 114 points at the two-day tournament that featured a number of nationally-ranked Division II and III teams. Division II Upper Iowa University (ranked fourth) took the team crown with 166 points while second-ranked Division III school Augsburg College followed with 144 points. Cornell College, ranked 18th in Division III, was fourth with 111.5 points while North Carolina Pembroke, ranked 20th in Division II, rounded out the top five with 105 points.

Ten Delaware Valley grapplers placed in the top eight with Ajagbe leading the way. Ajagbe entered the weekend with a 12-1 record, a pair of tournament titles and a number four ranking in the latest Division  III coaches' poll. He won a pair of matches on Saturday to set up a meeting with number one Will Keeter of Augsburg in Sunday's semifinals. Ajagbe was on the attack from the beginning and registered a 6-2 triumph to advance to the finals.

In the finals, Ajagbe met Division II nationally-ranked Jordan Rinken of Upper Iowa and had another 6-2 decision for the tournament title and a possible number one ranking in the next poll which comes out on January 7 (Ajagbe and the Aggies do compete at the North-South Duals at Ursinus College two days prior to the next poll).

Returning All-American Charlie Frankel wrestled just six matches prior to the Citrus Invitational, but was at full strength for the tournament and it showed with a second-place finish at 125 pounds. He won his first four matches, including his first three by fall, to reach the finals. Frankel then dropped a 12-5 decision to fourth-ranked Mike Fuenffinger of Augsburg.

Delaware Valley had two third-place finishers in Pat Davis (133) and nationally-ranked Aaron Karns (197). Davis went 5-1 at the tournament, including a victory over teammate David Davidson in the consolation finals. Karns, ranked fifth in Division III, won four of five matches with his lone setback coming to Division II third-ranked Carl Broghammer of Upper Iowa in the semifinals.

Davidson went 3-2, en route to his fourth-place showing at 133 pounds while James Dugan also won three of five and took fourth in the 157-pound bracket. Trenton Clifford posted a 5-2 mark and placed fifth at 133. Dallas Winston went 2-1 but had to injury default and wound up sixth at 174 pounds. Connor Gabriel rounded out the placewinners by going 3-2 and claiming the seventh spot at 184 pounds.