Air Force Tops Citadel in Yorktown Wrestling Dual
Air Force beat The Citadel 29-12 on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier Yorktown, while Purdue defeated Air Force in a separate match that day.
Updated on Nov. 8, 2026 in Wrestling
Air Force defeated The Citadel 29-12 in a wrestling dual held on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier Yorktown, as The Citadel opened its 2026-27 season against No. 27 Air Force. The Citadel's Citadel-Purdue dual was postponed due to anticipated inclement weather and rescheduled for Sunday.
Why it matters
The result leaves The Citadel at 0-1 to start the season, while Air Force drops to 1-1 after a loss to Purdue later in the same event. The weather postponement shows how conditions can reshape a college wrestling schedule on short notice.
Gylon Sims (125 lbs) won by decision 5-4 over Bradley Patterson, Jacob Silka (157 lbs) won by decision 6-0 over Anders Kittleson, and Owen Hendricks (174 lbs) won by fall over Michael Avelar in 4:06 for The Citadel's wins in the dual. Air Force was ranked No. 27 entering the opener.
The players
The Citadel
The Citadel is a public military college in Charleston, South Carolina, whose wrestling program competes in NCAA Division I.
Air Force
The U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, whose wrestling team competes in NCAA Division I.
Purdue University
Purdue University is a public research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, whose wrestling program competes in NCAA Division I.
The details
The Citadel's three wins came from Sims, Silka and Hendricks, while Air Force's lineup took the remaining weight classes. Purdue defeated Air Force 30-12 in a separate match on the Yorktown, earning seven match wins and five bonus-point victories.
Timeline
Saturday, November 7, 2026 (early afternoon): Air Force defeated The Citadel 29-12 at Yorktown.
Saturday, November 7, 2026 (early evening): The Citadel-Purdue dual was postponed due to weather.
Sunday, November 8, 2026, 10:15 a.m.: The rescheduled Citadel-Purdue dual is set to begin.
Season Trajectory
The 0-1 start for The Citadel and the 1-1 mark for Air Force set early records in a dual-meet season that rewards consistent team scoring across weight classes. Purdue's 2-0 start positions it early in the national-level standings for the 2026-27 season.
Fans tracking The Citadel's season will need to note the rescheduled Sunday dual against Purdue, since the weather postponement shifts that match out of the original Saturday window. Anyone following the 2026-27 Air Force and Purdue wrestling results should also account for Purdue's 2-0 start and Air Force's 1-1 record.
The takeaway
Dual-meet records can shift quickly when weather forces a schedule change, so checking the rescheduled time is worth doing before following a team's next match.
What happens next
The Citadel and Purdue are scheduled to meet in their rescheduled dual on Sunday, November 8, 2026, at 10:15 a.m.
Further reading
For more college wrestling coverage, see Wrestling on the Wisevoter sports section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Post and Courier.
