North Carolina State University Athletics
Caldwell Earns All-America, Finishes 5th At Wrestling Nationals
3/21/2008 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Darrion Caldwell's quest for a national championship will have to wait another year. NC State's sophomore sensation 149-pounder wrapped up fifth place at the NCAA Wrestling Championships on Saturday when he defeated Harvard's J.P. O'Connor by medical default. The victory over O'Connor was Caldwell's second of the season and his sixth victory of 2007-08 over a wrestler ranked in the national top 10. Earlier on Saturday, Caldwell lost a chance to wrestle for third place when he dropped a 6-1 decision to Michigan's Josh Churella.
Caldwell's fifth-place finish propelled NC State to 27th in the team standings heading into Saturday night's championship round.
Caldwell fell into the wrestlebacks after dropping an exciting, back-and-forth 12-8 decision to Penn State's Bubba Jenkins in the semifinals Friday night. Caldwell led 8-7 with 11 seconds remaining in the bout, but Jenkins got a takedown on a single-leg shot, then put Caldwell on his back for a near fall. The five-point flurry just beat the buzzer and sent Jenkins in the championship bout Saturday night.
Caldwell advanced to the semifinals on Friday after getting an early first-period takedown and amassing more than two minutes of riding time in a 4-1 decision over second-seeded Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota.The final score did not indicate how thoroughly Caldwell dominated the match.The victory over Schlatter assured Caldwell of All-America status for 2008. He is NC State’s first wrestling All-American since Mike Miller in 1996.
Ryan Goodman, NC State's other participant in the NCAA Champinships, dropped his second match in as many days Friday, losing 4-0 to fifth-seeded Josh Weitzel of Oklahoma. Goodman finished his season with a 16-8 record.
