North Carolina State University Athletics
Wrestling Finishes 25th Nationally, Looks To Bright Future
3/27/2008 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
RALEIGH, N.C. Darrion Caldwell’s fifth-place finish and All-America status at the NCAA Wrestling Championships had both immediate and long-range implications for the NC State wrestling program.
For the short term, Caldwell became NC State’s first All-American since Mike Miller in 1996. Even more important, Caldwell’s run through the tournament lifted NC State to a 25th-place finish, its highest since the 1993 team finished seventh at the national tournament, the highest finish in school history. Since then, only the 1996 team (29th) has managed to crack the top 40. Until this year.
“It’s been a long, hard road to get back into the top 25,” Wolfpack coach Carter Jordan said. “It’s a great feeling, but we still have a long way to go and a lot of work left to do before we get to where we want to be, which is to be one of the elite wrestling programs in the country.”
In the bigger picture, Caldwell’s emergence this season as one of the national favorites at 149 pounds should be a harbinger of good things to come for Wolfpack wrestling. Caldwell was only a sophomore in 2007-08. At 36-5 with 23 pins, he had a record-shattering season for the Pack, setting school records for victories and pins by a sophomore. He fell just four shy of tying the school record of 27 pins in a season, set in 1991-92 by Sylvester Terkay. With 33 career pins already, Caldwell ranks third in school history, trailing only Terkay (64 pins from 1990-93) and Tab Thacker (54 pins from 1981-84). At 56-11 for his career, Caldwell has a .836 winning percentage, fourth best in school history, and at his current pace will break into the school’s top 10 list for career victories before his junior season is over.
Caldwell is only one man, however, and what excites Jordan the most is that the cast surrounding Caldwell should improve significantly in 2008-09. Rising senior 141-pounder Joe Caramanica will be back for his final season after a disappointing conclusion to his junior campaign. Caramanica finished the year 30-6 and was ranked in the national top 10 for the bulk of the season, but a knee injury at the ACC Championships cost him a shot at the NCAA Championships, where he would have been a legitimate All-America candidate. Caramanica brings a 73-25 career record into his final season.
Ryan Goodman, a two-time ACC champion and two-time Most Outstanding Wrestler at the ACC Championships, returns for his senior season. Goodman is a three-time NCAA qualifier, twice at 197 pounds, and then at 184 in 2007-08.
Former ACC champion Kody Hamrah will return from a redshirt season in 2008-09. Hamrah, the 2005 ACC Rookie of the Year and the 2006 ACC champion at 157 pounds, has a 48-21 record for his career and will be a senior next season.
“We were a young team this year, but we’ll have a talented, veteran core next year,” Jordan says. “It was a calculated gamble redshirting Kody this season, but it should pay off. With Goodman, Hamrah and Caramanica, we’ll have strong senior leadership, and Darrion will be a junior and a returning All-American.”
Taylor Cummings, 20-15 at 125 pounds and the 2007 ACC champion at that weight, will be a junior next year. Darius Little (12-13 at 133), Colton Palmer (7-11 at 149, 157 and 165) and Bobby Isola (14-16 at heavyweight) all return next season. Freshman 125-pounder Mike Moreno, who redshirted this season, will vie for a spot in the lineup next season, and incoming freshman Jacob Burge could be a factor in the middle weights as a true freshman.
“When Darrion reached the national semifinals last week, I can’t tell you the feeling it gave me, the hunger to take this program to another level,” Jordan said. “We definitely took a step in that direction this year, but it’s just a first step. But I feel really positive about where the program is now and the direction we’re headed.”
For the short term, Caldwell became NC State’s first All-American since Mike Miller in 1996. Even more important, Caldwell’s run through the tournament lifted NC State to a 25th-place finish, its highest since the 1993 team finished seventh at the national tournament, the highest finish in school history. Since then, only the 1996 team (29th) has managed to crack the top 40. Until this year.
“It’s been a long, hard road to get back into the top 25,” Wolfpack coach Carter Jordan said. “It’s a great feeling, but we still have a long way to go and a lot of work left to do before we get to where we want to be, which is to be one of the elite wrestling programs in the country.”
In the bigger picture, Caldwell’s emergence this season as one of the national favorites at 149 pounds should be a harbinger of good things to come for Wolfpack wrestling. Caldwell was only a sophomore in 2007-08. At 36-5 with 23 pins, he had a record-shattering season for the Pack, setting school records for victories and pins by a sophomore. He fell just four shy of tying the school record of 27 pins in a season, set in 1991-92 by Sylvester Terkay. With 33 career pins already, Caldwell ranks third in school history, trailing only Terkay (64 pins from 1990-93) and Tab Thacker (54 pins from 1981-84). At 56-11 for his career, Caldwell has a .836 winning percentage, fourth best in school history, and at his current pace will break into the school’s top 10 list for career victories before his junior season is over.
Caldwell is only one man, however, and what excites Jordan the most is that the cast surrounding Caldwell should improve significantly in 2008-09. Rising senior 141-pounder Joe Caramanica will be back for his final season after a disappointing conclusion to his junior campaign. Caramanica finished the year 30-6 and was ranked in the national top 10 for the bulk of the season, but a knee injury at the ACC Championships cost him a shot at the NCAA Championships, where he would have been a legitimate All-America candidate. Caramanica brings a 73-25 career record into his final season.
Ryan Goodman, a two-time ACC champion and two-time Most Outstanding Wrestler at the ACC Championships, returns for his senior season. Goodman is a three-time NCAA qualifier, twice at 197 pounds, and then at 184 in 2007-08.
Former ACC champion Kody Hamrah will return from a redshirt season in 2008-09. Hamrah, the 2005 ACC Rookie of the Year and the 2006 ACC champion at 157 pounds, has a 48-21 record for his career and will be a senior next season.
“We were a young team this year, but we’ll have a talented, veteran core next year,” Jordan says. “It was a calculated gamble redshirting Kody this season, but it should pay off. With Goodman, Hamrah and Caramanica, we’ll have strong senior leadership, and Darrion will be a junior and a returning All-American.”
Taylor Cummings, 20-15 at 125 pounds and the 2007 ACC champion at that weight, will be a junior next year. Darius Little (12-13 at 133), Colton Palmer (7-11 at 149, 157 and 165) and Bobby Isola (14-16 at heavyweight) all return next season. Freshman 125-pounder Mike Moreno, who redshirted this season, will vie for a spot in the lineup next season, and incoming freshman Jacob Burge could be a factor in the middle weights as a true freshman.
“When Darrion reached the national semifinals last week, I can’t tell you the feeling it gave me, the hunger to take this program to another level,” Jordan said. “We definitely took a step in that direction this year, but it’s just a first step. But I feel really positive about where the program is now and the direction we’re headed.”
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