Wrestling NCAA ACCtion: Saturday, March 21 - ACC OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE

March 21, 2009

NC State’s Caldwell wins national title at 149 pounds
Six ACC wrestlers earn All-America honors in NCAA Championships

ST. LOUIS – NC State’s Darrion Caldwell captured NC State’s fifth-ever individual national wrestling title with an impressive 11-6 win over defending national champion Brent Metcalf of Iowa in the 149-pound weight class finale at Saturday’s NCAA Championships.

Caldwell’s national title is the first by an Atlantic Coast Conference wrestler since 1995. The ACC nearly claimed a second national champion later in the evening, but Duke’s Konrad Dudziak suffered a tough 3-2 loss to Missouri’s Mark Ellis in the second sudden-victory period of the 285-pound title match.

Caldwell and Dudziak earned All-America status, which is awarded to the top eight finishers in each weight class. They were joined by Virginia’s Chris Henrich (174) and the Maryland trio of Steven Bell (133), Alex Krom (141) and Hudson Taylor (197) to give the ACC a total of six All-America honorees. Taylor also earned All-America honors in 2008.

Taylor matched last season’s third-place finish, winning a pair of matches Saturday against two of the nation’s best wrestlers. Krom went 1-1 on the day to finish fifth. Bell lost two matches on Saturday, but still finished sixth. Maryland’s 10th-place finish in the overall standings represented the best showing by an ACC team.

Henrich, who placed seventh at 174 pounds, became Virginia’s 10th All-American and the first since 2004. Maryland saw three wrestlers earn All-America honors for the third time after previously accomplishing the feat in 1964 and 1987.

Dudziak is the first Duke wrestler to earn All-America honors.

Caldwell, who improved to 38-1 with the decision, took Metcalf down just seconds into the match to take a 2-0 lead.

Metcalf escaped, but Caldwell got him in a headlock and threw him to the mat for the second takedown of the period, the first time Metcalf had been taken down twice in a period in more than a year. Metcalf escaped again near the end of the period and Caldwell took a 4-2 lead into the second period. Caldwell started in the down position in the second period, escaped, then scored a takedown on a counter move off a Metcalf shot to take a 7-2 lead.

Caldwell cruised from there. He got one more takedown in the third and led 9-3. Metcalf got an escape and a late takedown in the third period, but the issue was decided by that time.

The loss is only the second of Metcalf’s career and ended a 69-match winning streak. Metcalf’s other loss also was to Caldwell, who pinned him on Nov. 24, 2007. Metcalf finished the season 37-1.

Caldwell finished the season with a 10-match winning streak – six by major decision, one by technical fall and one by pin. Caldwell is NC State’s first All-American since 1996 (Mike Miller) and its first two-time All-American since 1992-93 (Sylvester Terkay).

Caldwell now has a career record of 95-12 with 50 pins.

Caldwell Dominates Metcalf to Win National Championship

The consensus heading into the championship round of the NCAA Wrestling Championships was that Iowa's Brent Metcalf was just plain unbeatable, that no one could stop him in his quest to repeat as champion at 149 pounds.

NC State's Darrion Caldwell apparently didn't get the memo.

Caldwell took the defending national champion down twice in the first period and was in control of the match throughout, defeating Metcalf 11-6 to become NC State's fifth national wrestling champion and its first since Sylvester Terkay in 1993. And the final score does not indicate just how one-sided the match was. Caldwell, who improved to 38-1 with the decision, took Metcalf down just seconds into the match to take a 2-0 lead.

Caldwell cruised from there. He got one more takedown in the third and led 9-3. Metcalf got an escape and a late takedown in the third period, but the issue was decided by that time. Following the match, as Caldwell began his victory celebration, Metcalf gave Caldwell a big shove and was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct, costing Iowa a valuable team point in its quest to repeat as team champions.

The loss is only the second of Metcalf's career and ended a 69-match winning streak. Metcalf's other loss also was to Caldwell, who pinned him on November 24, 2007. Metcalf finished the season 37-1.

With the victory over the heavily favored Metcalf, Caldwell made a strong case to be named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler. He won once by fall and three by major decision during the tournament, and allowed 12 points, all on escapes. He did not allow a takedown in the entire tournament. Counting the 7-1 lead he had when he pinned Penn's Cesar Grajales, Caldwell outscored his five opponents by a combined 52-12.

Dudziak Earns NCAA Runner-Up Honors

ST. LOUIS—After marching his way to the national title match, Duke University junior Konrad Dudziak lost a heart-breaking 3-2 triple overtime decision to second-seeded Mark Ellis of Missouri in the NCAA Wrestling Championship this evening at the Scottrade Center. The fifth-seeded Dudziak is the first Duke wrestler to advance to the finals and the first individual to earn All-America honors in Blue Devil history.

Dudziak and Ellis battled to a 0-0 draw after the opening three minutes. The pair fought hard and tried to make a move, but neither was able to get on the scoreboard.

Coming into the second period, Ellis chooses bottom to start. Dudziak appeared as if he was ready to put Ellis on his back before a blood timeout was called. Dudziak built up 41 seconds of riding time up to that point, as one minute of riding time in the end equals a point.

The Duke redshirt junior closes out his season with a 31-3 record. His 31 victories are tied for eighth all-time in Duke single-season history. He is now 61-16 for his career for a .792 win percentage, which is fifth all-time among Duke wrestlers.

Duke's Dudziak falls in final match... school's first All-American in wrestling

Story to follow...

Henrich Ends All-America Year with Seventh-Place NCAA Finish

Virginia wrestler Chris Henrich (So., Lansdale, Pa.) completed his All-America season Saturday morning with a 13-3 major decision over No. 2-seed Michael Cannon of American in the 174-pound seventh-place match at the NCAA Championships.

Henrich clinched All-America status yesterday, becoming the 10th All-American in Virginia history and the first since 2004 when Tim Foley and Scott Moore each claimed All-America honors. He went 4-2 this year at the championships.

He dominated Cannon on Saturday, jumping out to a 4-2 lead in the first period with two takedowns. He followed it up with an escape, another takedown and a three-point nearfall in the second stanza. He closed out the major decision with a two-point nearfall and a point for riding time in the third period.

Maryland Wrestling Finishes 10th at NCAA Championships

ST. LOUIS - The University of Maryland wrestling team capped the 2008-09 season with a bang Saturday, finishing in 10th place at NCAA Championships at Scottrade Center in St. Louis. It is the second-best NCAA finish in program history.

Maryland finished with 47.5 points, finishing ahead of the likes of traditional powerhouses Michigan, Northwestern, Minnesota, Oklahoma State and Penn State, among others. Iowa won its second straight team championship with 96.5 points.

Although Hudson Taylor (197 pounds), Alex Krom (141 pounds) and Steven Bell (133 pounds) all clinched all-American status Friday, the trio wrestled for final placement Saturday. Taylor matched last season's third-place finish, winning a pair of matches against two of the nation's best wrestlers. Krom went 1-1 on the day to finish fifth and Bell lost two matches, but still finished sixth.

It is the third time in program history that Maryland has produced three all-Americans in one season and the first time since 1987.