March 22, 2008

Maryland's Taylor Is An All-American, Guarantees At Least Sixth Place Finish At NCAA Championships

Sophomore Hudson Taylor has become Maryland's first wrestling All-American since 1997 and has guaranteed himself at least a sixth place finish at the 2008 NCAA Championships at Scottrade Center on March 21. Taylor will face top-seeded Josh Glenn of American on Saturday morning for the right to wrestle in the third place match later in the day. The Terrapins sit in 24th place as a team with 19.5 points.

Taylor is the Terps' first All-American since Jim Guzzio earned the honor in 1997 in the 134-pound weight class. He finished fifth that year at the championships.

Caldwell Earns All-America, Falls In Semifinals At Wrestling Nationals

Darrion Caldwell's quest for a national championship will have to wait another year. Caldwell dropped an exciting, back-and-forth 12-8 decision to Penn State's Bubba Jenkins in the 149-pound semifinals Friday night at the NCAA Wrestling Championships. Jenkins won the bout with a takedown and near fall in the final 10 seconds of the third period.

The loss, which snapped a 19-match winning streak for Caldwell, dropped the NC State sophomore into the wrestlebacks, where he will face Michigan's Josh Churella on Saturday morning. Caldwell and Churella met previously at the Las Vegan Invitational, a bout Caldwell won by major decision, 12-3. If Caldwell wins that match he will wrestle for third place Saturday afternoon. If he loses to Churella, he will wrestle for fifth place.

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. Caldwell, is now 35-4 for the season.

Caponi, Henrich End Run at NCAA Championships

The Virginia wrestling team wrapped up its record-setting season Friday at the 2008 NCAA Championships at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. Chris Henrich (Fr., Lansdale, Pa.) and Rocco Caponi (Jr., Uniontown, Ohio) each competed for Virginia Friday and were eliminated from the championships. The Cavaliers ended the evening session in 40th place in the team competition with seven points.

Dobies Ousted From NCAAs After Winning Three Straight

North Carolina junior heavyweight Justin Dobies won his first match Friday at the 2008 NCAA Wrestling Championships but suffered a 5-3 loss to 12th-seeded Mark Ellis of Missouri and was eliminated in the fourth round of the consolation bracket at the Scottrade Center. Dobies ends his season with a career-best 32-8 record.