Dec. 2, 2007

NC State's Caldwell Takes Championship At Las Vegas Invitational

LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Sophomore 149-pounder Darrion Caldwell defeated his third top-10 opponent in a week's time Saturday, his second in a span a few hours, to win the individual 149-pound championship at the 2007 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Caldwell, ranked No. 6 in the latest NCWA coaches poll, won the championship with an 8-6 decision over third-ranked J.P. O'Connor of Harvard. Earlier in the day, Caldwell routed second-ranked Josh Churella of Michigan with a 12-3 major decision.

Caldwell rolled through the tournament's first three rounds on Friday, pinning Sean Flynn of the College of New Jersey in 74 seconds, than winning a 4-1 decision over No. 19 Cesar Grajales of Penn and a 4-2 decision over Ryan Etherton of Nebraska-Kearney. Caldwell is now 13-1 for the 2007-08 season with seven pins and five victories over ranked opponents.

North Carolina's Mueller Takes Third At Cliff Keen Invitational

LAS VEGAS, Nev. - North Carolina junior Keegan Mueller won four matches Saturday complete a run through the consolation bracket to earn a third-place finish at 165 pounds at the 2007 Cliff Keen Invitational at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Mueller was joined as a place-winner by sophomore Dennis Drury, who claimed eighth place at 197.

Following a 4-1 record Friday, Mueller opened Saturday's action with a 4-1 decision over Daniel Atondo of Cal State Bakersfield. He followed with a 6-3 decision against Chris Jones of Missouri Valley and then added a 7-6 victory over Edinboro's Jarrod King to move into the third-place bout. Third-ranked Pat Pitsch of Arizona State, who defeated Mueller Friday in the round of 16, then defaulted to give Mueller the third-place finish. After an 8-1 weekend in Las Vegas, Mueller now sports a 12-3 record on the season.

Hokies Conclude Competition at Las Vegas Open

LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Members of the Virginia Tech wrestling squad wrapped up competition Saturday at the 26th Annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, held at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Eric Decker and Nick Murray were the only two Tech grapplers to advance to the second day with Decker winning enough matches to take seventh place.

For the tournament, Decker (ranked 18th and seeded 11th) went 4-2 at 174 pounds, placing seventh. The sophomore from Wells Bridge, N.Y., got a default victory over Tyler Berhacchi of Cal-Davis in his final match. He is now 9-3 on the year.

Barone, Degli Obizzi And Nuding Pick Up Titles At Davidson Open

DAVIDSON, N.C. -- In the final meet of the first segment of their season, the Duke wrestling team had a strong showing at the Davidson Open on Saturday. Seven wrestlers placed in the top four, and three of those seven won outright titles in their weight classes. To add to the strong showings, redshirt sophomore John Barone broke the record for the fastest fall in the program's history with an 11-second pin at 184 pounds.

Barone continued his stellar season at 184 pounds at Davidson, going 4-0 with three pins and one major decision on his way to his second championship of the season. He is 19-1 on the year with six falls and a 54-17 career record at Duke. That mark translates to a .761 winning percentage, which ranks ninth on the all-time Duke list. In Barone's first bout, he broke an 18-year-old school record when he pinned Mike Walsh of Limestone College in a mere 11 seconds.

Redshirt sophomore Wade Van Sickle had a solid day, picking up his third top-three finish of 2007 when he placed second with three wins on Saturday as a heavyweight. Van Sickle is 17-5 this season with three falls and a career 39-29 record as a Blue Devil.