Caldwell, Goodman Still Battle For All-America Status

Courtesy: NC State Darrion Caldwell barely broke a sweat in pinning his first two opponents at the NCAA Wrestling Championships on Thursday.

By Jeff Breese
Special to gopack.com

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – After day one of the 2008 NCAA Wrestling Championships, two NC State wrestlers remained in contention for All-America finishes. Darrion Caldwell (149) reached the quarterfinals with victories in his first two bouts, while Ryan Goodman (184) went 1-1 on the day to remain alive in the consolation bracket.

Caldwell advanced to the quarterfinals with a pair of first-period pins, his 22nd and 23rd pins of the season and his 19th and 20th first-period pins. Caldwell improved to 34-3 on the season, and heads into the quarterfinals having won 18 matches in a row.

In the opening round, Caldwell avenged a previous loss by pinning Mike Roberts of Boston University. Caldwell picked up an early takedown and immediately went to work on top. He locked Roberts in a cradle and pinned him in 2:26. Caldwell previously lost to Roberts by fall with two seconds remaining in the bout in the first round of the Southern Scuffle back on December 29.

Caldwell spent even less time on the mat in the second round, pinning Brandon Carter of Central Michigan in 43 seconds, Caldwell’s ninth pin in the first minute of a match this season. Caldwell’s quarterfinals opponent will be Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota. Schlatter owns a national title and is a returning third-place finisher.

Goodman won his opening round match 12-10 over Jesse Strawn of Old Dominion, building an early lead and holding on as Strawn made a late push in the third period. The second round was not as kind to Goodman, who dropped a 14-1 major decision to the second seed, Mike Pucillo of Ohio State. Goodman will face the winner of an elimination match between Philip Bamberger of Penn State and fifth-ranked Josh Weitzel of Oklahoma.

Both Caldwell and Goodman will continue their quest NCAA hardware on Friday at 10 a.m.