Hawkeyes capture 22nd NCAA title; Caldwell stuns Metcalf
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by Craig Sesker
ST. LOUIS - The Iowa Hawkeyes won their 22nd NCAA team title on Saturday night, but a wrestler from North Carolina State stole the show.
And he did it by knocking off one of the best wrestlers to ever wear a Hawkeye singlet.
N.C. State junior Darrion Caldwell delivered one of the most stunning upsets in the 79-year history of the NCAA Championships when he shocked Hodge Trophy winner Brent Metcalf of Iowa 11-6 in the 149-pound finals. Caldwell scored four takedowns in the win.
"Metcalf's a great wrestler and I knew he was going to come at me hard," Caldwell said. "There was nothing he was going to do to take this national title from me. He's tough, but he's human. It's just a wrestling match. It wasn't like he had a gun and I had a knife."
Top-ranked Iowa won the team title without an individual champion on Saturday before 17,345 fans at the Scottrade Center. The Hawkeyes finished with 96.5 points. Sixth-ranked Ohio State was a close second with 92 points. No. 3 Iowa State was third with 84.5 points and No. 4 Nebraska was fourth with 78.5 points.
Iowa was the first team since 2001 to win the team title without an individual champion. Minnesota won the team title in 2001 without a finalist, but the Gophers had 10 All-Americans.
"We battled a lot of adversity, but a lot of good things happened for us in this tournament. A lot of good things," said Iowa coach Tom Brands, who won his second straight NCAA title in his third year as Hawkeye head coach. "I don't know how we did it, I don't how we did it. If you would've asked me last night, I would have had trouble believing we were only 3.5 points out of first.
"This is a tribute to the heart and toughness of our guys. Those first three matches in the consolation semis this morning were huge for us. Those guys really battled."
The third-seeded Caldwell came out aggressively, scoring two quick, early takedowns to stun the No. 1 Metcalf. The second takedown was a headlock and sent a message that Caldwell was serious about upsetting the returning NCAA champion. Caldwell also kept Metcalf on the mat, racking up well over a minute of riding time in the match.
Caldwell caught and pinned Metcalf with a spladle early last season. It was Metcalf's only college loss until Saturday night. Metcalf, a junior, won by technical fall over Caldwell in the all-star match at the beginning of this season.
Caldwell ran away from Metcalf in the closing seconds of the match and Metcalf shoved Caldwell as he was trying to execute a celebratory backflip. Caldwell then dropped to his knees in the middle of the mat to punctuate the shocking and improbable win. His victory snapped Metcalf's 69-match winning streak. He was named Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament.
One team point was deducted from Iowa for unsportsmanlike conduct after the 149 match.
"I'm not going to win just because I'm Brent Metcalf and because I wrestle hard," Metcalf said. "That's not enough."
The normally relentless Metcalf appeared to uncharacteristically wear down at points during the match with the aggressive Caldwell.
"He took me down twice early and he rode me a little bit," Metcalf said. "I just didn't wrestle the way I typically wrestle and that's where I failed."
Said Caldwell: "I think I broke him a little bit during the match. I could hear him moaning. I could tell he was tired just like I was. His fuel was going down. I just had to stay in good position in the third period. I had a five-point lead going into the third period and I knew I was going to win."
Ohio State was shooting for its first NCAA team title. The Buckeyes have been second in this event the past two seasons.
Ohio State senior J Jaggers capped his career in perfect fashion by winning his second straight NCAA title at 141. The third-seeded Jaggers dominated No. 8 seed Ryan Williams of Old Dominion 10-4 in the finals.
"This is unbelievable, especially after how I struggled early in the year and with how people doubted me," Jaggers said. "Last year, people said I was a one-hit wonder. I think this proves you don't stumble onto two national championships."
Northwestern's Jake Herbert won a battle of national champions at 184, downing Ohio State's Mike Pucillo 6-3 in the 184 finals. Herbert won the title at 184 in 2007 before taking an Olympic redshirt last year. Pucillo won the 184 crown in 2008. Herbert finished unbeaten.
"I did what I needed to do and it was a hard-fought match," Herbert said. "He made me work for it. He made me come at him and he made me win that match. It wasn't like he was going to roll over. He's a great wrestler."
Nebraska junior Jordan Burroughs won the rugged 157 class, scoring takedowns in the first and third periods to down Illinois senior Mike Poeta 5-1. The top-seeded Burroughs became the first Nebraska wrestler to finish a season undefeated. The No. 2 Poeta also was second in this event in 2008.
"Getting that first takedown was huge for me and leading 2-0 going into the second period for big for me," Burroughs said. "He had to come after me. I'm at my best on my feet and I knew it was going to be tough for him to come back."
Two-time NCAA runner-up and No. 2 seed Jake Varner of Iowa State racked-up 1 minute, 19 seconds of riding time in earning a 2-1 win over No. 1 seed Craig Brester of Nebraska in the 197 finals. Brester beat Varner in the Big 12 finals.
"Coming up short makes you want it more, especially taking second two years in a row," Varner said. "It just makes you want to get back out there and it makes you want to train harder."
Top seed Franklin Gomez of Michigan State exploded in on leg attacks to score takedowns in the second and third periods of a 5-4 win over No. 2 Reece Humphrey of Ohio State in the 133 finals. Humphrey scored a reversal in the closing seconds, but could not secure back points.
"Winning this is a great experience for me," said Gomez, a junior. "I just had to stay in good position and keep wrestling tough. I couldn't stop."
In the 174 finals, Michigan's Steve Luke improved on last year's runner-up finish by beating Central Michigan's Mike Miller 8-4 in the title bout.
"When you're a little kid watching the NCAAs on TV you think, 'Wow, I want to do that,'" Luke said. "You think one day you want to be up on that stage in the finals. I just didn't want to be up on that stage losing, like I did last year. It feels good to go out with a win."
Cornell junior Troy Nickerson avenged a loss from the 2007 NCAA semifinals with a 2-1 overtime win over Edinboro senior Paul Donahoe at 125.
The second-seeded Nickerson picked up a penalty point when the top-seeded Donahoe locked his hands in the first 30-second tiebreaker. Nickerson then rode Donahoe out in the second 30-second period to earn the win. Donahoe won an NCAA title for Nebraska in 2007.
Nickerson wrestled injured for much of the season with a shoulder problem. He said he likely will need surgery in the offseason.
"It was definitely a difficult season," Nickerson said. "There was a time this year when I was hurt and out of the lineup where Coach (Rob) Koll and I had a heart-to-heart discussion about whether I should even be wrestling. I was nervous and scared, but at the same time I decided to wrestle because we knew our team had a chance to do something special this season. All the agony and pain of the last three months, it's definitely worth it now."
Edinboro's Jarrod King edged true freshman Andrew Howe of Wisconsin 3-2 in the 165 finals. King was seeded 12th and Howe second.
"I don't think the seeds matter much," King said. "My goal the entire time was to be a national champion, no matter if I was the top seed, no seed or whatever."
In the heavyweight finals, Missouri's Mark Ellis scored a reversal in the second 30-second tiebreaker to edge Duke's Konrad Dudziak 3-2 in the finals.
"If it wasn't for (Missouri assistant coach) Ben Askren, there's no way I would be here and be a national champ," Ellis said. "He pushed and pushed and never let me walk away. Even in practice and workouts, he never let me quit. This is my dream come true."
The 10 champions crowned on Saturday were from 10 different schools.
The 2010 NCAA Championships will be held at the Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb.
Saturday night's finals results
125 pounds
2-Troy Nickerson (Cornell) dec. 1-Paul Donahoe (Edinboro), 2-1 TB1
133 pounds
1-Franklin Gomez (Michigan State) dec. 2-Reece Humphrey (Ohio State), 5-4
141 pounds
3-J Jaggers (Ohio State) dec. 8-Ryan Williams (Old Dominion), 10-4
149 pounds
3-Darrion Caldwell (North Carolina State) dec. 1-Brent Metcalf (Iowa), 11-6
157 pounds
1-Jordan Burroughs (Nebraska) vs. 2-Mike Poeta (Illinois), 5-1
165 pounds
12-Jarrod King (Edinboro) dec. 2-Andrew Howe (Wisconsin), 3-2
174 pounds
1-Steve Luke (Michigan) dec. 7-Mike Miller (Central Michigan), 8-4
184 pounds
1-Jake Herbert (Northwestern) dec. 3-Mike Pucillo (Ohio State), 6-3
197 pounds
2-Jake Varner (Iowa State) dec. 1-Craig Brester (Nebraska), 2-1
285 pounds
2-Mark Ellis (Missouri) dec. 5-Konrad Dudziak (Duke), 3-2 TB2
And he did it by knocking off one of the best wrestlers to ever wear a Hawkeye singlet.
N.C. State junior Darrion Caldwell delivered one of the most stunning upsets in the 79-year history of the NCAA Championships when he shocked Hodge Trophy winner Brent Metcalf of Iowa 11-6 in the 149-pound finals. Caldwell scored four takedowns in the win.
"Metcalf's a great wrestler and I knew he was going to come at me hard," Caldwell said. "There was nothing he was going to do to take this national title from me. He's tough, but he's human. It's just a wrestling match. It wasn't like he had a gun and I had a knife."
Top-ranked Iowa won the team title without an individual champion on Saturday before 17,345 fans at the Scottrade Center. The Hawkeyes finished with 96.5 points. Sixth-ranked Ohio State was a close second with 92 points. No. 3 Iowa State was third with 84.5 points and No. 4 Nebraska was fourth with 78.5 points.
Iowa was the first team since 2001 to win the team title without an individual champion. Minnesota won the team title in 2001 without a finalist, but the Gophers had 10 All-Americans.
"We battled a lot of adversity, but a lot of good things happened for us in this tournament. A lot of good things," said Iowa coach Tom Brands, who won his second straight NCAA title in his third year as Hawkeye head coach. "I don't know how we did it, I don't how we did it. If you would've asked me last night, I would have had trouble believing we were only 3.5 points out of first.
"This is a tribute to the heart and toughness of our guys. Those first three matches in the consolation semis this morning were huge for us. Those guys really battled."
The third-seeded Caldwell came out aggressively, scoring two quick, early takedowns to stun the No. 1 Metcalf. The second takedown was a headlock and sent a message that Caldwell was serious about upsetting the returning NCAA champion. Caldwell also kept Metcalf on the mat, racking up well over a minute of riding time in the match.
Caldwell caught and pinned Metcalf with a spladle early last season. It was Metcalf's only college loss until Saturday night. Metcalf, a junior, won by technical fall over Caldwell in the all-star match at the beginning of this season.
Caldwell ran away from Metcalf in the closing seconds of the match and Metcalf shoved Caldwell as he was trying to execute a celebratory backflip. Caldwell then dropped to his knees in the middle of the mat to punctuate the shocking and improbable win. His victory snapped Metcalf's 69-match winning streak. He was named Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament.
One team point was deducted from Iowa for unsportsmanlike conduct after the 149 match.
"I'm not going to win just because I'm Brent Metcalf and because I wrestle hard," Metcalf said. "That's not enough."
The normally relentless Metcalf appeared to uncharacteristically wear down at points during the match with the aggressive Caldwell.
"He took me down twice early and he rode me a little bit," Metcalf said. "I just didn't wrestle the way I typically wrestle and that's where I failed."
Said Caldwell: "I think I broke him a little bit during the match. I could hear him moaning. I could tell he was tired just like I was. His fuel was going down. I just had to stay in good position in the third period. I had a five-point lead going into the third period and I knew I was going to win."
Ohio State was shooting for its first NCAA team title. The Buckeyes have been second in this event the past two seasons.
Ohio State senior J Jaggers capped his career in perfect fashion by winning his second straight NCAA title at 141. The third-seeded Jaggers dominated No. 8 seed Ryan Williams of Old Dominion 10-4 in the finals.
"This is unbelievable, especially after how I struggled early in the year and with how people doubted me," Jaggers said. "Last year, people said I was a one-hit wonder. I think this proves you don't stumble onto two national championships."
Northwestern's Jake Herbert won a battle of national champions at 184, downing Ohio State's Mike Pucillo 6-3 in the 184 finals. Herbert won the title at 184 in 2007 before taking an Olympic redshirt last year. Pucillo won the 184 crown in 2008. Herbert finished unbeaten.
"I did what I needed to do and it was a hard-fought match," Herbert said. "He made me work for it. He made me come at him and he made me win that match. It wasn't like he was going to roll over. He's a great wrestler."
Nebraska junior Jordan Burroughs won the rugged 157 class, scoring takedowns in the first and third periods to down Illinois senior Mike Poeta 5-1. The top-seeded Burroughs became the first Nebraska wrestler to finish a season undefeated. The No. 2 Poeta also was second in this event in 2008.
"Getting that first takedown was huge for me and leading 2-0 going into the second period for big for me," Burroughs said. "He had to come after me. I'm at my best on my feet and I knew it was going to be tough for him to come back."
Two-time NCAA runner-up and No. 2 seed Jake Varner of Iowa State racked-up 1 minute, 19 seconds of riding time in earning a 2-1 win over No. 1 seed Craig Brester of Nebraska in the 197 finals. Brester beat Varner in the Big 12 finals.
"Coming up short makes you want it more, especially taking second two years in a row," Varner said. "It just makes you want to get back out there and it makes you want to train harder."
Top seed Franklin Gomez of Michigan State exploded in on leg attacks to score takedowns in the second and third periods of a 5-4 win over No. 2 Reece Humphrey of Ohio State in the 133 finals. Humphrey scored a reversal in the closing seconds, but could not secure back points.
"Winning this is a great experience for me," said Gomez, a junior. "I just had to stay in good position and keep wrestling tough. I couldn't stop."
In the 174 finals, Michigan's Steve Luke improved on last year's runner-up finish by beating Central Michigan's Mike Miller 8-4 in the title bout.
"When you're a little kid watching the NCAAs on TV you think, 'Wow, I want to do that,'" Luke said. "You think one day you want to be up on that stage in the finals. I just didn't want to be up on that stage losing, like I did last year. It feels good to go out with a win."
Cornell junior Troy Nickerson avenged a loss from the 2007 NCAA semifinals with a 2-1 overtime win over Edinboro senior Paul Donahoe at 125.
The second-seeded Nickerson picked up a penalty point when the top-seeded Donahoe locked his hands in the first 30-second tiebreaker. Nickerson then rode Donahoe out in the second 30-second period to earn the win. Donahoe won an NCAA title for Nebraska in 2007.
Nickerson wrestled injured for much of the season with a shoulder problem. He said he likely will need surgery in the offseason.
"It was definitely a difficult season," Nickerson said. "There was a time this year when I was hurt and out of the lineup where Coach (Rob) Koll and I had a heart-to-heart discussion about whether I should even be wrestling. I was nervous and scared, but at the same time I decided to wrestle because we knew our team had a chance to do something special this season. All the agony and pain of the last three months, it's definitely worth it now."
Edinboro's Jarrod King edged true freshman Andrew Howe of Wisconsin 3-2 in the 165 finals. King was seeded 12th and Howe second.
"I don't think the seeds matter much," King said. "My goal the entire time was to be a national champion, no matter if I was the top seed, no seed or whatever."
In the heavyweight finals, Missouri's Mark Ellis scored a reversal in the second 30-second tiebreaker to edge Duke's Konrad Dudziak 3-2 in the finals.
"If it wasn't for (Missouri assistant coach) Ben Askren, there's no way I would be here and be a national champ," Ellis said. "He pushed and pushed and never let me walk away. Even in practice and workouts, he never let me quit. This is my dream come true."
The 10 champions crowned on Saturday were from 10 different schools.
The 2010 NCAA Championships will be held at the Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb.
Saturday night's finals results
125 pounds
2-Troy Nickerson (Cornell) dec. 1-Paul Donahoe (Edinboro), 2-1 TB1
133 pounds
1-Franklin Gomez (Michigan State) dec. 2-Reece Humphrey (Ohio State), 5-4
141 pounds
3-J Jaggers (Ohio State) dec. 8-Ryan Williams (Old Dominion), 10-4
149 pounds
3-Darrion Caldwell (North Carolina State) dec. 1-Brent Metcalf (Iowa), 11-6
157 pounds
1-Jordan Burroughs (Nebraska) vs. 2-Mike Poeta (Illinois), 5-1
165 pounds
12-Jarrod King (Edinboro) dec. 2-Andrew Howe (Wisconsin), 3-2
174 pounds
1-Steve Luke (Michigan) dec. 7-Mike Miller (Central Michigan), 8-4
184 pounds
1-Jake Herbert (Northwestern) dec. 3-Mike Pucillo (Ohio State), 6-3
197 pounds
2-Jake Varner (Iowa State) dec. 1-Craig Brester (Nebraska), 2-1
285 pounds
2-Mark Ellis (Missouri) dec. 5-Konrad Dudziak (Duke), 3-2 TB2
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