Darrion Caldwell knocks off Olympian Doug Schwab as Day 2 of World Team Trials kicks off
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by Michael Carnes
Darrion Caldwell (in blue) battles Doug Schwab on Sunday morning. Photo by Larry Slater.
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa - Beating big names is becoming old hat for Darrion Caldwell.
Caldwell pulled off an epic upset earlier this year when the North Carolina State junior dominated Hodge Trophy winner Brent Metcalf of Iowa to win the 149-pound title at the NCAA championships.
Now he can add a 2008 Olympian to his list of upsets.
Wrestling his first freestyle match since finishing fifth at 152 pounds in the 2006 Junior Nationals, Caldwell beat 2008 Olympian and fourth-ranked Doug Schwab (1-0, 2-1) to advance into Sunday afternoon's semifinal round against Brian Stith.
After the match, Caldwell was excited to beat a former Olympian.
"He's last year's Olympian and I just wanted to go out there and see where I was and see if I can compete with the best," he said. "The way I'm wrestling right now, I feel like I'm really confident."
Caldwell, a two-time NCAA All-American and three-time New Jersey high school state champion, came into the tournament ranked 10th in the nation and was seeded sixth in a bracket that includes Metcalf and Brian Stith, Caldwell's semifinal opponent. The winner of the challenge bracket will face Trent Paulson in Sunday night's best-of-three championship.
"I knew, whoever I went up against, it would be someone really tough," Caldwell said. "I'm not really worried about the seeds, though. I just want to go out and wrestle my match, regardless of who my opponent is."
While a lot of those in the Mid-America Center are anxious about a possible rematch between Caldwell and Metcalf, Caldwell first must take care of the third-ranked Stith in this afternoon's semifinals.
"I haven't wrestled him, but I've done some scouting and I have a good idea how he wrestles," he said. "If I can stay on my 'A' game, I think I can compete with him.
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa - Beating big names is becoming old hat for Darrion Caldwell.
Caldwell pulled off an epic upset earlier this year when the North Carolina State junior dominated Hodge Trophy winner Brent Metcalf of Iowa to win the 149-pound title at the NCAA championships.
Now he can add a 2008 Olympian to his list of upsets.
Wrestling his first freestyle match since finishing fifth at 152 pounds in the 2006 Junior Nationals, Caldwell beat 2008 Olympian and fourth-ranked Doug Schwab (1-0, 2-1) to advance into Sunday afternoon's semifinal round against Brian Stith.
After the match, Caldwell was excited to beat a former Olympian.
"He's last year's Olympian and I just wanted to go out there and see where I was and see if I can compete with the best," he said. "The way I'm wrestling right now, I feel like I'm really confident."
Caldwell, a two-time NCAA All-American and three-time New Jersey high school state champion, came into the tournament ranked 10th in the nation and was seeded sixth in a bracket that includes Metcalf and Brian Stith, Caldwell's semifinal opponent. The winner of the challenge bracket will face Trent Paulson in Sunday night's best-of-three championship.
"I knew, whoever I went up against, it would be someone really tough," Caldwell said. "I'm not really worried about the seeds, though. I just want to go out and wrestle my match, regardless of who my opponent is."
While a lot of those in the Mid-America Center are anxious about a possible rematch between Caldwell and Metcalf, Caldwell first must take care of the third-ranked Stith in this afternoon's semifinals.
"I haven't wrestled him, but I've done some scouting and I have a good idea how he wrestles," he said. "If I can stay on my 'A' game, I think I can compete with him.
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