Decision on possible redshirt of NC State’s Darrion Caldwell due by October
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by North Carolina
RALEIGH, N.C. - A decision on whether or not to redshirt defending national champion wrestler Darrion Caldwell of NC State in 2009-10 will be made sometime in September or October, according to Wolfpack head coach Carter Jordan.
Speculation that Caldwell, a rising senior, would redshirt the upcoming season began shortly after he won the 2009 national championship back in March. Speculation continued to build throughout the summer as Caldwell wrestled for the USA National Team at the Heydar Aliyev Golden Grand Prix in Azerbaijan. Any decision on Caldwell's future, Jordan said, will be a joint decision between Caldwell and the NC State wrestling coaching staff.
"This won't be an easy decision," Jordan said. "Ultimately we want to make the best decision for Darrion. There are compelling reasons on both sides of the argument. We still have time and we'll use that time wisely."
Caldwell had a storybook 2008-09 season, fashioning a 38-1 record at
149 pounds and becoming NC State's fifth individual national champion.
Competing in college wrestling's deepest and most talented weight classification, Caldwell's only loss was by injury default. He had 17 pins, fourth most in a single season in school history, and had a 10-1 record against ranked opponents. He went 7-0 against opponents ranked in the national top 10, including his final three matches in the NCAA Championships, two by major decision. At one point, he had a 29-match winning streak, the fourth longest in school history.
After three seasons at NC State, Caldwell has a 94-12 record with 50 pins. He ranks third in career victories, third in career won-lost percentage (.887) and third in career pins. He is well within reach of setting new school records in all three categories. He also has a great opportunity to become just the fourth three-time All-American in school history, and another national championship would make him the first multiple-national champion in school history.
NC State should field a very young but talented team in 2009-10. Jordan signed three high school national champions as the headliners in a star-studded recruiting class. The Wolfpack also returns five starters and 12 letterwinners, not counting Caldwell, from last year's team, which suffered through a disappointing, injury-plagued season. With or without Caldwell, Jordan expects much better things in 2009-10.
"We're going to have a really nice team this year," Jordan said.
"The overall talent level is improving, and we'll have more depth than we've had in recent years. I believe that by the end of the year we'll be a very strong team and well-positioned to be strong for the foreseeable future. So if Darrion competes this year, it will be because it's what's best for Darrion and not just because he'll make us a more a competitive team.
Speculation that Caldwell, a rising senior, would redshirt the upcoming season began shortly after he won the 2009 national championship back in March. Speculation continued to build throughout the summer as Caldwell wrestled for the USA National Team at the Heydar Aliyev Golden Grand Prix in Azerbaijan. Any decision on Caldwell's future, Jordan said, will be a joint decision between Caldwell and the NC State wrestling coaching staff.
"This won't be an easy decision," Jordan said. "Ultimately we want to make the best decision for Darrion. There are compelling reasons on both sides of the argument. We still have time and we'll use that time wisely."
Caldwell had a storybook 2008-09 season, fashioning a 38-1 record at
149 pounds and becoming NC State's fifth individual national champion.
Competing in college wrestling's deepest and most talented weight classification, Caldwell's only loss was by injury default. He had 17 pins, fourth most in a single season in school history, and had a 10-1 record against ranked opponents. He went 7-0 against opponents ranked in the national top 10, including his final three matches in the NCAA Championships, two by major decision. At one point, he had a 29-match winning streak, the fourth longest in school history.
After three seasons at NC State, Caldwell has a 94-12 record with 50 pins. He ranks third in career victories, third in career won-lost percentage (.887) and third in career pins. He is well within reach of setting new school records in all three categories. He also has a great opportunity to become just the fourth three-time All-American in school history, and another national championship would make him the first multiple-national champion in school history.
NC State should field a very young but talented team in 2009-10. Jordan signed three high school national champions as the headliners in a star-studded recruiting class. The Wolfpack also returns five starters and 12 letterwinners, not counting Caldwell, from last year's team, which suffered through a disappointing, injury-plagued season. With or without Caldwell, Jordan expects much better things in 2009-10.
"We're going to have a really nice team this year," Jordan said.
"The overall talent level is improving, and we'll have more depth than we've had in recent years. I believe that by the end of the year we'll be a very strong team and well-positioned to be strong for the foreseeable future. So if Darrion competes this year, it will be because it's what's best for Darrion and not just because he'll make us a more a competitive team.
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