Caldwell Earns All-America Status

March 18, 2011

PHILADELPHIA - University of Oklahoma wrestler Tyler Caldwell is guaranteed All-America status for the second consecutive year after he advanced to the championship semifinals Friday morning in Philadelphia, Pa. Three more Sooners - Jarrod Patterson, Zack Bailey and Nathan Fernandez - can reach All-America status by winning one more match in consolation action this evening.

Entering Friday's night cap, the Sooners stand in 17th place with 22 points. Cornel leads the pack with 61 total points. All of Friday's evening session will be broadcast on ESPNU.

Caldwell, OU's 261st All-American, advanced to the semifinals after he downed Hostra's Paul Gillespie 2-1. After a scoreless first period, Caldwell (31-5) earned a quick point after posting an escape in 0:06 to start the second. In the third, Caldwell rode out Gillespie for 1:21 before the Hofstra wrestler escaped.

The sophomore from Wichita, Kan., is now guaranteed a top-five finish but faces a difficult task in the semifinals of taking down the defending 165-pound National Champion, Wisconsin's Andrew Howe.

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Fellow sophomore Patterson (27-8) was pitted against a familiar foe in Arizona State's top-seeded Anthony Robles. In the 125 pound quarterfinal matchup, Patterson fell behind 5-0 but closed the gap, 5-3, after he posted an escape and takedown in the second before giving up an escape of his own. The Cushing native gave up a late takedown with seconds remaining and Robles added 1:42 of riding time to take the match, 9-3. Patterson will face Sean Boyle of Michigan this evening and with a win he will be named an All-American for the first time in his career.

Bailey, a fourth-place finisher in last year's championships, took the 141 pound No. 1 seed, Kellen Russell of Michigan, to two overtimes before 0:03 of riding time decided the match in favor of the Wolverine. Both wrestlers earned an escape in regulation to send the bout to overtime. Again, both wrestlers earned escapes in the first overtime and the second. However, Russell was able to squeeze out of Bailey's (26-4) grasp with a three-second advantage to take the match, 4-3. The Kansas City native will take on Lehigh's Stephen Dutton in the consolations tonight.

Fernandez (22-6) was seeking his second straight upset as he faced the No. 2 seed in the heavyweight category, Jarod Trice of Central Michigan. Trice led by two after taking down Fernandez early in the first. The Sooner had an escape to close out the period. Trice scored the only points in the second after he earned an escape. Fernandez replicated that by posting an escape of his own in the third but was unable to come up with a takedown and was edged out, 3-2. Fernandez will again battle a higher seed in Minnesota's Anthony Nelson tonight to become an All-American.

At 133 pounds Jordan Keller (18-11) was eliminated after he fell to Northwestern's Levi Mele, 3-1. Erich Schmidtke (25-13) also wrestled his last bout of the year as he was taken down by a Big 12 foe in Nebraska's Josh Ihnen, 10-1.

Action begins tonight at 6 p.m. CT with semifinals and wrestlebacks and can be seen live on ESPNU.

SESSION III RESULTS

Session III Quarterfinal Results
125: No. 1 Anthony Robles (ASU) dec. No. 8 Jarrod Patterson (OU), 9-3.
141: No. 1 Kellen Russell (MICH) dec. No. 8 Zack Bailey (OU), 4-3
165: No. 3 Tyler Caldwell (OU) dec. Paul Gillespie (HOFS), 2-1
HWT: No. 2 Jarod Trice (CMICH) dec. No. 10 Nathan Fernandez (OU), 3-2

Session III Wrestleback Results
133: Levi Mele (NW) dec. Jordan Keller (OU), 3-1
184: No. 10 Josh Ihnen (NEB) MD Erich Schmidtke (OU), 10-1

Session IV Semifinal Matchups
No. 3 Tyler Caldwell (OU) vs. No. 2 Andrew Howe (WISC)

Session IV Wrestleback Matchups
No. 8 Jarrod Patterson (OU) vs. Sean Boyle (MICH)
No. 8 Zack Bailey (OU) vs. Stephen Dutton (LEHI)
No. 10 Nathan Fernandez (OU) vs. No. 8 Anthony Nelson (MINN)

UPDATED TEAM SCORES

1. Cornell (61)
2. Penn State (60.5)
3. Iowa (52)
4. American (49)
5. Oklahoma State (44.5)
17. Oklahoma (22)