Oct. 27, 2008

By Jonathan Maggart, Assistant Sports Information Director

To say that Navy wrestler Casey Caldwell has had to work for everything he has earned would not be a strong enough assessment. It is missing one key word - he has needed to work HARD.

A product of Liberty, Ind., Caldwell was not blessed with some of the physical abilities to make his life easier in athletics. However, that has not held him back, as the successes he's experienced are a direct result of his work ethic.

For Caldwell, he would not have it any other way.

"It's all a matter of effort," Caldwell stated succinctly. "The key is never giving up and pushing through the challenges that arise."

Coming out of Union County High School, Caldwell was a four-year letterwinner in wrestling, football and track. He had performed well in all three sports and was named all-conference in football during his senior year.

That same year, he emerged on the wrestling scene as one of the state's top competitors. He won the conference title, then the regional title, then the semi-state title - all while maintaining a perfect record. He carried that unblemished mark, 47-0, into the state championship match at 189 pounds, where he fell by decision.

With a decision as to what sport he wanted to pursue, it was wrestling that pushed him and provided the biggest challenge.

"What set wrestling aside was that it was the toughest of the three sports," Caldwell stated. "It taught me a lot more in the terms of dedication, discipline and work ethic. It's much more difficult to be good at that. I just wanted to push myself as far as I could go."

The next challenge would be what school to go to. He was a superb student in high school, but even with his impressive showing on the wrestling mat as a senior, he was not a flashy physical specimen and went largely overlooked by many college programs.

"A lot of schools were not looking at me," Caldwell recalled. "I was kind of an unknown, probably because I am not outrageously talented, but I kept trying. I never really blew anybody away."

With the University of Chicago interested in him as a wrestler, he was also getting looks by Carnegie-Mellon and Vanderbilt with ROTC scholarships that allowed the thought of him ending his wrestling career. That was until Navy contacted Caldwell a few months before graduation.

"The Naval Academy called and had me come out for a weekend," said Caldwell. "After that, I knew that I had to go for it here.

"The ability to wrestle was one of the deciding factors that brought me to Navy."

Obviously, the Navy coaching staff saw something in Caldwell that many schools weren't able to - his work ethic that made him an intriguing fit for the institution and the program.

"The same thing that I see in our program here was the same thing I saw out of him at the high school level," stated Navy head coach Bruce Burnett, who prior to his arrival in Annapolis had served as the U.S. Olympic Freestyle Coach for the 2000 Sydney Games. "He just showed up on the radar during his senior year. He had to work for everything that he got. When we saw him compete, we knew that he was a guy that we really wanted in our program. It was close. He was a very gifted student and had opportunities to go to a lot of different places."

Burnett added, "He's not the most gifted athlete, but he makes up for that with his intensity, conditioning and hard work. He truly is the type of guy that tends to have some success here at the Naval Academy."

In June 2005, Caldwell began his journey as a midshipman at the United States Naval Academy. While the trials and rigors of Academy life sometimes derail some of the nation's best, Caldwell has been able to handle both the academic and military aspects with the same mindset that made him successful in athletics.

"To some extent, class work has come fairly easy to me. It's one of my more natural abilities," Caldwell said. "It's kind of the same thing as on the mat - I do what I need to do to make the grade and put in the effort."

In the classroom, Caldwell owns a 3.28 cumulative grade-point average while majoring in quantitative economics. He has produced at least a 3.0 GPA during each of his of his six semesters, for each of which he has been named to the Commandant's List. In addition, he has twice been recognized on the Superintendent's List.

While Caldwell's performance academically would be impressive on its own merits, he has also done his job on the military front. He currently ranks 73rd among his class of 1,073 midshipmen in Military Order of Merit.

Caldwell has performed well with the challenges facing him on the academic and military sides, but he also has the added test of competing on the wrestling mat. Coming into his plebe year, Caldwell was looking up at some stiff competition from his teammates at 184 pounds and was going to need to work hard to earn time in match action.

Jonny Kane was a senior during Caldwell's freshman year that had a 48-29 career record and had secured the starting role. Kane went 20-9 that season, while Caldwell went 1-3 with his first-career win coming at the McDaniel Duals.

Heading into his sophomore season, Antonio Miranda dropped down from 197 pounds, where he went 34-20 in three years, to the 184-pound weight class. That meant Caldwell, who was a starter in high school, would have to wait another year to see significant time in the spotlight at events.

Instead of shying away or calling it quits, Caldwell took his licks, practiced and wrestled against Miranda day-after-day in the wrestling room.

"It was painful competing against Antonio," stated Caldwell. "I took a lot of beatings. It was also good for me because I was getting better and knew that it was going to help me down the road. I just kept my overall goal in mind and kept with it."

A better wrestler is exactly what he would become. Miranda went 33-11 with impressive showings at the EIWA Championship and NCAA Championship that ranked him as high as 12th in the country. Caldwell produced a 2-4 mark in two open meets, but had battled through and learned from his colleague.

"The experiences I had against Antonio certainly primed me for the time I would become a starter," said Caldwell.

After two years and participating in a total of nine matches, Caldwell had demonstrated a work ethic that earned him a shot in match competition in the eyes of Burnett.

"I feel like wrestling is one of those sports that was made for Casey Caldwell," stated Burnett. "He does not jump very high, his speed is not very good and his strength is pretty good, but his work ethic is excellent. In the sport of wrestling, hard work truly pays off."

Still, Caldwell would not have the starting role wrapped up, as Matt Parsons, who had a 30-23 record in three years at 184 pounds, shared time at that weight class during tournament action in the first half of the year.

In the first event of his junior year - the Eastern Michigan Open - Caldwell needed just three minutes and 10 seconds to record a victory by fall in the opening bout. Following a decision loss, he won three-straight matches and concluded the day with a 3-2 record against collegiate competition.

Two weeks later in the Navy Classic, Caldwell used his determination and conditioning to claim fourth place. After falling into the consolation bracket in his second match, he rattled off back-to-back major decision triumphs. However, his next two wins would not come as easy. He needed extra time to register a 6-4 sudden victory to remain alive and advance to the next round, where he needed two overtime periods to claim a 3-1 sudden victory and qualify for the third-place final bout.

His teammate, Parsons, won the 184-pound title in the Navy Classic, highlighted by a fall in the championship just 46 seconds into the match. Parsons produced a 14-6 record in tournament play and edged Caldwell, who delivered a 12-8 mark, for the starting spot in dual-meet action. That would last for just one event - the Lone Star Duals - as an injury briefly sidelined Parsons and opened the door for Caldwell, who made the most of his time.

Caldwell's first chance in dual competition would be against the nation's 18th-ranked wrestler - Maryland's Josh Haines. Just two weeks before, Caldwell had battled and just came up on the short end of a 6-5 decision against seventh-ranked Rocco Caponi from Virginia. Against Haines, Caldwell delivered a valiant effort and pulled to within two points in the final stanza with a takedown, but the match ended in a 5-2 loss. Despite the loss, Caldwell had once again competed against some of the nation's best and held his own.

"We go all over and wrestle some of the top guys in the country," said Caldwell. "It's a whole different level of competition compared to high school. The experiences, positive and negative, that I have had since I came here I believe have helped prepare me for success."

Two days later against American's Andy Semple, Caldwell recorded a victory by fall five minutes and 34 seconds into the bout for his first dual-meet win. His daily efforts in the wrestling room, hard work and dedication had paid off.

Coupled with Parsons moving up to 197 pounds to fill a need at that weight division, Caldwell had finally secured the role as 184-pound starter.

"The competition in the room has really made Casey what he is," Burnett commented. "That's a hard thing for people to put in their time. You don't `play wrestle.' It's hard. You can see the room, the heart, the sweat and the hard work that goes into it. To do that for two years without getting into the spotlight, that's a difficult thing. You have to be pretty mentally tough and determined to make that happen. But when his opportunity came, he was prepared, stepped up and has done a great job for us."

Caldwell would rattle off three-straight dual victories before earning a third-place victory over Air Force's Jacob Devlin at the All-Academy Championship. The Navy wrestler concluded dual-meet competition with a 5-2 record and appeared primed to make a run at the EIWA Championship.

That was until the flu and a temperature of 102 degrees struck Caldwell right before the conference championship. He would not throw in the white towel and still competed. The No. 5 seed at 184 pounds dropped his opening round match before earning a decision win to advance to the final day, where he was edged by one point to conclude his season.

With the memory still fresh from the end of his junior year, Caldwell and Burnett both have similar goals in mind for 2008-09, where he enters the year as the 184-pound starter.

"I would like to be the EIWA champion and hopefully earn All-America status," said Caldwell. "It's kind of a big thing for me, especially after how I performed at the EIWA championship last year and with this being my final shot."

"I want Casey to win the conference tournament and make it to the national tournament," Burnett stated. "When he gets to the national tournament, don't count him out to get onto the podium."

Also as a senior, Caldwell will be called upon to provide his signature style of leadership by example that has helped the Navy wrestling program finish 18th at each of the last-two NCAA Championships.

"He is a quiet leader. He doesn't talk a lot, but he is a leader by example," stated Burnett. "He is one of the most physical, intense and hard working guys that we have had here in the program for a long time."

With his wrestling career soon coming to a close after this season, Caldwell has his sights set on his future after graduation.

"I am hoping to go Navy SEALs," said Caldwell.

It would be another chance for him to push himself to the limit and work hard. For Casey Caldwell, that should not be a surprise.