Jan. 23, 2009

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- The Navy wrestling team will look to bounce back from a pair of setbacks last weekend against EIWA foes American and No. 8 Lehigh when it heads to the state of North Carolina to battle both North Carolina and NC State this Saturday. The Mids open the day with a 1:00 pm matchup against the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill before making the short drive to Raleigh to take on the Wolfpack at 7:00 pm.

The Mids have seen their fair share of highs and lows this season. Navy has placed in the top seven in all three of its team-scored competitions, including a seventh-place finish at the Virginia Duals just two weeks ago. However, the coaching staff and wrestlers have faced adversity by way of injury the entire season. Despite losing half of the starting lineup, head coach Bruce Burnett has turned his squad into a team that offers no excuses and continues to fight its way through every event.

No doubt Burnett has relied upon his more experienced wrestlers as of late. Senior 184-pounder Casey Caldwell (Liberty, Ind.) has been solid this season, turning in a 20-11 record, including an 8-2 record in dual action. Caldwell's 20 wins are just one off his total from a year ago. Additionally, Caldwell heads into the weekend with a 13-4 career record in dual meets.

Another senior who has stepped up his performance this season is Joel Ahern (Herkimer, N.Y.), who has amassed a 24-9 record at 157 pounds. His 24 wins are a personal best and the third most on the squad this season. Over his four-year career he has put together a 12-6 dual record, including a solid 5-1 mark this season. Ahern is expected to face North Carolina's Thomas Scotton in what will be a rematch of the third-place bout at the Reno Tournament of Champions in mid-December. Scotton got the best of his Navy foe in a tight 5-3 decision.

Last week, the Mids welcomed senior 133-pounder Joe Baker (Poway, Calif.) back to the mat. Baker, who is ranked 10th nationally, has been no stranger to injury during his career, but he has been particularly plagued this season, having wrestled in just five matches to date. The 2008 All-American missed nearly the entire first month of action before wrestling his way to a second-place finish at the Navy Classic. After cruising to the championship bout, he was forced to bow out of the title match against rival David Marble. Two days later, Baker claimed a 5-1 victory over Ohio State's Reece Humphrey, ranked eighth at the time of the bout, at the prestigious NWCA All-Star Classic held in Columbus, Ohio on Nov. 24. That was the last match Baker would compete in until last Friday's dual against American in which he produced a 3-2 win over the Eagles' Jasen Borshoff.

While sixth-ranked Bryce Saddoris (Spring Creek, Nev.) may not be as veteran a member as Caldwell, Ahern or Baker, the sophomore 149-pounder has enjoyed as much success as one might hope for in two seasons. The returning NCAA qualifier has fought his way to a 66-15 record during his two years, including a 31-3 record this winter. Not only does Saddoris' 31 wins lead Navy, he, in fact, is one of three wrestlers who lead the nation with 31 wins, joining Rutgers' 157-pounder Scott Winston and Wyoming 174-pounder Shane Onufer.

Saddoris has been challenged in recent weeks, facing top-15 ranked wrestlers in each of his last three outings. This weekend looks to be another action-packed ticket, as both his North Carolina and NC State opponents are again among the top 15, including third-ranked Darrion Caldwell from NC State. Saddoris and Caldwell met in the championship bout at the Southern Scuffle on Dec. 30 with Saddoris finding himself in the worst possible position just two minutes into the match and falling by way of pin. Saddoris has also faced North Carolina's Nick Stabile, now ranked No. 15, as Saddoris earned a 7-4 decision over Stabile to take the Reno Tournament of Champions (Dec. 18) title, one of three he has won this season.

The Midshipmen own a 32-16-1 series advantage over North Carolina, winning six in a row against the Tar Heels. After facing one another ever year since the 1978-79 season, the two programs were unable to get a date set for last year's match and therefore did not square off. The last time the two teams met was on Jan. 20, 2007, when Navy turned in a 25-9 win over North Carolina in Chapel Hill. The last time the Tar Heels defeated the Midshipmen was on Feb. 10, 2001, behind a 21-13 victory. It came at the tail end of an eight-match winning streak by UNC.

While Stabile is ranked 15th at 149 pounds for UNC, Keegan Mueller is 16th at 165 pounds and 197-pounder Dennis Drury is ranked No. 17.

Navy also owns a commanding 23-8 series lead against the Wolfpack that has featured wins by the Mids in each of the last nine matches. Each of the last two battles between Navy and NC State have been highly-contested with the Mid winning 23-16 in 2007 and 21-15 a year ago. NC State's last win in the series was on Feb. 14, 1998, when the Wolfpack took down the Mids, 23-15, in Raleigh.

In addition to Caldwell being ranked at 149 pounds, Joe Caramanica is ranked 15th at 141 pounds.

Projected Navy Lineup125 - Prescott Garner (Fr., 20-10 / 3-3) or Allan Stein (So., 9-9 / 1-1)133 - #10 Joe Baker (Sr., 4-0 / 1-0) or Austin Clouse (Fr., 6-7 / 0-0)141 - John Majka (Fr., 12-14 / 1-5) or Matt Pagan (Jr., 12-10 / 1-3)149 - #6 Bryce Saddoris (Jr., 31-3 / 9-1) or Kyle O'Neill (Jr., 4-6 / 0-0)157 - Joel Ahern (Sr., 24-9 / 5-1) or Glenn Shober (Jr., 19-11 / 2-1)165 - Matt DeMichiel (So., 21-11 / 4-4) or Jason Coyne (Sr., 11-10 / 0-2)174 - #20 Luke Rebertus (Fr., 25-7 / 4-3) or Mike Billings (Jr., 9-12 / 0-2) or Robby Neill (So., 7-7 / 0-1)184 - Casey Caldwell (Sr., 20-11 / 8-2)197 - Philip Neese (Sr., 17-16 / 3-7)HWT - Tyler Moyer (Sr., 4-6 / 2-3) or Mike Landis (So., 8-9 / 0-2)