June 5, 2009

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Recent Naval Academy graduate Casey Caldwell (Liberty, Ind.), a 2009 NCAA Championship qualifier, was among the 73 Div. I wrestlers nationwide to be named to the 2008-09 National Wrestling Coaches Association's (NWCA) All-Academic Team. The team featured a total of 51 NCAA qualifiers, 17 NCAA All-Americans, eight NCAA Finalists and five National Champions.

Caldwell's contributions to the Navy wrestling program over the last two seasons were extraordinary. While the Union County High School product concluded his career with a 56-36 record, he owned a combined 53-29 mark in his final two years of competition including a 19-4 dual match mark. He saved his best season for last, however, winning 32 matches this winter and becoming just the 26th different wrestler in program history to reach the 30-win milestone. Among those 32 victories was an 11-match winning streak that eventually helped lead him to his first individual tournament title (All-Academy Championship), as well as a sixth-place finish at the EIWA Championship.

After just missing the mark as an automatic NCAA qualifier through the EIWA Championship, Caldwell, who wrestled at the 184-pound weight class, was one of 52 at-large selections chosen by the NCAA to participate in the 2008-09 NCAA Championship. Not only was Caldwell able to close out his collegiate career as an NCAA qualifier, he was also successful in capturing a 7-6 decision over Buffalo's Mickey Moran in the wrestleback round.

Boasting a 3.25 grade-point average over the span of four years, Caldwell graduated in May with a degree in hand in the field of quantitative economics. He was ranked 259th in overall order of merit among his class of 1,065 students and No. 23 in military order of merit. He was named to the Commandant's List in all eight semesters and twice earned mention on the Superintendent's List. During the graduation ceremony, Caldwell was commissioned into the United States Navy as an Ensign and has service selected special warfare.

Individually, wrestlers must have at least a 3.2 cumulative GPA, been an NCAA qualifier or won 60 percent of his total schedule - and must have competed in at least 60 percent of said schedule. The other way to qualify for the All-Academic Team is have a 3.0 cumulative and been an NCAA All-American.

### Go Navy ###