RELEASED May 9, 2008

            NEWTON, Iowa — The south has risen again in wrestling as North Carolina State’s Darrion Caldwell and Alabama’s Cuthbertson twins, Kyle and Chase, were named the best pinners in college and high school wrestling.

            Caldwell, who recently became NC State’s first All-American with a fifth-place finish in this year’s NCAA tournament at 149 pounds, won the Schalles Award for being college wrestling’s best pinner.

            The Cuthbertson twins, the last of six brothers who won 20 Alabama state championships overall, were named winners of the Junior Schalles Award as this country’s best high school pinners.

            Both the Schalles and Junior Schalles Awards have been presented annually since 1999 by W.I.N. magazine and the AAU and named after Wade Schalles, who set a college record with 109 pins at Clarion (Pa.) where he also won two NCAA championships in 1972 and 1973.

Caldwell, a native of Rahway, N.J., finished 36-5 this past season and pinned 23 of his victims. One of those Caldwell pins also marked the only setback suffered by Iowa’s Brent Metcalf, the NCAA champion at 149 pounds and this year’s Hodge Trophy winner. Caldwell, who is 56-10 and has pinned 33 opponents in his two-year career, finished fifth at the 2008 NCAA tournament to claim the Wolfpack’s first All-American honor since 1996.  

            Caldwell’s pin percentage  (.657) in 2008  was higher than Minnesota’s 125-pound All-American Jayson Ness (20 pins in a 39-2 season at 51.3 percent) and Maryland’s Hudson Taylor (who pinned 18 foes in a 37-3 season or 48.6 percent).

“Darrion Caldwell is absolutely a card-carrying member of the United Brotherhood of Pinners,” said Schalles. “Although he had as many loses as the other two athletes combined, if there is one wrestler who keeps fans from going to the concession stand to buy popcorn before he wrestles, it’s Darrion Caldwell. And that’s what’s so special about this young man; he’s got pizzazz!”

            “Darrion is a true showman and headhunter on the mat,” said W.I.N. Publisher Bryan Van Kley. “He’s so fun to watch because anything can happen.  He has the ability to get a pin at any time and that’s the reputation a Schalles Award winner should have.”

            The Cuthbertson twins left Scottsboro (Alabama) High School by each winning their fifth state tournament championship — Kyle at 171 pounds and Chase at 160 — and combined to break several national records.

            But not only did Kyle and Chase win this season — they combined to go 119-1 — but they also pinned 108 or 90 percent of those victims. That broke the national record of 83, set by Skyler (48) and Scott (35) Woods, of Mesquite, NV Virgin Hills High School in the 2000-01 season.

            “We’re extremely excited to name the Cuthbertson brothers as our Jr. Schalles Award winners,” said Van Kley. “They are high-quality kids, on and off the mat, and they brought wrestling to a new level in the state of Alabama. The amount of pins they were able to rack up in a year amazes me.

            “In addition, when you look at the amount of time they are on the mat, it’s very clear their level of dominance and that they’re looking for the fall from the minute that first whistle blows. That creates excitement with the fans, and it’s exactly what we’re looking for in our Junior Schalles Award winners.”

            On statistics alone, Kyle had the better wrestling season for Scottsboro High School as the 171-pound senior won his fifth Alabama state high school championship, where he pinned all three of his foes — including and finished year flattening 58 victims in an undefeated 61-0 season. Those 58 pins broke the national record of 57 set by former Michigan State All-American Nick Simmons when he wrestled for Williamston (Mich.) High School. Simmons won the first Junior Schalles Award in 1999.

            “I don’t care if you wrestle in Guam, 58 pins is an incredible number, especially the fact that it is a national record.” said Schalles.         

Chase, whose fifth Alabama state championship came at 160 pounds, was just behind his brother by pinning 50 opponents — including all three foes at the 2008 state tournament — and compiling a 58-1 mark. But the fact that he pinned his three opponents in less time (1:24) than Kyle (3:00) he earned the award for most in pins in shortest period of time for the second year in a row.

            Kyle and Chase, who will turn 19 in September, also accomplished these mat honors after their four older brothers already created a legacy. It started in 1997 when their oldest brother, Rob, current age 29, tried wrestling as a sophomore and junior at Scottsboro where he was also an all-state cross country runner. Scott Cuthbertson, 26, took up the sport in eight grade and eventually won two state championships in 1998 and 1999 at 103 and 112 pounds, respectively.

            The third Cuthbertson, Jeff, 25, became Scottboro’s first three-time state champion: winning his first title at 112 pounds in 1998 and final championship at 171 pounds in 2001.

            The fourth son, Michael, 21, topped his brother’s record by winning five state championship. The first came at 103 pounds in 2001 when he became the first eighth grader to win a state title and his fifth championship came at 160 pounds in 2005 when he also became just the second wrestler in the state of Alabama to win a Junior National championship in freestyle.

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