Caldwell focused on postseason rebound

Cody Caldwell said he knows doubters exist.

While they don't expect the University of Northern Iowa 184-pounder to rebound from regular-season struggles and reach the national tournament, he is not one of them. He has different plans.

'I believe that by wrestling the way I can compete and do the things I know I will be that guy,” Caldwell said. 'I will make my way to the national tournament and make some noise.”

In his first competition since Feb. 6, Caldwell will attempt to earn one of two automatic qualifier berths at the Mid-American Conference Championships this weekend in Columbia. Competition begins Saturday at 2 p.m. at the University of Missouri's Hearnes Center.

Caldwell is 12-6 this season, including a 3-3 mark against conference foes, receiving the No. 6 pre-seed. He opened 8-0, but has not wrestled in a month, losing his last four matches.

'This season, so far, hasn't gone the way that I wanted it to go with injuries and other things that have happened that are out of my control,” said Caldwell, an NCAA qualifier at 174 last season. 'I haven't competed for a little bit of time now. It's time to go out and compete the way I'm capable.

'I've done the things necessary and I'm ready.”

Caldwell was sidetracked, not derailed. He described a loss at the University of Ohio as a low-point in his career and discussed his alternatives with UNI Coach Doug Schwab. He struggled with confidence and mental aspects. They agreed on the hiatus from competition, and Caldwell made the most of his time in the practice room.

'I believe it helped me,” Caldwell said. 'It fueled me. It's a long season. I was able to get myself together.

'I've still been working hard in the practice room. I was still working to be on top of the MAC and make my way to the national tournament. That still is the goal. It hasn't changed.”

The Panthers have had wrestlers overcome regular-season struggles to finish with All-American honors, including former Panthers Joey Lazor and David Bonin.

'Many of our guys didn't have a great regular season last year, but they were great in the postseason,” Schwab said. 'That's what we are getting our guys ready for.”

Schwab counseled Caldwell the last month. Caldwell leaned on him and it led to his return.

'He helped me,” Caldwell said. 'He listened to me. We were able to meet a lot. I'm excited to get out and show people who haven't seen me for a while that I'm a different competitor.”

The Panthers are led by top-seeded heavyweight Blaize Cabell (24-4). The former Independence prep is unbeaten in MAC competition, earning UNI's only preliminary No. 1 seed.

Dylan Peters, a 2014 All-American and defending MAC champion, is the second seed behind Missouri's Alan Waters. Peters is 20-4 overall.

Cooper Moore is also the No. 2 pre-seed for the Panthers. The returning 165-pound NCAA qualifier is 19-5.

Jarrett Jensen (20-10) is the third seed at 157. Basil Minto (19-11) is fourth at 197. The MAC has three automatic berths at 157 and six at 197.

'We're ready for the MAC tournament,” Schwab said. 'This is what we've built all season for up to this point. I thought we had a good practice week last week. I know that we are ready to go. The work is done. It's all about putting some fine edges on some guys and getting them in the right frame of mind.”

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