ST. LOUIS, Mo. (Mar. 14, 2015) - Freshman Joe Calderone (Huntington Station, N.Y.) of the LIU Post wrestling team finished the season with a sixth-place finish in the NCAA Division II Tournament on Saturday in St. Louis. Calderone's podium-caliber performance earned him the Pioneers' first All-American distinction in the program's first season back in nearly three decades.

Going into the second and final day of competition at Chaifetz Arena, Calderone was one of eight wrestlers still competing in the 133-lb. weight bracket. In his consolation quarterfinal, the freshman faced off with red-shirt freshman Nick Crume (Jimtown, Ind.) of Indianapolis. The two grapplers put on a fine performance, with Calderone notching a 5-3 decision over Crume. The win guaranteed Calderone a spot in the consolation semifinals, and at worst, a sixth-place finish.

In the semifinal matchup, Calderone met Maryville sophomore Dakota Bauer (Iowa City, Iowa). Bauer proved to be too much to handle, as he bested Calderone by a 9-2 decision, relegating the green and gold's grappler to the fifth-place match. Bauer would go on to drop the third-place bout to Ouachita Baptist's Nate Rodriguez. In the fifth-place encounter, Calderone squared off against red-shirt sophomore Mike Rhone (Benton, Pa.) of St. Cloud State. Rhone recorded a 6-3 decision in the bout, securing the fifth-place finish while Calderone would end the day on the podium, in sixth place.

Calderone finishes the season with an overall record of 29-11 in 40 bouts across his freshman campaign. He recorded the most victories for the Pioneers this season and also amassed a team-high 15 pinfalls. To put that in perspective, Calderone was never pinned once across the five-month season.

For more on the LIU Post wrestling team continue to visit www.LIUPostPioneers.com.