May 21, 2008

OKLAHOMA CITY - In his first season at the collegiate level, 197-pounder Cayle Byers set a school record for wins by a freshman with 37 on his way to qualifying for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. Byers success earned the Chugiak, Alaska native national recognition as he was named to the Amateur Wrestling News All-Rookie First Team at 197 pounds in the latest issue of the magazine.

A Preseason CAA All-Freshman Team selection, Byers lived up to the hype, cracking the national rankings for the first time in January and remaining there for the remainder of the season, ending the year ranked 13th by InterMat and 15th by Amateur Wrestling News in the final polls of the season. After finishing third at the CAA Championships, Byers earned a wild card selection to the NCAA Championships. The Chugiak High School graduate went 1-2 at the 197-pound weight class, winning his first match against the University of Tennessee Chattanooga's Matt Koz by a final score of 3-1, before dropping his next two.

Byers was named to the CAA All-Rookie Team at 197 pounds after finishing the year 37-10 overall and 7-1 in CAA matches. He posted five falls and seven major decisions during the season. A three-time CAA Rookie of the Week award winner and the George Mason Male Student-Athlete of the Month for December, Byers won two tournament titles during the season, capturing the 197-pound crowns at The Citadel Open and the Navy Classic. In addition to the two tournament titles, he finished as the runner-up at the Pembroke Classic and the Virginia Intercollegiate State Championships, and placed seventh in a challenging field at the Southern Scuffle.

Joining Byers on the First Team were Old Dominion's James Nicholson (125), Cornell's Mike Grey (133), Michigan's Kellen Russell (141), Boise State's Adam Hall (149), Maryland's Brian Letters (157), Cornell's Mack Lewnes (165), Virginia's Chris Henrich (174), Boise State's Kirk Smith (184) and Virginia Military Institute's Josh Wine (285).