Iowa’s Brent Metcalf (top) and North Carolina State’s Darrion Caldwell battled in the 2009 NCAA finals. Larry Slater photo.

Darrion Caldwell knocked off Brent Metcalf in one of the most-talked-about matches in the 80-year history of the NCAA Championships.

North Carolina State’s Caldwell beat the top-seeded Metcalf of Iowa 11-6 in the 2009 NCAA finals in St. Louis.

Caldwell won 2-of-3 matchups in college against Metcalf. Caldwell beat Metcalf in the 2009 NCAA finals while Metcalf won national titles in 2008 and 2010.

But the two young standouts have never met in freestyle.

That will change when they face off in a freestyle match for the first time on Thursday at 66 kg/145 lbs. The match is billed as the Main Event of a seven-match card of wrestling bouts during the 2010 Beat the Streets Gala in New York City.

“We’re the future of this weight class,” Caldwell said. “We both have the same goals. We want to be Olympic and World champions. I’m looking forward to a lot of great battles with Brent in the future.”

Metcalf, the 2008 Hodge Trophy winner, had won 69 straight matches before that setback to Caldwell in 2009.

“Darrion is a great competitor, and I’m always excited to compete against the best guys,” Metcalf said. “My training and focus can’t be on one guy, but it’s a great opportunity to face a tough opponent. He’s on the National Team, and I’m not. He’s where I want to be.”

Caldwell and Metcalf did not compete in last month’s U.S. Open in Cleveland, but both wrestlers are expected to be selected as wild cards for June’s U.S. World Team Trials in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Caldwell finished third in the 2009 World Team Trials while Metcalf fell short of placing. They both lost to Jared Frayer, who downed Metcalf in the semifinals of the Challenge Tournament and Caldwell in the finals. Frayer then lost to Trent Paulson in the best-of-3 final match series.

Caldwell knocked off past Olympic and World Team member Doug Schwab in the 2009 Trials.

“That experience helped me tremendously,” Caldwell said. “I hadn’t wrestled freestyle in a few years, and I learned a lot and gained a lot. It was an awesome victory, beating someone of Schwab’s caliber. I have to build on that and keep working toward winning an Olympic gold medal.”

Caldwell has not competed in nearly a year. He injured his shoulder last September and underwent surgery in October. He has one season of college eligibility left at North Carolina State.

Caldwell resumed training last month and arrived at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs on Friday. He just completed final exams, and said he will spend the next month training at the OTC.

“Darrion has been looking good in practice, but he’s just coming back,” North Carolina State coach Carter Jordan said. “He loves competing and he’s been working real hard. He understands the magnitude of the Beat the Streets event and what it can do for the sport.”

Caldwell (Rahway, N.J./Sunkist Kids) plans to compete at the University World Team Trials at the end of this month before competing in the Senior World Team Trials.

“I’m feeling good and I’ve made a lot of progress in practice,” Caldwell said. “I’m still not 100 percent, but I will be ready to go. I wouldn’t be going out there to wrestle if I wasn’t ready. I’m looking to peak for the World Team Trials, and I think this can help me get there.”

Metcalf (Davison, Mich./New York AC) said his coaches, Terry and Tom Brands, advised him to take some time off after the college season and skip the U.S. Open.

“I took a week and a half break after NCAAs, and it was beneficial. It helped me,” Metcalf said. “I hate to sit on the sidelines and watch, but I think it was the best thing for me.”

Caldwell said the upcoming match with Metcalf “won’t be boring.”

“I doubt we will see any 1-0 periods or any clinches,” Caldwell said with a laugh. “We will both go out there and give it everything we’ve got. We both wrestle aggressively and put a lot of points on the board. It definitely should be a fun match for the fans to watch.”

Metcalf just finished his college career, but he’s ready to make a big splash internationally.

“I want to make the World Team and win a World title this year,” he said. “I’m not settling for anything less. It’s time for me to go and wrestle and perform. Everything I’m doing right now is to prepare me for winning the World Championships in September.”

The Beat the Streets wrestling event will be held on the USS Intrepid, an aircraft carrier which is docked on the west side of Manhattan in New York City. The competition is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m.

“This is a great event for wrestling and Beat the Streets obviously is great for the sport,” Metcalf said. “I’m definitely on board with being a part of this.”

Said Caldwell: “This is for a great cause, and I’m excited to be able to help the sport. Hopefully, we can put on a great show.”