Air Force Academy

Jan. 15, 2010

USAF ACADEMY, Colo. - Highlighted by a season-high three referee-stopped-contests, the Air Force boxing team opened the second half of the 2009-10 campaign with another hard-hitting round of Friday Night Fights on Jan. 15, in the Academy's Upper Boxing Room. Daniel Starr was named the program's Boxer of the Week for his victory over David Jorgensen in the 155-pound weight class.

"Coach Weichers and I were thrilled with the conditioning and display of boxing by all contenders," assistant coach Capt Blake Baldi said following the bouts. "For being back only two weeks after a long break, it was apparent that everyone had worked hard on their time off."

Starr, the 2009 Wing Open champion at 139 pounds, competed in his first Friday Night Fights of the season at 155 pounds. Using good speed and good combination punches, Starr was able to outbox his taller opponent in Jorgensen and cause the referee to stop the bout in the third round.

The 155-pound bout was one of four contests to end before the final bell. Brett Satterfield and Richard Meldrum picked up victories in a pair of heavyweight bouts, as the referees stopped both bouts in the third round. Satterfield defeated Mike Chambers, while newcomer Meldrum closed out the night with a third-round victory over Matt Coates. In his first-ever FNF bout, Meldrum landed some powerful rights, causing the referee to stop the bout early. Joe Silvio also earned an early victory in the 160-pound contest, as the referee stopped his bout with Dustin Potter in the third round.

In the best "throw-down" of the night, Dalton Hall defeated 2009 NCBA All-American Mike McLain in a 177-pound contest. The two southpaws stood toe-to-toe and traded hard shots for the entire six-minute bout, before Hall edged McLain for the victory.

The coaches were also pleased by the performance of a pair of freshmen in losing efforts. Freshman Ben Fox, who had won three of his first four bouts, showed he is the "real deal" in a close 150-pound loss to Michael Dunn, while classmate Andrew Pineda dropped a close decision to defending NCBA national champion Matthew DeMars in a 119-pound bout.

"Fox has excellent movement and throws all of the punches," the coaches said after the bout. "He will be a force to be considered in the Wing Open tournament. Pineda also made a name for himself over the fall semester. Tonight, he displayed a newfound right hand to go with his left jab. Andrew's conditioning was excellent and he showed that he has the goods to step it up to the next level."

Air Force will close out this season's round of Friday Night Fights on Jan. 22. Action is slated to begin at 4:30 p.m., in the Upper Boxing Room of the Cadet Gymnasium.

RESULTS
119-lbs.: Matthew DeMars (CS-14) dec. Andrew Pineda (CS-05)
177-lbs.: Dalton Hall (CS-12) dec. Mike McLain (CS-24)
Hywt.: Brett Satterfield (CS-37) rsc-3 Mike Chambers (CS-16)
160-lbs.: Joe Silvio (CS-21) rsc-3 Dustin Potter (CS-32)
150-lbs.: Michael Dunn (CS-01) dec. Ben Fox (CS-30)
155-lbs.: Daniel Starr (CS-32) rsc-3 David Jorgenson (CS-07)
185-lbs.: Logan Brandt (CS-18) dec. Spencer Baucke (CS-25)
163-lbs.: Tyrus Korecki (CS-24) dec. John Lydiard (CS-26)
167-lbs.: Casey Habluetzel (CS-32) dec. Ryan Curry (CS-08)
150-lbs.: Craig Spranger (CS-18) dec. Glenn Miltenberg (CS-37)
Hywt.: Richard Meldrum (CS-10) rsc-3 Matt Coates (CS-14)