Air Force captured it's third consecutive national boxing championship Saturday, Apr. 7, and in the process crowned three gold medal winners at the City Pavilion in Reno, NV.

The Falcons tallied 38 team points to outscore second-place Penn State with 32 and the Naval Acadmey with 30. UNLV, finished fourth fourth with 28 points.

"I can't give enough credit to our boxers and how they performed throughout this tournament," said head coach Eddie Weichers, Jr. "It was evident that the time and energy that they put in throughout our season paid off here. We were able to go toe to toe with some of the best collegiate boxers in the nation and come out on top. I couldn't be happier."

Senior Joel Rivera, who was seeking his first national title after winning four wing open championships, finally came out on top in the 119-pound division. Rivera dfeated UNLV's Joey Song. Rivera lost to Song in the regional competition two weeks ago in Las Vegas.

Rivera used strong combinations throughout the three-round bout to gain the victory.

It was a very emotional bout for Rivera after losing a gold-medal opportunity at nationals the past three years.

"Coach (Weichers) told me that this was going to be the last time that we were going to be in the ring together, so that added to my emotions," said Rivera. "It seemed like everything came together in this, my senior year. This victory means a lot to me. I knew it was the last fight in my boxing career and after six minutes in the ring it would be over."

Joining Rivera as gold medal winners were Ulysses Linares and Dustin Brown. Linares won a unanimous decision over Penn State's Nathan LaBuda. Brown won his second consecutive national title by dominating May Raymond from UNLV.

Freshman Clell Knight lost his 156-pound bout to Alex Komlov, a senior from Penn State.

"I can't begin to tell you how proud I am of this team and the effort that they put forth throughout the season," Weichers said. "Clell will be back. He gained valuable experience in his first season as a collegiate boxer. I think he is destined to be a national champion in the future.

"Dustin proved why he is a defending champion. He took the match over a talented UNLV opponent and Ulysses fought a very smart fight against an experience Penn State boxer," Weichers said.

2009-10 Team Information

Wing Open Championships

NCBA Championships

Miscellaneous

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