Air Force Academy

Feb. 19, 2009

LARAMIE, Wyo. - With just one individual victory on the evening, the Air Force wrestling team fell to conference rival Wyoming, 37-3, Thursday evening. With the loss, the Falcons drop to 4-11 on the season and 1-4 in the Western Wrestling Conference, while the Cowboys improve to 14-3, 4-0 in the WWC.

The dual started at 174 pounds, where Air Force senior captain Stephen Crozier (Monona, Iowa) faced off against 19th-ranked Shane Onufer. Despite holding a 7-6 advantage going into the final period, Crozier was edged out by Onufer, dropping an 11-9 decision. The Cowboys also posted another win at 184 pounds, with eighth-ranked Joe LeBlanc registering a technical fall over the Falcons' Brett Boyce.

The Falcons got on the board with a win in the 197-pound bout, as James Ciccone (Jr., Mentor, Ohio) registered a 7-5 decision over Mikel Hoopes. Ciccone held a 5-4 lead going into the final period, and while neither wrestler was able to score in the third period, Hoopes was awarded a point for riding time, sending the bout into overtime. Ciccone responded with a takedown to grab the sudden victory decision.

Unfortunately, Air Force was unable to pick up another victory on the evening, as Wyoming rattled off seven straight individual wins to secure a 37-3 decision. The closest bout of the evening came in the final match, where Air Force's Justin Shadrix (Jr., Bremen, Ga.) battled Alex Rieder at 165 pounds. Shadrix came back from a first-period deficit to take an 8-7 lead in the final period, but Rieder scored a reversal to take the 9-8 victory, handing Shadrix his first dual loss of the season.

The Falcons are back in action tomorrow night, as they visit conference rival Utah Valley in a 6:00 contest.

Wyoming 37, Air Force 3
174 - #19 Shane Onufer (UW) dec. Stephen Crozier, 11-9
184 - #8 Joe LeBlanc (UW) tech fall Brett Boyce, 18-1
197 - James Ciccone (AF) dec. Mikel Hoopes, 7-5 (SV)
HWT - Jacob Scharbrough (UW) maj. dec. Stephen Larson, 12-4
125 - Michael Martinez (UW) maj. dec. Andrew Zwirlein, 13-5
133 - Cody Grant (UW) dec. Derek Gillespie, 8-5
141 - Cole Dallaserra (UW) fall Tyler Untrauer, 5:40
149 - Cody Chipperfield (UW) dec. Alec Williams, 7-4
157 - Eric Coxbill (UW) fall Joseph Stafford, 3:56
165 - Alex Rieder (UW) dec. Justin Shadrix, 9-8