Air Force Academy

The Air Force wrestling team will get its dual meet portion of the 2004-05 season underway Saturday, Jan. 8, as it competes at the Lone Star Duals in Grand Prairie, Texas. The meet, in its eighth season, will take place at South Grand Prairie High School and features some of the top college teams in the nation. The Falcons will begin the morning with a 10 a.m. (CT) dual meet against Stanford, followed by a meeting with Columbia at noon. Air Force will then wrap up its weekend at the Lone Star Duals at 8:00 p.m., when it takes on Brown.
Among those expected to compete for the Falcons at this weekend's Lone Star Duals are senior captains Josh Peterson (Comstock, Wis.) at 149 pounds, Jacob Lillich (Jay, Okla.) at 174 pounds and Luke Lefever (La Crosse, Wis.) at 184 pounds, all of whom took part in last week's Midlands Invitational, hosted by Northwestern.
Other potential wrestlers in the Air Force lineup include 125-pound junior Brandon Strong (Albuquerque, N.M.), who competed at the 2004 NCAA Championships, and either Matt Benza (Jr., Tamaqua, Pa.) or Jake Kriegbaum (Fr., Abilene, Kan.) at 133 pounds. At 141 pounds, either Chris Nissen (So., Denver, Colo.), a 2004 NCAA qualifier, or Matt Crippes (So., Cloverdale, Calif.), who leads the team with 12 falls this season, is expected to compete.
Juniors Adam Swift (Strongsville, Ohio) and Jonathan Koch (Centreville, Va.) are expected to battle for the 157-pound slot, while Beau Tresemer (Jr., Norman, Okla.) or Steven Ratley (Fr., Arlington, Va.) should get the nod at 165 pounds. Brenden McLean (Jr., Grants Pass, Ore.) is favored to compete at 197 pounds, while either Kurt Skarstedt (Jr., Colorado Springs, Colo.) or Trey McLean (Fr., Grants Pass, Ore.) will represent the Falcons at heavyweight in this weekend's duals.
In addition to the Falcons competing at the Lone Star Duals, other Air Force wrestlers will take part in the Tracy Borah Invitational in Gunnison, Colo., on Saturday. The tournament, in its 15th season, will also feature teams from Embry-Riddle, Colorado School of Mines, Western Wyoming and host Western State.