Air Force Academy

Jan. 16, 2013

Weekly Release #7

The 25th-ranked Air Force wrestling team is back on the road this weekend, Jan. 18 and 20, for three non-conference duals. First, the Falcons will head to Palo Alto, Calif., on Friday to face Stanford and Menlo College, beginning at 6:00 p.m. (PT). Air Force will wrap up the weekend on Sunday with a 1:00 p.m. match at Cal Poly.

LAST TIME OUT...
The Falcons posted a 2-1 dual record during their first home stand of the season, dropping a 32-7 decision to No. 13 Oregon State on Friday, before defeating Northern Iowa (19-18) and New Mexico Highlands (42-0) on Sunday.

Against the Beavers, sophomore Jesse Stafford was the Falcons' top performer, scoring a major decision at 165 pounds, while freshman Konner Witt added a decision.

Air Force won its final two bouts against Northern Iowa for a come-from-behind victory, the Falcons' first win over the Panthers since 2002. Junior Josh Kreimier earned a 9-1 major decision over nationally ranked David Bonin, while Stafford closed out the dual with a decision. Also earning victories for Air Force against the Panthers were freshman Mitch Brown, with a fall at 125 pounds, and Josh Mohr (197) and Bentley Alsup (HWT), who each recorded decisions at their respective weight classes.

Meanwhile, the Falcons shut out New Mexico Highlands, marking the fourth time this season that Air Force has held its opponent without a dual win. Alsup, Brown and Kreimier each registered falls to lead Air Force, while Mohr, Carter McElhany (141) and Gabe Martinez (165) added major decisions. Earning decisions against the Cowboys were Scott Reilly (174), Devin Hightower (184), Dylan Hyder (133) and Logan Burch (149).

SCOUTING THE FALCONS...
Air Force, ranked 25th in the latest InterMat poll, enters this weekend with a 5-1 dual record. The Falcons have two wrestlers who are listed in InterMat's individual rankings, with senior Cole VonOhlen (21-2) currently rated fourth at 149 pounds and freshman Josh Martinez (18-6) ranked 10th at 125 pounds.

SCOUTING THE CARDINAL...
Stanford enters this weekend's dual with a 4-10 overall dual record, following a 24-14 loss at American last weekend. Leading the way for the Cardinal are redshirt freshman Evan Silver, who has posted an 18-10 overall record and 10-4 dual mark at 125 pounds, and 165-pound junior Bret Baumbach, who currently has a 15-8 overall record and 10-4 dual ledger on the season.

SCOUTING THE OAKS...
Menlo College, ranked 15th in the NAIA, currently owns a 7-3 dual record on the season following a 25-18 victory at Simpson last Friday. The Oaks have four wrestlers who are nationally ranked, led by Angel Garcia, who is rated second in the NAIA at 133 pounds. Eric Lopez is ranked fifth at 165 pounds, Gustavo Lopez is ranked 13th at 141 pounds and Edgar Paez is rated 16th at 125 pounds.

SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS...
Cal Poly enters this weekend with a 2-5 dual record following a 22-10 loss to CSU Bakersfield on Saturday. The Mustangs are led by freshman Devon Lotito, who is ranked 20th at 133 pounds with a 22-6 overall record, and junior Sean Dougherty, who holds a 17-8 record on the season.

IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS...
This week, Air Force remains in 25th place in the InterMat team rankings. Meanwhile, the Falcons are also rated 24th by WrestlingReport.com and tied for 27th in W.I.N. Magazine's Tournament Power Index.

Individually, Air Force currently has four wrestlers ranked by various wrestling publications. Senior captain Cole VonOhlen, a returning three-time NCAA qualifier, is rated fourth in the nation at 149 pounds by InterMat, while he is ranked third by WrestlingReport.com, fourth by Amateur Wrestling News and DI College Wrestling and fifth by W.I.N. Magazine.

After an impressive fourth-place showing at the Southern Scuffle, freshman Josh Martinez moved into the InterMat rankings at 125 pounds, currently rated 10th. He is also ranked ninth by DI College Wrestling, 10th by Amateur Wrestling News and WrestlingReport.com and 11th by W.I.N. Magazine. Meanwhile, Josh Kreimier is rated 18th at 157 pounds by W.I.N. Magazine, 20th by Amateur Wrestling News, 24th by DI College Wrestling and 28th by WrestlingReport.com.

In addition, WrestlingReport.com lists senior Josh Mohr in its rankings, rating him 31st at 197 pounds.

UP NEXT...
The Falcons open up their Western Wrestling Conference slate next weekend with duals versus North Dakota State and South Dakota State. Air Force will host NDSU at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 25, while welcoming SDSU on Sunday, Jan. 27, at 1:00 p.m. The Falcons will also host Western State Colorado in a non-conference dual Sunday at 4:00 p.m.