Air Force Academy

Jan. 28, 2009

The Air Force wrestling team hosts a pair of conference duals this weekend, Jan. 30-31. The Falcons will take on North Dakota State Friday night at 7:00, while facing off against South Dakota State Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Both matches will be held in Clune Arena.

Falcons on the Web...
Fans at home will be able to follow all of the action in Clune Arena this year, as each of Air Force's home wrestling contests will be video streamed live. Live stats of each of the Falcons' home duals will also be available. To tune in, just click on the links that are featured on the events schedule on goairforcefalcons.com.

Last Time Out...
The Falcons went 2-1 at last weekend's Borah Duals, defeating CSU-Pueblo, 29-13, and Mesa State, while falling to host Western State, 26-9.

Senior captain Stephen Crozier picked up three victories at 165 pounds to lead the Falcons, while Andrew Zwirlein (125), Samuel Sheppard (141), Joshua Smith (174), Justin Shadrix (184) and Josh Larson (HWT) added two wins each.

Scouting the Falcons...
Air Force enters this weekend's contests with a 3-8 dual record and 0-1 mark in the WWC. Leading the Falcons in total wins for the season is senior captain Stephen Crozier who has 17 victories on the year and a team best 8-3 mark in dual competition.

Twenty different Air Force wrestlers have recorded falls so far this season, led by junior Stephen Makuka, who has registered six pins on the year, just one short of the team leader for the 2007-08 season. Meanwhile, freshman Wesley Stowe holds the fastest fall of the year, getting the pin in a time of 0:29.

Junior Ryan Adams (149) leads NDSU in total wins with a 19-8 overall record. Adams' dual mark of 6-4 is tied for the team lead, along with Adam Aho (165) and Kenny Moenkedick (184).

Scouting the Jackrabbits...
South Dakota State currently hold a 7-6-1 overall record and 0-1 mark in the WWC. The Jacks, who are coming off a 29-15 loss to Northern Colorado, will visit Wyoming before Saturday's contest against Air Force.

Senior heavyweight Jason Stripling leads the Jacks in total wins with a 25-9 overall record. Meanwhile, junior Tyler Sorenson is ranked 16th in the nation, undefeated at 7-0 on the season.

Quick Hits
• Senior captain Stephen Crozier has won eight of his last 10 bouts
• Air Force trails 6-1 in its all-time series with NDSU; the lone Falcon victory was in the 1963-64 season
• The Falcons have won three of their last four duals versus South Dakota State, including a 26-10 victory last season

Up Next...
The Falcons are back in action next weekend, Feb. 7, as they head to Lexington, Va., for the annual All-Academy Championships, hosted by VMI. Meanwhile, another group of Air Force wrestlers will travel up the road to Golden, Colo., for the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Open, hosted by Colorado School of Mines.

Complete Release in PDF Format