Air Force Academy

Feb. 2, 2011

The Air Force wrestling team hits the road this week, starting with a conference dual against 25th-ranked Wyoming on Thursday, Feb. 3, at 6:30 p.m. Meanwhile, the Falcons will also head to Charleston, S.C., for the 17th-annual All-Academy Championships on Sunday, Feb. 6, hosted by The Citadel.

Last Time Out...

The Falcons opened up their conference slate last week with a pair of wins, defeating North Dakota State, 22-19, while rolling to a 38-6 victory over South Dakota State.

Against the Bison on Friday evening, the Falcons trailed by three points going into the final match. Sophomore Cole VonOhlen ended the dual with a fall at 141 pounds, giving Air Force its first victory over North Dakota State since the 1963-64 season.

On Saturday evening, Air Force dropped its first match against South Dakota State, but earned wins in the remaining nine weight classes to improve to 10-2 on the year and 2-0 in the WWC.

In addition, 11 Air Force wrestlers were placewinners at the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Open, hosted by Colorado School of Mines. Freshman Greg Rinker (125) led the way for Air Force, claiming an individual titles, while Tyler Untrauer (113), Tanner Weltzin (157), Dan Barringer (165) and Devin Hightower (174) all placed second at their respective weight classes.

Scouting the Falcons...

Air Force enters this week with a 10-2 overall dual record and 2-0 mark in the Western Wrestling Conference.

The Falcons led by sophomore Cole VonOhlen, currently ranked 11th in the nation at 141 pounds by Intermat. VonOhlen has posted a 31-6 overall record on the year and 11-1 dual mark, winning his last nine matches. Junior Alec Williams (157) is second on the team with 21 victories, while freshman Josh Kreimier (149) has also reached the 20-win threshold.

Scouting the Cowboys...

Wyoming, ranked 25th in the latest NWCA/USA Today poll and 17th by Intermat, enters this weekend’s dual with a 9-4 overall record and 3-0 ledger in the WWC. The Cowboys are coming off a pair of wins over South Dakota State and North Dakota State.

The Cowboys have four wrestlers  who are ranked in the latest Intermat poll, led by fourth-ranked Shane Onufer (165), who carries a perfect 23-0 overall record and 13-0 dual mark. Also ranked for Wyoming are No. 5 Joe LeBlanc (184), No. 16 Michael Martinez (125) and No. 17 Cole Dallaserra (149).

About the All-Academy Championships...

The All-Academy Championships, sponsored by USAA, are now in their 17th season. The tournament features teams from eight service academies--Air Force, Army, The Citadel, Coast Guard, Merchant Marine, Navy, Norwich and VMI. Navy has won six of the last seven team titles, including the last two championships.

Last Year At the All-Academy Championships...

Led by individual titles from Derek Gillespie and Cole VonOhlen, Air Force captured second place at the 2010 All-Academy Championships, hosted by Navy. Meanwhile, the Midshipmen took the team title for the second-consecutive season.

Gillespie posted a 2-0 record, including a win over the top-seeded wrestler, to earn the title at 133 pounds. Meanwhile, VonOhlen notched three falls in three matches to roll to the 141-pound title.

In the National Rankings...

Sophomore Cole VonOhlen, the Falcons’ lone returning NCAA qualifier, is currently ranked 11th in the nation at 141 pounds in the latest Intermat poll. In addition, VonOhlen is rated ninth by Amateur Wrestling News and WrestlingReport.com, 10th by The Open Mat and D1 College Wrestling and 14th by WIN Magazine.

Making History...

Air Force’s come-from-behind victory over North Dakota State on Friday evening was just the second win ever for the Falcons over the Bison. The first victory for Air Force against North Dakota State came during the 1963-64 season, in the first meeting between the two teams.

Racking up the Wins...

With its 10 wins on the season, Air Force has its highest win total since the 2001-02 season, when the Falcons finished the year with an 11-3 dual record. In addition, the Falcons are out to their best start since 1993, when Air Force finished the season with a 10-1 overall record. 

Former Falcon In action...

2nd Lt. Tyler French, a 2010 Academy graduate and 2008 NCAA qualifier, will be in action at the 2011 Dave Schultz Memorial International Championships being held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center this weekend, Feb. 3-5. The prestigious event includes many of the world’s top wrestlers, including 27 past World or Olympic medalists.

Up Next...

The Falcons compete in three dual meets next week, first visiting Utah Valley on Friday, Feb. 11, before hosting Northern Iowa and New Mexico Highlands on Sunday, Feb. 13.

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