Air Force Academy

Feb. 3, 2010

The Air Force wrestling team heads to Annapolis, Md., this weekend, Feb. 6, to take part in the annual All-Academy Championships, hosted this year by Navy.

About the All-Academy Championships...
The All-Academy Championships, sponsored by USAA, are now in their 16th 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 five of the last six team titles, including the championship in 2009.

Attending the Event...
This year's All-Academy Championships are being held at Halsey Field House on the campus of the U.S. Naval Academy. Tickets are $6 for adults and $3 for students. Only visitors with a DoD sticker on their car will be able to drive upon the Naval Academy grounds. Other visitors may either park outside of the gates and walk on with a valid photo ID or park at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium and take the shuttle to and from the Academy grounds (with a $5 parking fee).

Quick Hits...
• Air Force has won four team titles at the All-Academy Championships, ranking behind only Navy (eight). Only two other schools--Army (two) and VMI (one)--have won team titles at the event
• The last Falcon to win an All-Academy title was Stephen Crozier (165) during the 2008 season

Last Time Out...
The Falcons went 1-2 in their opening weekend of conference dual action, defeating South Dakota State, 23-12, while falling to Utah Valley and North Dakota State. Leading the Falcons in dual action were freshman Cole VonOhlen (141) and senior Stephen Larson (HWT), who each posted 3-0 marks on the weekend.

In addition, 12 Air Force wrestlers were placewinners at the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Open, hosted by Colorado School of Mines. Ethan Martinez (125) and Josh Mohr (184) led the way for Air Force, claiming individual titles, while Tyler Spangler (133), Brandon Mueller (141) and Clayton Gable (165) all placed second at their respective weight classes.

VonOhlen has also posted a team-high nine falls so far this season, surpassing the team-leading total (six) from the 2008-09 season. Meanwhile, sophomore Tanner Weltzin has registered the Falcons' fastest fall of the year, recording a pin in a time of 37 seconds.

On a Roll...
While freshman Cole VonOhlen has been impressive throughout his rookie campaign, he has been on a hot streak lately, winning nine of his last 10 matches. The streak began in the fifth-place match at the Southern Scuffle, where VonOhlen registered a 10-0 major decision over Cal State Bakersfield's Elijah Nacita, who is currently ranked 12th in the nation. VonOhlen's only loss over the past month was a 6-4 decision against No. 15 Chris Drouin of Arizona State.

Meanwhile, heavyweight Stephen Larson has also been on a roll for the Falcons, winning seven of his last eight matches. Larson now holds a 9-3 record in dual competition.

In the National Rankings...
With an overall record of 23-5, Air Force freshman Cole VonOhlen is currently ranked 16th in the nation at 141 pounds in the latest Intermat poll. In addition, VonOhlen is rated 18th by W.I.N. Magazine, 19th by Amateur Wrestling News and 20th by WrestlingReport.com. He is also ranked eighth at 141 pounds in the Takedown Wrestling Media Dual Impact Index.

Up Next...
The Falcons are back in action for a pair of dual meets next weekend, first traveling to Greeley, Colo., on Feb. 12 to take on WWC rival Northern Colorado. Air Force then hosts Cal State Fullerton on Feb. 14 in a 2:00 p.m. contest.

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