Air Force Academy

The Air Force wrestling team travels to Charleston, S.C., this weekend to take part in the 11th-annual USAA All-Academy Wrestling Championships, hosted by The Citadel. The day-long, double-elimination tournament is slated to begin at 10:00 a.m. (ET) Saturday with finals scheduled for 5:00 p.m.


Last Time Out...
The Falcons (4-3) captured a pair of dual meet victories last week, defeating Western State, 29-14, on the road before taking a 37-12 home win over South Dakota State.

Going undefeated on the week were senior Luke Lefever (184), junior Beau Tresemer (165) and freshman Trey McLean (HWT), who notched a pair of falls.


The Teams...
This weekend's tournament is one of the highlights of the Falcons' season, as they face their toughest rivals---their fellow service academies. The All-Academy Championships feature wrestlers from the U.S. Air Force Academy, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, the U.S. Military Academy, the U.S. Naval Academy, Norwich, VMI and The Citadel. This year's tournament features 13 NCAA qualifiers (including Air Force's own Brandon Strong) as well as five nationally ranked wrestlers.


The Seeds...
Preliminary seeds for the All-Academy Championships were released Friday, with the Falcons receiving top-five seeds in nine of the 10 weight classes. In addition, three Air Force grapplers--Brandon Strong (125), Beau Tresemer (165) and Luke Lefever (184)--were granted top seeds.

Also seeded in the top five were: Matt Benza (#3, 133), Matt Crippes (#3, 141), Anthony Dorward (#5, 157), Jacob Lillich (#2, 174), Brenden McLean (#4, 197) and Trey McLean (#4, HWT).


Last Year At The All-Academies...
Although Air Force has traditionally fared well at the All-Academy Championships, injuries took their toll last year, as the Falcons finished in a program-worst fifth place. Leading the way for Air Force at the tournament were Blaine Brown and Luke Lefever, who each finished second.


Winning The All-Academy Championships...
Air Force has captured the title at the All-Academy Championships three times, winning the team award each year from 2000-2003.

Navy, which is currently ranked 21st in the nation, holds the most titles with four, including the 2004 championship.


Pinning The Opponents...
Five of Air Force's seven victories in last week's meet against South Dakota State came by fall, as Brandon Strong (133), Anthony Dorward (157), Beau Tresemer (165), Luke Lefever (184) and Trey McLean (HWT) all recorded pins over their respective opponents. The fastest fall of the day went to Strong, who pinned Chris Werth in just one minute.


The Brothers McLean...
Junior Brenden McLean and his younger brother, Trey, have both been stellar performers for the Falcons this season. The elder McLean has racked up an 18-10 overall record and is 6-1 in dual action. Meanwhile, Trey, a freshman, is 14-7 overall and has improved to 3-1 in dual meets. In addition, Trey ranks fifth on the team with five falls on the season (including a fastest time of 0:25), and recorded falls in each of his two wins last week.


Up Next...
The Falcons return home for a dual meet against state rival Northern Colorado on Wednesday, Feb. 9 at 7:00 p.m. They will then host Colorado School of Mines two days later, also at 7:00 p.m. Both meets will be held in Cadet East Gym.