Air Force Academy

Feb. 10, 2010

The Air Force wrestling team is action for a pair of dual meets this weekend, first traveling to Greeley, Colo., on Feb. 12 for a conference dual versus Northern Colorado. The Falcons then return home on Feb. 14 for a non-conference match-up with Cal State Fullerton. The Valentine's Day dual is slated to begin at 2:00 p.m. in Clune Arena.

Falcons on the Web...
Fans who are unable to make it to Clune Arena for Sunday's match can still catch all of the action on the web. Live video streaming with audio commentary will be available free of charge on goairforcefalcons.com.

Last Time Out...
The Falcons finished second at the All-Academy Championships last weekend, placing nine wrestlers, including champions Derek Gillespie (133) and Cole VonOhlen (141). Meanwhile, Samuel Sheppard (125) and James Ciccone (184) each turned in runner-up finishes.

Scouting the Falcons...
Air Force enters this weekend with a 5-8 overall dual record and 1-2 mark in the WWC.

Leading the Falcons is freshman Cole VonOhlen, currently ranked 15th in the nation at 141 pounds. VonOhlen has posted a team-best 26 victories in his rookie campaign. Also reaching the 20-win threshold for the Falcons are senior Tyler French and freshman Tyler Spangler.

VonOhlen has also posted a team-high 12 falls so far this season, doubling 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.

Junior Justin Gaethje (157) leads the Bears with a 20-11 overall record, while Kenny Hashimoto (141) is second on the team with 13 wins on the season.

Scouting the Titans...
Cal State Fullerton currently holds a 2-7-1 overall dual record and will visit Wyoming before facing Air Force on Sunday.

The Titans are led by 17th-ranked heavyweight Kurt Klimek, who currently holds a 21-7 overall record. Todd Noel (174) has also registered 20 wins on the season, while 125-pounder Andre Gonzalez has posted 19 wins this year.

Quick Hits...
• Freshman Cole VonOhlen has posted 12 falls on the year, becoming the first Falcon since the 2005-06 season to record more than 10 falls in a single season
• The last win by Air Force at Northern Colorado was during the 2003-04 season, when the Falcons won on criteria in a 21-21 decision

WWC Wrestler of the Week, the Latest...
Freshman Cole VonOhlen was named the Western Wrestling Conference Co-Wrestler of the Week on Feb. 9, for his performance at the All-Academy Championships.

VonOhlen led the Falcons to a second-place finish at the 16th-annual event, winning a title in his first appearance at the tournament. VonOhlen recorded falls in all three of his matches, pinning Norwich's Nick Monaco in a time of 1:20 in the opening round, while notching a fall over fourth-seed David Yost of VMI in a time of 1:42.

In the championship match versus Navy's Matt Pagan, seeded second, VonOhlen held a 3-2 advantage in the waning moments of the bout, before pinning Pagan with just one second remaining on the clock.

On a Roll...
While freshman Cole VonOhlen has been impressive throughout his rookie campaign, he has been on a hot streak lately, winning 12 of his last 13 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 in the 2010 calendar year was a 6-4 decision against No. 13 Chris Drouin of Arizona State.

In the National Rankings...
With an overall record of 26-5, Air Force freshman Cole VonOhlen is currently ranked 15th in the nation at 141 pounds in the latest Intermat poll. In addition, VonOhlen is rated 18th by W.I.N. Magazine and D1 College Wrestling, 19th by Amateur Wrestling News and 20th by WrestlingReport.com. He is also ranked 10th at 141 pounds in the Takedown Wrestling Media Dual Impact Index.

Up Next...
The Falcons close out their home slate next week, Feb. 18, when they host Wyoming in a Western Wrestling Conference match-up, before wrapping up the dual schedule with a match at Northern Iowa on Feb. 21.

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