Air Force Academy

Feb. 14, 2013

Weekly Release #10

The Air Force wrestling team returns to Western Wrestling Conference action this weekend, Feb. 16, when they visit conference foe Utah Valley.

WATCH US ON THE WEB...
Free live video and live scoring will be available for this weekend's dual at wolverinegreen.com.

LAST TIME OUT...
The Falcons earned a second-place finish at the 19th-annual All-Academy Championships on Feb. 2, scoring 92.5 points. All 10 Air Force wrestlers competing finished as placewinners, led by freshman Josh Martinez, who captured his first career All-Academy title at 125 pounds.

Cole VonOhlen (149), Josh Kreimier (157), Dan Barringer (174) and Devin Hightower (184) all finished as runners-up in their respective weight classes, while Dylan Hyder (133), Jesse Stafford (165), Josh Mohr (197) and Bentley Alsup (HWT) each placed third. Also placing in the top four for the Falcons was Carter McElhany, who took fourth place at 141 pounds.

SCOUTING THE FALCONS...
Air Force, which holds a 10-2 dual mark and 1-1 ledger in the Western Wrestling Conference, is currently ranked 22nd in the latest InterMat poll. The Falcons have two wrestlers who are listed in InterMat's individual rankings, with senior Cole VonOhlen (22-2) currently rated third at 149 pounds, while freshman Josh Martinez (25-6) is ranked eighth at 125 pounds.

SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES...
Utah Valley enters this weekend with a 5-4 overall dual record and 2-2 mark in the WWC, following a 29-10 loss to No. 21 Boise State on Wednesday evening.

The Wolverines are led by returning NCAA qualifier Josh Wilson (149), who has registered a team-best 19 wins, while Jade Rauser (125) and Avery Garner (141) each have 18 victories on the season.

NCAA RANKINGS...
Three Air Force wrestlers are currently rated in the second coaches' panel rankings for the 2012-13 season, with senior Cole VonOhlen ranked third at 149 pounds, freshman Josh Martinez ranked eighth at 125 pounds and junior Josh Kreimier rated 22nd at 157 pounds. Meanwhile, VonOhlen, Martinez, sophomore Dylan Hyder (133), junior Devin Hightower (184) and senior Josh Mohr (197) were all listed in the first Rating Percentage Index (RPI) of the season. VonOhlen, ranked second in the RPI, and Martinez, ranked third, lead the way for the Falcons, while Hyder, Hightower and Mohr rank 24th, 27th and 31st, respectively.

The final rankings and RPI will be two of the tools used as part of the selection process to determine the qualifiers for the 2013 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. Wrestlers in each weight class are measured by winning percentage, RPI and coaches' rankings to earn spots for their respective qualifying tournaments for the 2013 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. The coaches' rankings are compiled by a vote of coaches representing each qualifying tournament. For ranking purposes, coaches may only consider a wrestler that has been designated as a starter at a respective weight class.

To be eligible for an RPI ranking, a wrestler must have a minimum of 17 Division I matches at a given weight class.

IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS...
This week, Air Force is ranked 22nd in the InterMat team rankings. Meanwhile, the Falcons are also rated 23rd by WrestlingReport.com and 24th in W.I.N. Magazine's Tournament Power Index.

Individually, Air Force currently has three wrestlers ranked by various wrestling publications. Senior captain Cole VonOhlen, a returning three-time NCAA qualifier, is rated third in the nation at 149 pounds by InterMat, while he is also ranked third by Amateur Wrestling News, WrestlingReport.com and DI College Wrestling and fourth by W.I.N. Magazine.

Freshman Josh Martinez continues to move up in the InterMat rankings at 125 pounds, currently rated eighth. He is also ranked eighth by Amateur Wrestling News and DI College Wrestling, ninth by W.I.N. Magazine and 10th by WrestlingReport.com.

Meanwhile, junior Josh Kreimier is also rated 15th by Amateur Wrestling News, 20th by W.I.N. Magazine and WrestlingReport.com and 21st by DI College Wrestling.

UP NEXT...
The Falcons conclude their dual slate next week with a pair of WWC matches, first heading to Cheyenne, Wyo., on Feb. 21 to face Wyoming. Air Force will then honor its senior class prior to its home dual against Northern Colorado on Feb. 24.