Air Force Academy

Feb. 17, 2009

The Air Force wrestling team concludes its dual slate for the 2009 season this week, Feb, 19-20, with a pair of conference road duals. The Falcons visit Wyoming Thursday night with a 7:00 contest, while they head to Utah Valley for a 6:00 p.m. dual on Friday.

Watch It on the Web...
The Air Force-Wyoming match will be video streamed on Wyoming's official website, wyomingathletics.com. Meanwhile, a link to live stats of the dual will be available at intermatwrestle.com.

Last Time Out...
In its final home meet of the year, Air Force fell to Northern Colorado, 29-12, last week in conference action.

The Falcons picked up three wins on the evening, with senior captain Stephen Crozier, wrestling at 174 pounds, posting a 15-0 technical fall in his final home appearance. Also notching wins for Air Force were Justin Shadrix, registering a major decision at 165 pounds, and Stephen Larson, who captured a 3-1 sudden victory in the heavyweight bout.

Scouting the Falcons...
Air Force enters this week's match with a 4-10 overall record and 1-3 mark in the Western Wrestling Conference. Leading Air Force in total victories this season is senior captain Stephen Crozier who has 21 wins on the year, while sophomore Andrew Zwirlein ranks second on the team with 15 victories.

Crozier is also the team leader in total dual victories, with a 10-4 record, while junior Justin Shadrix, who has competed at the 165, 174 and 184 weight classes, is perfect in dual action with a 5-0 record.

Scouting the Cowboys...
Wyoming comes into this week's match with a 13-3 overall mark and 3-0 record in the WWC. The Cowboys won a pair of contests last weekend, defeating Utah Valley and Binghamton, while falling to 15th-ranked Oklahoma State.

Scouting the Wolverines...
Utah Valley enters this weekend's dual with a 10-3 overall record and 3-1 mark in the WWC. The Wolverines are coming off a close 21-15 loss to Wyoming last weekend.

Among the leaders for the Wolverines is sophomore Ben Kjar, who is ranked 19th in the nation at 125 pounds with a 28-8 overall record.

Quick Hits...
• Air Force defeated Wyoming, 21-12, in last year's season finale; the previous meeting between the two teams was a 33-12 Wyoming victory in 2006
• The Falcons have defeated Utah Valley in each of the last two seasons--winning 38-6 in 2007 and 33-6 last year

Up Next...
With the regular season under wraps, the Falcons head to Greeley, Colo., for the NCAA West Regional on March 7. The regional, which also doubles as the WWC Championships, will serve as the qualifying tournament for the NCAA Championships.

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