Air Force Academy

March 14, 2011

Air Force sophomore Cole VonOhlen will head to the 2011 NCAA Wrestling Championships, being held in Philadelphia, Pa., this week, March 17-19. VonOhlen, the NCAA West Regional champion at 141 pounds, is the lone Falcon competing at this year’s national tournament.

About the NCAA Championships...

Watch the ACtion...

Fans who are unable to make it to Philadelphia to see the championships in person will still be able to catch the action online and on television. The first two sessions, which will take place on Thursday, will be broadcast live on ESPN3.com.

Meanwhile, the final four sessions are all slated to be televised. On Friday, coverage will begin at 10:30 a.m. (ET) and 7:00 p.m. on ESPNU. Saturday’s medal rounds, scheduled to start at 11:00 a.m., will also air on ESPNU, while the championship bouts, slated to start at 7:30 p.m., will be broadcast live on ESPN.

Last Year at the NCAA Championships...

Cole VonOhlen was the lone Air Force competitor at the 2010 NCAA Wrestling Championships,  qualifying for the event in his rookie campaign. VonOhlen, who dropped a close 11-8 decision to eventual runner-up Montel Marion (Iowa) in his opening bout, came up short against WWC foe Kenny Hashimoto (Northern Colorado) in the consolation bracket. VonOhlen finished his freshman campaign with a 31-9 overall record.

Last Time Out...

Air Force captured third place at the 2011 NCAA West Regional on March 6, scoring 59.0 points to finish behind Wyoming and Northern Iowa. The Falcons were led by sophomore Cole VonOhlen, named the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler after winning the title at 141 pounds. In addition, senior captain Joseph Stafford placed second at 174 pounds, while four other Falcons—Derek Gillespie (133),  Clayton Gable (165), Neil Delaney (197) and Jared Erickson (HWT)— finished third in their respective weight classes.

First Up...

Cole VonOhlen, with a 42-7 overall record on the season, enters this year’s NCAA Championships as the ninth seed at 141 pounds and will face Iowa State’s Chris Drouin in his opening match. Drouin, ranked 20th by Intermat, enters this weekend with a 13-9 overall record. Drouin received an at-large bid to the national tournament after placing fifth at the Big Ten Championships.

On A Roll...

Since the calendar turned the page to 2011, Cole VonOhlen has put together an impressive stretch, posting a 18-1 record (not including a pair of forfeit victories) since January. VonOhlen’s lone loss was a narrow 6-5 decision at the All-Academy Championships on Feb. 6.

Of VonOhlen’s 18 wins in the 2011 calendar year, 10 have been by fall, with nine of them scored in the first period. VonOhlen has also registered five tech falls since January, with the remaining three wins coming by major decision.

Against the Best...

This season, Cole VonOhlen has faced nine of the 32 other NCAA qualifiers at 141 pounds, carrying a 7-6 record against the field. Among his top wins was a 19-3 technical fall against 11th-seed Matthew Mariacher of American, as well as three victories (a decision, a fall and a tech fall) over Utah Valley’s Justin Morrill.

In the National Rankings...

Cole VonOhlen was ranked 11th in the nation at 141 pounds in the final Intermat poll of the season. In addition, VonOhlen is rated eighth by WrestlingReport.com, ninth by Amateur Wrestling News, 10th by The Open Mat and WIN Magazine and 11th by D1 College Wrestling.

A Win Leader...

Sophomore Cole VonOhlen currently holds 42 wins on the season, a total which is the most by an Air Force wrestler in a single season since Kevin Hoy racked up 44 wins en route to a national runner-up finish in 2003.

AF All-time All-Americans...

This year, Cole VonOhlen will strive to join the ranks of such decorated individuals as Don Henderson, Terry Isaacson, Kirt Donaldson, Ken Donaldson, Bob Orwig, Terry Parham, Scott Frohardt and Kevin Hoy—Air Force’s All-American wrestlers.

Among the group of eight All-Americans in Air Force history are one national champion (Henderson), three NCAA runners-up (Isaacson, Ken Donaldson and Hoy) and two multiple All-America performers (Isaacson and Hoy).

Complete Release in PDF Format

NCAA Championship Brackets in PDF Format