Air Force Academy
Oklahoma Open
Falcon Grapplers Find Success at Oklahoma Open
11/27/2001 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Nov. 27, 2001
Facing tough competition, three Air Force wrestlers placed at the Oklahoma Open, including sophomore Blaine Brown, who finished in second place at the 157-pound weight class.
Brown defeated former four-time Oklahoma high school state champion Mike Bean, 3-2, to advance to the semifinal round. He then pinned Rafeal Maturino to advance to the championship match, where he lost to Doug Cielesti, 8-3.
Heavyweight Kevin Hoy finished with a 4-1 record, grabbing third place in the event. He won his first two matches before losing to the eventual second-place winner Gary Barber by one point. He won both his matches in the loser's bracket, including an 8-1 victory over Dean Taylor in the match for third place.
Sophomore Tom Beachkofsky (184 pounds) lost his first match, then battled back in the loser's bracket to earn fourth place. He lost by technical fall to Nathan James in his final match.
The Falcons were without three of their top wrestlers, who were out with injury. Scott Frohardt (149 lbs), Samuel Sherertz (165 lbs.) and Terry Parham (174 lbs.) missed the Oklahoma Open with various injuries.
The Falcons have a full slate of events on tap. They face Cal Davis and Embry Riddle in dual meets on Thursday, Nov. 29. They then take on some of the top wrestlers in the nation in the Collegiate Invitational on Friday, Nov. 30, in Las Vegas, Nev.
