Air Force Academy
Indianapolis
Air Force Wraps Up Competition At Hoosier Quad
1/19/2008 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Jan. 19, 2008
Bloomington, Ind. - Competing against No. 17 Indiana, Indianapolis and Gardner-Webb, the Air Force wrestling team went 1-2 at the Hoosier Quad Saturday, hosted by Indiana. Junior Stephen Crozier (Monona, Iowa) and sophomore James Ciccone (Mentor, Ohio) led the way for the Falcons with two wins each on the day. Air Force now moves to 2-6 on the season.
The Falcons, who wrestled four dual meets in the past two days, will have a bit of a preview of next week's action when the team hosts Utah Valley State and Colorado School of Mines on Friday before competing in four matches at the Borah Duals in Gunnison, Colo., on Saturday.
"The schedule was designed to challenge these guys, make them deal with a little bit of adversity in the sense of having to weigh in two consecutive days," said head coach Joel Sharratt. "At the national tournament, you'll have to weigh in three consecutive days if you want to be on the awards stand. The guys did not respond well to the adversity in the morning matches. It's a good thing in that the pain and suffering they're going through right now will prepare them better for March."
Air Force opened the day with a contest against Indianapolis. The Falcons dropped the first five bouts of the match by decision before Crozier picked up a 10-0 major decision over Brandon Garner at 165 pounds. A major decision by senior Jacob Devlin (Livingston, N.J.) at 184 pounds and an Indianapolis forfeit at 197 pounds had the Falcons trailing by just four going into the final bout. However, Anthony Stegeman (Cincinnati, Ohio) came up short in the heavyweight bout, dropping a 3-2 decision as the Greyhounds won the match, 21-14.
The 17th-ranked Hoosiers dominated in their match against the Falcons, rattling off eight straight victories, including a pair of falls and a tech fall. Air Force picked up its first and only victory at 197 pounds, as Ciccone, wrestling in the weight class for the first time this season, recorded a 9-2 decision over Joe Fagiano. Indiana, which now holds an 11-2 overall record, won the contest, 39-3.
Air Force turned the tables in its match versus Gardner-Webb, winning eight of 10 bouts in a 36-6 victory. Zach Valdez (Sr., Parker, Colo.) and Stegeman each notched falls, while Derek Gillespie (Fr., Chesapeake, Va.), wrestling at 133 pounds, and Crozier both recorded tech falls. Registering major decisions for the Falcons were seniors Chris Szabolcs (Westlake, Ohio) at 149 pounds and Tony Dorward (Seattle, Wash.), as Jake Kriegbaum (Sr., Abilene, Kan.) and Ciccone picked up decisions at 141 and 197 pounds, respectively.
"By the later match today with Gardner-Webb, [the team] competed very well," said Sharratt. "They worked hard, they kept scoring points, they kept building a lead. They wrestled in their positions, where they are strongest."
Air Force's home matches against Utah Valley State and Colorado School of Mines on Jan. 15 are slated to begin at 3:00 p.m. in Clune Arena.
Indianapolis 21, Air Force 14
125 - Jimmy Nichols (UI) dec. Andrew Zwirlein, 6-2
133 - Shane Perkey (UI) dec. Derek Gillespie, 14-12
141 - Matt Irwin (UI) dec. Jake Kriegbaum, 1-0
149 - Chad Woods (UI) dec. Chris Szabolcs, 10-8
157 - Mike Horton (UI) dec. Tony Dorward, 4-2 (TB)
165 - Stephen Crozier (AF) maj. dec. Brandon Garner, 10-0
174 - Kevin Flinn (UI) dec. Duane Miller, 5-0
184 - Jacob Devlin (AF) maj. dec. Kevin Smith, 13-3
197 - Jordan Tribble (AF) win by forfeit
HWT - Lynn Panko (UI) dec. Anthony Stegeman, 3-2
No. 17 Indiana 39, Air Force 3
125 - No. 2 Angel Escobedo (IU) fall Zach Valdez, 2:24
133 - No. 10 Andrae Hernandez (IU) dec. Derek Gillespie, 12-6
141 - Scott Kelly (IU) dec. Jake Kriegbaum, 4-2
149 - Kurt Kinser (IU) tech fall Chris Szabolcs, 25-5
157 - No. 9 Brandon Becker (IU) maj. dec. Tony Dorward, 9-0
165 - No. 7 Matt Coughlin (IU) dec. Stephen Crozier, 12-6
174 - Trevor Perry (IU) fall Duane Miller, 1:54
184 - Eric Cameron (IU) dec. Jacob Devlin, 7-1
197 - James Ciccone (AF) dec. Joe Fagiano, 9-2
HWT - John Sandberg (IU) fall Anthony Stegeman, 1:07
Air Force 36, Gardner-Webb 6
125 - Zach Valdez (AF) fall Tommy Bennett, 4:04
133 - Derek Gillespie (AF) tech fall Matthew Featherston, 18-3
141 - Jake Kriegbaum (AF) dec. Jimmy Ballantyne, 7-2
149 - Chris Szabolcs (AF) maj. dec. Josh Lowe, 11-0
157 - Tony Dorward (AF) maj. dec. Austin Reece, 14-6
165 - Stephen Crozier (AF) tech fall Brendan Couture, 15-0
174 - Chad Davis (GW) dec. Duane Miller, 6-4
184 - Matthias Piasecki (GW) dec. Jacob Devlin, 7-2
197 - James Ciccone (AF) dec. Dustin Porter, 6-3
HWT - Anthony Stegeman (AF) fall Evan Rhodes, 4:41
Players Mentioned
