Air Force Set to Begin Exciting Season
9/26/2008 12:00:00 AM | Boxing
Sept. 26, 2008
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. - The Air Force boxing team is in the final week of preseason preparation for an exciting 2008-09 season that features 11 matches at the Academy. The Falcons will host Navy, six rounds of Friday Night Fights and the annual Wing Open Tournament throughout the course of the season. The Falcons home schedule, which begins Oct. 3, will continue through March 8 and the Wing Open Championship.
The Falcons return one national champion, five NCBA All-Americans and nine Wing Open champions.
Air Force will open the season on Friday, Oct. 3, when they host the annual service academy showdown against Navy in the Cadet West Gym. The Falcons will face members of the service academies three times during the month of October. Air Force will also travel to Detroit, Mich., for the annual Service Academy Classic on Oct. 24, and to West Point, N.Y., for a grudge-match with defending national champion, Army, on Oct. 31.
The program's six rounds of Friday Night Fights begin on Oct. 10. Action will continue on Nov. 14, Nov. 21, Dec. 5 and Jan. 16, before concluding on Feb. 6.
The annual Wing Open Tournament begins on Feb. 12, with the preliminary round of competition. The quarterfinal (Feb. 12) and semifinal (Feb. 18) matches will help determine the 24 boxers that will converge on Clune Arena for the Wing Open finals on Sunday, March 8, at 2 p.m.
In addition, Air Force will compete in three meets against other programs from the National Collegiate Boxing Association (NCBA). The Falcons will head to New York City on Nov. 24, Seattle on Jan. 24 and Reno, Nev., on Jan. 30. The NCBA Western Regional Championships will also be held in Reno on March 19-21, while the top boxers will head to College Park, Md., for the 2009 NCBA National Championships on April 2-4.
