Air Force Announces 2009-2010 Wrestling Schedule
9/4/2009 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Sept. 4, 2009
USAFA, Colo. -
2009-2010 Wrestling Schedule
Five home matches, along with appearances at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, Southern Scuffle and All-Academy Championships, highlight the 2009-2010 Air Force wrestling schedule, released by head coach Joel Sharratt.
For the second straight year, all of the Falcons' home events, including the Blue-Silver Intrasquad Match on Nov. 5, will be held in Clune Arena. Air Force opens its home slate on Dec. 11, when it hosts Ohio and Colorado School of Mines in a pair of dual meets. The first league match-up of the season comes on Jan. 28, when the Falcons welcome Western Wrestling Conference rival Utah Valley to the Academy. Air Force also hosts Cal State Fullerton on Feb. 14 before wrapping up its home schedule on Feb. 18 versus Wyoming.
The Falcons officially open the season on Nov. 14 at the annual Cowboy Open, hosted by Wyoming, before heading to the Kaufman-Brand Open in Omaha, Neb., on Nov. 21. Air Force also returns to the prestigious Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Dec. 4-5 to face some of the top wrestlers in the nation.
Air Force heads to Corvallis, Ore., on Dec. 18 for a pair of duals against Oregon State and Southern Oregon before closing out the calendar year at the annual Southern Scuffle, one of the nation's top tournaments, in Greensboro, N.C.
The Falcons compete in the annual Lone Star Duals in Grand Prairie, Texas, on Jan. 16, while traveling to Gunnison, Colo., for the Borah Duals on Jan. 16. Air Force visits WWC foes South Dakota State and North Dakota State on Jan. 30 and Jan. 31, respectively, before heading to Annapolis, Md., on Feb. 6 for the annual All-Academy Championships, hosted by Navy.
Two more conference road duals are on the schedule for the Falcons, who visit Northern Colorado on Feb. 12 before wrapping up the regular season on Feb. 21 at Northern Iowa. Other competitions on the Falcons' schedule include the Fort Hays Open on Dec. 5, the Glen Brand Open on Jan. 16 and the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Open on Jan. 30.
South Dakota State will host this year's NCAA West Regional/Western Wrestling Conference Championships on March 6, with the top performers earning bids to the NCAA Championships, which will be held March 18-20 in St. Louis, Mo.
"We are excited about the upcoming season and the opportunity that our schedule will provide out team," said Sharratt. "The schedule is loaded with national competition from the West Coast to the East Coast, and of course, the core of America's wrestling population, the Midwest. The depth of our schedule will provide everyone the best opportunity to prepare for the conference and national tournament in March."
