Air Force Wrestlers Begin Season at Hokie Open

Nov. 6, 2011

SALEM, Va. - Led by an individual title from junior Cole VonOhlen (Jackson, Minn.), the Air Force wrestling team began the 2011-12 season with four placewinners at the Hokie Open, hosted by Virginia Tech.

For the third-straight season, VonOhlen began the year with a tournament title, this time taking first place at 149 pounds. Competing in the largest bracket, VonOhlen posted a 5-0 record on the day, including a tech fall and a pair of pins in his first two bouts. In the semifinals, VonOhlen earned a 6-0 decision over Newberry's Deral Brown to earn a spot in the championship match against North Carolina's Jon Burns.

VonOhlen's championship battle with Burns proved to be his toughest of the day after suffering an injury. However, he found a way to win, coming back from a 5-2 deficit, tying the score at 7-7 in the third period and earning a riding time point for the 8-7 decision and the 149-pound title.

Junior Clayton Gable (Dallastown, Pa.) turned in a third-place finish at 174 pounds, posting a 4-1 record on the day. Gable recorded a fall in his first match of the day, followed by an 8-0 major decision over North Carolina State's Quinton Godley. After dropping a close 9-7 decision to Turtogtokh Luvsand from The Citadel, Gable rebounded in the consolation bracket. He recorded two more wins, including a 7-5 decision over North Carolina's Thomas Ferguson in the third-place match.

At 197 pounds, junior Josh Mohr (Pewaukee, Wis.) captured fifth place with a 4-2 record. Winning his first three matches of the day, including two falls, Mohr came up short in the semifinals, dropping a one-point decision. Following a loss in the consolation bracket, Mohr moved into the fifth-place match, where he won by injury default over New River Valley's Derrick Borlie.

Meanwhile, in the 125-pound weight class, sophomore Greg Rinker (Northampton, Pa.) posted a 2-3 record to earn a sixth-place finish to start the season. He won his first two bouts of the day, recording a fall in his first match, but fell into the consolation bracket with a loss to tournament champion Ty Mitch of Virginia Tech in the semifinals.

Another standout for the Falcons on Sunday was sophomore Colby Kluesner (Denver, Colo.), who registered a 4-2 record at 165 pounds, despite not finishing as a placewinner. While he dropped into the consolation bracket with a first-round loss to Virginia Tech's Pete Yates, Kluesner scored four straight victories, including a fall and a major decision, before ending the day in the consolation quarterfinals.

"The team showed some talent and capability," said Air Force head coach Joel Sharratt. "We showed some strength in areas but reverted to some old habits in a few tough situations. We will get back and break things down--every one of our guys is unquestionably capable of improving on today's performance."

"We had some great fans following us throughout the day and look forward to the continued support," added Sharratt.

The Falcons return to action Nov. 19, when they head to the Holiday Inn Open, hosted by Nebraska-Kearney, and the Old Chicago Open, hosted by Northern Colorado.

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