Air Force Academy
Coe College
Air Force Edges Coe, 19-18, in Dual Opener
1/6/2012 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Jan. 6, 2012
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - In its first dual meet of the 2011-12 season, the Air Force wrestling team picked up a 19-18 victory over Coe College Friday evening at Eby Fieldhouse. The Falcons won six of 10 bouts on the evening against the Kohawks, who are currently ranked fifth in Division III.
Jimmy Gotto, one of seven nationally ranked wrestlers for Coe, got out to a strong start, earning a technical fall at 125 pounds to give the Kohawks a 5-0 lead. Air Force responded by winning the next four matches, beginning with a 7-3 decision by freshman Dylan Hyder (Yelm, Wash.) at 133 pounds.
Carter McElhany (Fr., Colorado Springs, Colo.) added a 7-1 decision over 10th-ranked Chris LeClere at 141 pounds to give Air Force its first lead of the dual, while Cole VonOhlen (Jr., Jackson, Minn.), ranked fifth in the nation at 149 pounds, posted an 8-5 decision over James Locke, ranked fourth in Division III.
Sophomore Josh Kreimier (Fort Collins, Colo.) closed out the first half of the dual by edging out ninth-ranked Dale Handley in a 4-3 decision, as Air Force took a 12-5 lead. However, Coe got back on the scoreboard with a major decision from top-ranked Nick LeClere at 165 pounds, while a fall by sixth-ranked Scott King in the 174-pound bout gave the Kohawks a 15-12 advantage in the team scoring.
The Falcons were able to tie the score with a 9-3 decision by sophomore Greg Isley (Toledo, Ohio) at 184 pounds. Meanwhile, junior Josh Mohr (Pewaukee, Wis.) put Air Force back on top with a 13-5 major decision in the 197-pound bout.
In the final match of the evening, the Falcons' Brook Gosch (So., Orwigsburg, Pa.) wrestled up a weight class to face fifth-ranked Alex Burkle. While Burkle was able to take the 6-3 decision, it was not enough for Coe to overtake Air Force in the team scoring, as the Falcons held on for the one-point win.
The Falcons are back in action on Sunday, Jan. 8, when they visit WWC foe Northern Iowa in a 2:00 p.m. (CT) contest.
Air Force 19, Coe 18
125 - Jimmy Gotto (Coe) tech fall Mengyuan Qiu, 16-1 (7:00)
133 - Dylan Hyder (AF) dec. Jordan Westfall, 7-3
141 - Carter McElhany (AF) dec. Chris LeClere, 7-1
149 - No. 5 Cole VonOhlen (AF) dec. James Locke, 8-5
157 - Josh Kreimier (AF) dec. Dale Handley, 4-3
165 - Nick LeClere (Coe) maj. dec. Colby Kluesner, 12-4
174 - Scott King (Coe) fall Clayton Gable, 6:33
184 - Greg Isley (AF) dec. Ethan Ball, 9-3
197 - Josh Mohr (AF) maj. dec. Donnie Horner, 13-5
HWT - Alex Burkle (Coe) dec. Brook Gosch, 6-3
Players Mentioned
