Air Force Academy
Wing Open Semifinals
Falcons Claim Final Spots on Wing Open Roster
2/11/2015 12:00:00 AM | Boxing
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. - The Air Force boxing team finalized its championship roster for the 2015 Wing Open Tournament this evening (Feb. 11), as 15 hard-hitting semifinal bouts took place at the Academy's Cadet West Gym. A total of 28 men and two women stepped into the ring for a spot in next week's finals.
Two of the lightest and heaviest bouts of the night were determined before the first bell. Sophomore Adam Sumait came out fast in his 119-pound bout with freshman Joon Lee, forcing his opponent against the ropes early and causing the referee to call the contest in the opening round. In the only 195-pound bout of the semifinal round, junior Sean Richards secured his berth into the finals, as he forced the referee to call his bout with classmate Justin Loufty in the opening round.
The remaining 13 bouts went to the judges for decision, including the other half of the 119-pound bracket, as sophomore Nicholas Fernandez advanced to the finals of that weight class after earning a decision over freshman D.K. Nguyen.
Sophomores Samuel Sheikh and Johnny Wells were victorious in their respective 156-pound bouts, which featured two of the most anticipated contests in the semifinal lineup. Sheikh, facing freshman Nick Schultz in the first semifinal, set the tone early in the contest and earned the judges' unanimous vote, while Wells and senior Nick Holguin traded punches and the advantage during the beginning of their six-minute bout, before Wells secured the undisputed victory.
Sophomore Landon Tomcho and junior Joshua Key qualified for the finals of the 139-pound division, after earned decisions over sophomore Jordan Cox and freshman Gabriel Houston, respectively. Tomcho and Cox exchanged punches throughout the contest, but the sophomore came out strong in the third and forced a pair of standing-eight counts, en route to a unanimous victory.
Junior Max Zendali earned the judges' unanimous decision in a hard-hitting185-pound bout with classmate Carson Orwig. Both boxers forced their opponents into standing-eight counts, before Zendali landed several hard scoring shots to Orwig to secure the winning decision. Senior Brandon Pitts defeated freshman Naji Bseiso at 165 pounds and will face sophomore Darnell Jones, who picked up a victory over junior Jesse Calico in the second semifinal bout.
Three bouts were held tonight to determine the final half of their respective brackets, with freshmen earning the winning bid in all three contests. Osama Farqaleet earned a decision over sophomore Jinno Guevara in the 125-pound bout, while Shane Garcia earned a unanimous decision in his 147-pound bout with sophomore Tim Smith. Fellow first-year boxer William McCollum came out strong in his 175-pound bout with classmate Jesse Ott to earn the judges' undisputed vote.
On the women's side, junior Sarenna Ortiz earned an advancing victory in the 150-pound bout, forcing two standing-eight counts to earn the judges' unanimous decision over freshman Meicie Bennett.
With preliminary action complete, the Falcons leave the gym behind and head under the lights of Clune Arena for 57th-annual Wing Open Boxing Championships, which will be held next Thursday (Feb. 19). The event, which is free to the public, is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m., and will benefit The Home Front Cares. The championship round will also be streamed live on GoAirForceFalcons.com.
RESULTS
119-lbs.: Adam Sumait (CS-16) rsc-1 Joon Lee (CS-33)
119-lbs.: Nicholas Fernandez (CS-40) dec. D.K. Nguyen (CS-15)
125-lbs.: Osama Farqaleet (CS-16) dec. Jinno Guevara (CS-21)
139-lbs.: Landon Tomcho (CS-39) dec. Jordan Cox (CS-16)
139-lbs.: Joshua Key (CS-21) dec. Gabriel Houston (CS-33)
147-lbs.: Shane Garcia (CS-19) dec. Tim Smith (CS-31)
150-lbs.: Sarenna Ortiz (CS-25) dec. Meicie Bennett (CS-06)
156-lbs.: Samuel Sheikh (CS-31) dec. Nick Schultz (CS-19)
156-lbs.: Johnny Wells (CS-39) dec. Nick Holguin (CS-08)
165-lbs.: Brandon Pitts (CS-11) dec. Naji Bseiso (CS-26)
165-lbs.: Darnell Jones (CS-32) dec. Jesse Calico (CS-27)
175-lbs.: William McCollum (CS-22) dec. Jesse Ott (CS-11)
185-lbs.: Max Zendali (CS-26) dec. Carson Orwig (CS-39)
185-lbs.: Chad Turney (CS-21) dec. Joseph Asenuga (CS-10)
Players Mentioned
