Falcon Wrestling Heads to 2015 West Regional/WWC Championships
3/5/2015 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Date: Saturday, March 7
Location: Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse - Fargo, N.D.
Time: 10 am/4 pm
Live Stats: http://trackwrestling.com
Live Video: http://www.gobison.com (fee required)
This Week...
The Air Force wrestling team heads to Fargo, N.D., this Saturday, March 7, for the 2015 NCAA West Regional/Western Wrestling Conference Championships, hosted by North Dakota State. The action is slated to begin at 10 am CT with finals starting at 4:00 pm.
About the NCAA WEST REGIONAL...
The NCAA West Regional, comprised of the six members of the Western Wrestling Conference (Air Force, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming), serves as a qualifying tournament for the NCAA Championships, which will be held March 19-21 in St. Louis, Mo.
This year, the West Regional will receive 19 automatic qualifiers, based on the final Coaches' Panel Ranking, Rating Percentage Index (RPI) and Division I winning percentage. The breakdown of the 19 automatic bids per weight class for the West Regional is as follows: 125 (5), 133 (1), 141 (1), 149 (1), 157 (1), 165 (2), 174 (2), 184 (2), 197 (2) and 285 (2).
After all of the qualifying events have concluded, the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee will meet in person to select the remaining 70 at-large qualifiers, which will be announced on March 11.
LAST YEAR AT THE NCAA WEST REGIONAL...
In 2014, North Dakota State snapped Wyoming's run of four-straight regional titles, scoring 74.0 to finish first over the Cowboys, who took second with 66 points. Air Force finished third (50.0), followed by Utah Valley (49.5), South Dakota State (34.5) and Northern Colorado (12.5).
Senior Greg Rinker led Air Force with the title at 133 pounds.
In the National Rankings...
The Falcons have a pair of wrestlers currently ranked by numerous wrestling publications.
Junior Josh Martinez, a two-time NCAA qualifier and 2013 WWC Freshman of the Year, is currently ranked 11th by Open Mat, 12th by W.I.N. Magazine and Wrestling Report and 14th by InterMat at 125 pounds.
Meanwhile, senior Jesse Stafford, is rated 17th in the nation by W.I.N. Magazine, 19th by InterMat and Open Mat and 22nd by Wrestling Report at 165 pounds.
Up Next...
Qualifiers from this weekend's NCAA West Regional will compete at the NCAA Championships, being held in St. Louis, Mo., March 19-21.
