Air Force Academy
#9 North Carolina State
Falcon Wrestling Splits the Wolfpack Duals
11/19/2016 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Scorecard in PDF 
Cary, N.C. - Air Force wrestling split the Wolfpack duals with a win and a loss, Saturday afternoon at the Cary Academy. The Falcons, who are now 1-1 in their overall dual slate, fell to No. 9 North Carolina State, 29-6, and picked up a win, 29-9, over UNC-Pembroke.
In Air Force's first dual of the day the Wolfpack brandished five nationally ranked wrestlers, including two that are ranked in the top-10 of their respective weight divisions.
In the first bout of the day NC State registered a 19-7 major decision over 2016 NCAA qualifier Drew Romero to get bonus points on the board early.
The next four bouts included four top-20 wrestlers; No. 18 Sean Fausz at 133, No. 7 Kevin Jack at 141, No. 16 Beau Donahue at 149 and No. 4 Max Rohskopf at 157. The Falcons battled the powerhouse with unwavering confidence but fell short in those four matches. Dylan Hyder, John Twomey, Jerry McGinty and Dane Robbins prevented the Wolfpack's ranked quartet from registering bonus points.
Air Force 165-pounder Alex Lopouchanski, who is ranked No. 20 in the nation by The Open Mat, fought a close battle with Brian Hamann until a wild scramble landed him on his shoulders, giving up two near fall points which ultimately became the winning points in the bout.
In the following match junior 174-pounder Michael Billingsley took the mat determined to end the possibility of a Wolfpack sweep. The 2016 Big 12 championship place winner did just that; logging 10 points in his decision victory over Nick Reenan to put the Falcons on the board.
After giving up a 10-2 major decision in the 184 class, sophomore 197-pounder Anthony McLaughlin was the second Falcon to log points for Air Force as he registered a 5-1 decision victory over Malik McDonald.
NC State rounded out their victory with a fall over freshman heavyweight Kerry Powers. At the final whistle the Wolfpack registered 14 bonus points in their 29-6 victory over Air Force.
Air Force (0-1, 0-0 Big 12) vs. #9 NC State (2-0, 0-0 ACC)
Wolfpack Duals - Cary Academy, Cary, NC
125: Wade Cummings (NCST) MD Drew Romero (AF) - 19-7, NCST 4-0
133: #18 Sean Fausz (NCST) DEC Dylan Hyder (AF) - 9-4, NCST 7-0
141: #7 Kevin Jack (NCST) DEC John Twomey (AF) - 7-2, NCST 10-0
149: #16 Beau Donahue (NCST) DEC Jerry McGinty (AF) - 5-2, NCST 13-0
157: #4 Max Rohskopf (NCST) DEC Dane Robbins (AF) - 6-5, NCST 16-0
165: Brian Hamman (NCST) DEC #20 Alex Lopouchanski (AF) - 7-4, NCST 19-0
174: Michael Billingsley (AF) DEC Nick Reenan (NCST) - 10-5, NCST 19-3
184: #15 Michael Macchiavello (NCST) MD Zen Ikehara (AF) - 10-2, NCST 23-3
197: Anthony McLaughlin (AF) DEC Malik McDonald (NCST) - 5-1, NCST 23-6
285: Mike Kosoy (NCST) FALL Kerry Powers (AF) - 5:34, NCST 29-6
FINAL: NC STATE 29, AIR FORCE 6
In the second dual of the day against UNC-Pembroke, Air Force registered wins across eight weight classes. Freshmen Alec Opsal and Kerry Powers led the Falcons with technical fall victories in the 125 and 288 weight classes, respectively. Sophomore Alex Mossing registered a major decision in 157 class.
Garrett O'Shea, Twomey, Conor O'Hara, Tyler Wiederholt and No. 18 Parker Hines earned decision victories in their respective weight classes.
The Braves' only points came from a 6-4 sudden victory decision over freshman Randy Meneweather and Zen Ikehara's forfeit in the 184 match due to a tweaked knee. Air Force logged 14 bonus points in the 29-9 victory over the Braves.
Air Force (1-1, 0-0 Big 12) vs. UNC Pembroke (0-2, 0-0 ECAC)
Wolfpack Duals - Cary Academy, Cary, NC
125: Alec Opsal (AF) TF Jayquon McEntyre (UNCP) - 18-2, AF 5-0
133: Garrett O'Shea (AF) DEC Jonathan Miller (UNCP) - 10-7, AF 8-0
141: John Twomey (AF) DEC SV1 Chad Hoff (UNPC) - 5-3, AF 11-0
149: Conor O'Hara (AF) DEC Tyler Makosy (UNSCP) - 14-12, AF 14-0
157: Alex Mossing (AF) MD Eric Milks (UNCP) - 15-5, AF 18-0
165: Tyler Wiederholt (AF) DEC Joey DiMartino (UNCP) - 8-6, AF 21-0
174: Blaze Shade (UNCP) DEC SV1 Randy Meneweather (AF) - 6-4, AF 21-3
184: Mikey Thomas (UNCP) DEF Zen Ikehara (AF) - FOR, AF 21-9
197: #18 Parker Hines (AF) DEC Makenna Cook (UNCP) - 7-1, AF 24-9
285: Kerry Powers (AF) TF Danny Berrier (UNCP) - 16-0, AF 29-9
FINAL: AIR FORCE 29, UNC-PEMBROKE 9
Air Force continues action on Sunday, Nov. 20, at the Wolfpack Open hosted by NC State in Carmichael Gym, Raleigh, N.C. Bouts are slated to start at 9:00 a.m. ET. Live stats and a live stream will be provided for the tournament. Fans can access the live stats and stream by going to GoAirForceFalcons.com and clicking the links in the schedule drop down. A subscription is required for viewing the FloWrestling live stream.
Players Mentioned
