Air Force Academy
Big 12 Championship
Air Force Wrestling Concludes Big 12 Tournament with Placers
3/6/2016 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Air Force wrestling concluded Big 12 Championship action, Sunday, March 6, with three place winners. Senior team captain Josh Martinez led the Falcons with a fifth place finish while sophomores Michael Billingsley and Drew Romero finished sixth and seventh respectively.
Martinez started day two against Jade Rauser (UVU) in the consolation semi-finals. Rauser struck first with takedown points followed by a Martinez takedown in the first period. After an exchange in takedowns and escapes, Martinez dropped the 10-6 decision to the Wolverine wrestler.
In his second bout of the day, Martinez squared off against Keegan Moore (WVU) for fifth place. Moore started the match as the aggressor, getting a takedown in 36 seconds. In the second period Martinez took control of the match with two takedowns and a two-point near fall for the substantial lead. Martinez secured the 10-2 major decision over the Mountaineer wrestler for a fifth place finish.
Billingsley opened up day two action against Connor Flynn (WVU) in the consolation semi-finals. He was unable to score until the third period where he managed a two-point reversal. Billingsley dropped the 7-3 decision to Flynn and moved into the fifth place bout.
In his second match of the day, Billingsley squared off against Luke Zilverberg (SDSU) for a fifth place finish. Billingsley struck first with a takedown at nine seconds left in the first period. Zilverberg would be the only one to score points in the final two periods, sealing the match at 4-2, giving Billingsley the sixth place finish.
Romero was slated to take on Zeke Moisey for seventh place but Moisey was unable to compete due to injury giving Romero the seventh place finish by medical forfeit.
Romero was then slated to take on Chasen Tolbert (UVU) for the true sixth spot and an automatic bid into the national tournament. Tolbert was unable to compete due to injury, giving Romero the true-sixth finish and his first career bid into the NCAA tournament.
"We're very excited about our NCAA qualifier, Drew Romero," said head wrestling coach Sam Barber. "He showed a lot of toughness and grit when he got the call and he punched his ticket to New York City so we're extremely proud of that."
"I'm pleased with effort and the fight the guys showed at the Big 12 tournament," Barber continued. "We asked our guys to show up and wrestle to or above their seeds and they did that in eight out of 10 weight classes."
"Three guys wrestled in the second day, making three placers and we're pretty happy with those results. The team finished ninth; some improvements can be made in that area, but overall they showed up and did what they were supposed to do based on the seedings."
The Falcons finished the championship event in ninth place with 39.5 team points. Air Force wrestling will continue action at the NCAA tournament, March 17-19, in Madison Square Garden, N.Y. Romero was officially qualified with the conclusion of the Big 12 Championship. Martinez will await an at-large bid decision on Mar. 9.
Day Two Air Force Results:
Consolation Semi-Finals
Drew Romero (AF) Over Zeke Moisey (WVU) - Medical Forfeit
Jade Rauser (UVU) Dec. Josh Martinez (AF) - 10-6
Connor Flynn (WVU) Dec. Michael Billingsley (AF) - 7-3
5th Place
Josh Martinez (AF) MD Keegan Moore (WVU) - 10-2
Luke Zilverberg (SDSU) SV-1 Dec. Michael Billingsley (AF) - 4-2
Final Team Scores:
OSU: 161
OU: 100
ISU: 87
SDSU: 77
WYO: 71.5
WVU: 65.5
NDSU: 62.5
UVU: 60.5
AF: 39.5
UNC: 30
