Air Force Academy
Utah Valley
Falcon Wrestling Drops Big 12 Opener
1/13/2017 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
OREM, Utah - Utah Valley edged by Air Force in the Big 12 dual slate opener, 18-15, Friday night, in Orem, Utah. The loss marks Air Force's second dropped dual of the season, they fall to 4-2 overall with a 0-1 mark in conference.
The Wolverines opened up their conference dual slate with an 8-4 decision win over Drew Romero in the 125 class. Romero scored first takedown of the match but was unable to outpace the Wolverine in the third period.
The Falcons' Dylan Hyder hastily struck back with a takedown in the opening 10 seconds of the 133 match. The takedown led to Hyder turning Jarod Maynes to his back for a pin at 1:59 in the first period. The fall marked Hyder's second of the season in dual meet action.
Utah Valley rallied back in the 149 class with Grant LaMont's 6-0 decision victory over Jerry McGinty. LaMont rode tough, logging over two minutes of riding time over the senior Falcon, while fending off McGinty's offense.
The back-and-forth action continued as junior Dane Robbins returned a 4-1 decision over Raider Lofthouse in the 157 class. Robbins scored an early takedown which led to a long ride. By the end of the second period, Robbins secured a riding time point and tacked on an additional escape point. Robbins was able to fend off the Wolverine's offense in the third period, sealing the deal, 4-2, at the final whistle.
Alex Lopouchanski pushed the pace in the 165 bout, registering three takedowns en route to his 8-2 decision over Koy Wilkinson. Lopouchanski displayed a wide arsenal of leg sweeps in his three takedowns on the match.
Utah Valley pushed back in the 174 class, earning a 7-3 decision over Michael Billingsley to knot the team score at 12. Junior 184-pounder, Zen Ikehara, took the mat determined to keep the Falcons in the fight. A late reversal in the third period by Ikehara boosted the Falcon to a 2-1 lead with 35 seconds remaining in the match. With riding time as a non-factor, Ikehara rode hard for the final 30 seconds to seal the deal 2-1, regaining the Falcon lead, 15-12.
Utah Valley's Tanner Orndorff kept the Wolverines in the fight, earning a 6-1 decision over the Falcons' Parker Hines in the 197 bout. Hines began the match as the aggressor but Orndorff found his rhythm and took control for the decision win. The loss allowed Utah Valley a tying team score, leaving the dual meet in the hands of freshman heavyweight, Kerry Powers.
Powers met with Dustin Dennison in the tie-breaking heavyweight bout. The Wolverine registered the first takedown and built some riding time by the end of the first period. Powers started the second period on top where he logged over 90 seconds of riding time with favorability to get back points. Dennison stubbornly resisted and found an opportunity for a late reversal to propel him to a four point lead. Powers was unable to score a takedown by the final whistle, dropping the bout, 6-3, and the dual 15-18, in favor of Utah Valley.
Air Force returns to Big 12 action in their first home dual of the season, against No. 20 South Dakota State, Jan. 15, at 11:00 a.m. MT, in Clune Arena. A live stream will be provided by FloWrestling. Fans can access the live stream by going to goairforcefalcons.com, and clicking the watch live link in the schedule dropdown.
AIR FORCE (4-2, 0-1 BIG 12) VS. UTAH VALLEY (3-2, 1-0 BIG 12)
125: Mitch Brown (UVU) def. Drew Romero (AFA) -8-4, UVU 3-0
133: Dylan Hyder (AFA) def. Jarod Maynes (UVU) -F (1:59), AFA 6-3
141: Trevor Wilson (UVU) def. John Twomey (AFA) - SV1 4-2, TIE 6-6
149: Grant LaMont (UVU) def. Jerry McGinty (AFA) -6-0, UVU 9-6
157: Dane Robbins (AFA) def. Raider Lofthouse (UVU) -4-1, TIE 9-9
165: Alex Lopouchanski (AFA) def. Koy Wilkinson (UVU) -8-2, AFA 12-9
174: Kimball Bastian (UVU) def. Michael Billingsley (AFA) -7-3, TIE 12-12
184: Zen Ikehara (AFA) def. Will Sumner (UVU) -2-1, AFA 15-12
197: Tanner Orndorff (UVU) def. Parker Hines (AFA) -6-1, TIE 15-15
285: Dustin Dennison (UVU) def. Kerry Powers (AFA) -6-3, UVU 18-15
FINAL: UTAH VALLEY 18, AIR FORCE 15
Players Mentioned
