Falcon Wrestling Meets With Wyoming in Big 12 Matchup
2/3/2017 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Full Notes in PDF 
AIR FORCE at WYOMING
Saturday, Feb. 4, 7:00 p.m. MT
UniWyo Sports Complex, Wyoming University | Laramie, WY
Watch Live on FloWrestling | Live Tracking
THIS WEEK: Wrestling returns to action with a Big 12 dual on the road against the Wyoming Cowboys, Saturday, Feb. 4, in Laramie, Wyo., beginning at 7:00 pm. MT. The Wyoming dual is the first of three duals remaining on the season and the last dual on the road. A live stream will be provided by FloWrestling; a subscription is required for viewing. Fans can access the stream by going to goairforcefalcons.com, and clicking the watch live link in the schedule drop down. Alternate links to the stream can also be found at gowyo.com or flowrestling.org. Live updates will be provided by the Air Force wrestling twitter page, @AFAwrestling.
THE SERIES AGAINST WYOMING: The Falcons and Pokes will meet for the 52nd time in program history in one of the program's longest running series. Wyoming leads Air Force in the series, 39-12; winning the last eight duals between the programs. In last season's dual meet, Air Force dropped the conference opener with a 22-16 loss to the Cowboys in Clune Arena. The Falcons picked up five of the 10 bouts but ultimately fell short with Wyoming earning falls in the 141 and 285 classes. The last time the Falcons beat the Cowboys was in the 2007-08 season, where Air Force picked up a 21-12 win at home.
SCOUTING THE POKES: Wyoming takes the mats under the reins of nine-year head coaching veteran, Mark Branch, who led the Cowboys to four consecutive Western Wrestling Conference titles from 2010-14. Branch boasts a .664 dual meet win-percentage by way of 85 wins and 43 losses. The three-time WWC Coach of the Year has seen eight Pokes earn All-America honors while at the helm of Wyoming wrestling.
Wyoming will brandish five nationally ranked wrestlers in Saturday's dual against Air Force, led by returning All-American and national finalist at 141, No. 8 Bryce Meredith. Also amongst the Pokes' starters, No. 16 Drew Templeman (125), who finished 4th at the 2016 Big 12 Championships, and No. 16 Branson Ashworth, who registered a third place finish at the 2017 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. No. 19 Archie Colgan, who will wrestle at 157, also finished third at this year's CKLV. Cole Mendenhall, ranked No. 23 by Track Wrestling, will wrestle at 149.
In this season's dual slate, Wyoming has topped Big 12 rivals Iowa State and Utah Valley. Their largest margin of victory came from an overwhelming, 32-3 win, over Cal Poly. In terms of like-opponents, both Wyoming and Air Force scored wide margins of victory over Cal Poly, and have both fallen to No. 20 South Dakota State; however, the Cowboys edged by Utah Valley, 17-16, as Utah Valley edged by Air Force, 18-15; both duals coming down to the final match.
LAST WEEKEND AT THE ALL ACADEMIES: Dylan Hyder led the Falcons with a championship title in the 133 class at the 23rd-Annual All Academy Championships, hosted by the U.S. Naval Academy, Jan. 29, in Annapolis, Md. 10 Falcons placed in the top-three of their respective weight classes en route to a third place team finish.
Air Force totaled 93.5 points in their third place finish in a field of eight service academies. The All Academy Championship winners, Army West Point, logged 103.5 points, while second-place Navy registered 98 points. The 10 place-winning finishes mark the first time the entire team has earned podium finishes at the All Academies in at least 10 seasons.
UP NEXT FOR AIR FORCE: The Falcons will continue Big 12 dual action at home against North Dakota State, Friday, Feb. 10, at 7:00 p.m. MT. The conference matchup is one of only two left; both of which will be hosted by Air Force. A live stream for both dual meets will be provided by FloWrestling; a subscription is required for viewing.
TWO FALCONS BREAK INTO THE NCAA COACHES' RANKINGS: Sophomores Alex Lopouchanski and Anthony McLaughlin earned spots in the top-33 rankings of their respective weight classes in the NCAA Coaches' Rankings, Jan. 20.
McLaughlin, who is 13-6 overall with a 3-0 dual mark, checked in at No. 29 in the 197 class. Lopouchanski, who is 17-14 overall with a 3-3 mark in dual action, is ranked No. 31 in the 165 class.
IN RECENT RECRUITING NEWS: The Air Force wrestling staff has rounded up some of the nation's top recruits to build the program's second consecutive top-20 recruiting class according to W.I.N Magazine's early-season recruiting rankings. The feat marks the first time in program history the Falcons have had back-to-back top-20 recruiting rankings.
