Wrestling Hits Road for Pair of Long Distance Duals

#2 Oklahoma State
Friday, Feb. 8 | 6 p.m. MT
Stillwater, Okla. | Gallagher-Iba Arena

Cal Poly
Sunday, Feb. 10 | 2 p.m. MT
San Luis Obispo, Calif. | Mott Athletics Center

THIS WEEK: Following a week off from competition, the Air Force Academy wrestling team hits the road for a pair of duals, starting with No. 2 Oklahoma State in Big 12 action, Friday, Feb. 8, followed by a trek to California to take on Cal Poly in a non-conference matchup, Sunday, Feb. 10. Start time against the Cowboys is set for 6 p.m. MT, while action against the Mustangs is set for a 1 p.m. MT start.

FOLLOWING THE ACTION: Friday's dual will be streamed on FloWrestling ($), while Sunday's will air for free on Cal Poly's website via BigWest.TV. Results for both duals can be found at Trackwrestling. Fans can also follow along on Twitter, @AFAWrestling.

LAST TIME OUT: The Falcons crowned two champions, while taking second place as a team, in a highly successful All Academy Championships Saturday afternoon, Jan. 26, at Plumley Armory on the campus of Norwich University. Freshman Sidney Flores at 125 lbs. and junior Garrett O'Shea at 141 lbs. took home individual titles for the Falcons.

Flores was the most dominating Falcon wrestler on the afternoon, as the freshman went unscored upon on his way to the title. After notching a first period pin in the quarterfinals, Flores won by 8-0 major decision in the semis, and then 4-0 in the finals over Jacob Allen of Navy to secure the title.

O'Shea was also tough to score on, as the junior won his opener by 10-1 major decision, his first bonus point win of the season. In the semis, he had a dogfight, which he ended up winning, 2-0, on a late escape and penalty point. He would not wrestle the final match, as his opponent had a medical forfeit, giving O'Shea his first career All Academy crown.

ALL-TIME VERSUS OK STATE: Friday will mark just the second all-time meeting between the Cowboys and Falcons, and the first as Big 12 rivals. The only prior meeting came back in 2007, when No. 4 OSU defeated AF in neutral site match in Grand Prairie, Texas, 40-5.

ALL-TIME AGAINST CAL POLY: Sunday will be the sixth meeting between the Mustangs and Falcons, with AF leading the all-time tally, 5-0. Last year's scheduled dual between the two schools was canceled due to the government shutdown. The last time the two met was in 2017, a 21-10 AF victory at Cal Poly, Jan. 22. The series dates back to 2000, when AF won 19-15, Jan. 22.

FALCONS RANKED IN NWCA MID-MAJOR POLL: With the release of the most recent NWCA Mid-Major poll on Jan. 31, the Falcons found themselves ranked No. 18 after receiving 19 points in the poll.

THREE FALCONS IN COACHES PANEL: The first of four NCAA Coaches Panel rankings were released Thursday, Jan. 24, and there were three Air Force grapplers within the top-33 of their respective weight classes. Freshman Sidney Flores is 30th at 125 lbs, senior Alex Mossing is 29th at 157 lbs., and senior Anthony McLaughlin is 30th at 197 lbs. The Coaches Panel is one of the tools used as part of the selection process to determine qualifiers and seeding for the 2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.

NEXT UP: The Falcons conclude their home dual slate when they welcome in a pair of Big 12 foes to Clune Arena. The weekend begins with Oklahoma Friday night, Feb. 15, for Faculty Appreciation Night. The "Pack The House" dual will begin at 7 p.m. This will be followed by Senior Night, Saturday, Feb. 16, against Utah Valley. Start time against the Wolverines is also set for 7 p.m.

Wrestling Hits Road for Pair of Long Distance Duals

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Players Mentioned

Sidney Flores

Anthony McLaughlin

Alex Mossing

Garrett O'Shea

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