Wrestling Set to Host #5 Oklahoma State

#5 Oklahoma State Cowboys (4-0, 0-0 Big 12)
Friday, Jan. 22 | 5 p.m. MT
East Gym | USAFA, Colo.

THIS WEEK: The Air Force Academy wrestling team continues its 2021 slate by playing host to #5 Oklahoma State for a dual Friday evening, Jan. 22, inside the East Gym. Action against the Cowboys is set to begin at 5 p.m. MT, with bonus matches to follow.

FOLLOWING THE ACTION: The dual, as well as the bonus matches, will be streamed live for free on Trackwrestling, with live results through Trackwrestling as well. Fans can also follow results live on Twitter by following @AF_Wrestle.

CHANGE OF VENUE: Friday was originally supposed to be a neutral site match in Greeley, hosted by Northern Colorado, but due to COVID protocols within the UNC program, the dual was moved to USAFA.

MEET CLOSED TO PUBLIC: Fan attendance will be not be allowed for Air Force wrestling home events due to Academy and local COVID restrictions until further notice.

NATIONALLY RANKED FALCONS: Coming into week two, Air Force still has six wrestlers ranked by national wrestling outlets:

125: Cody Phippen - #28
133: Jared Van Vleet - #16
141: Lenny Petersen - #27
174: Cody Surratt - #29
184: Jake Thompson - #28
HWT: Wyatt Hendrickson - #26

VAN VLEET WITH A RANKED WIN: Junior Jared Van Vleet had the biggest win of opening weekend, as he dominated #13 ranked Zach Price of South Dakota State in his way to a 15-4 major decision. For his efforts, Van Vleet is ranked in the top-20 in three major outlets, and as high as 16th.

HENDRICKSON ANNOUNCES HIS PRESENCE: Freshman heavyweight Wyatt Hendrickson came into the season with a lot of hype, and he proved why in his first two matches of college action. The Kansas native went 2-0 with a 9-0 major decision in the dual, and then pinned his opponent in just 1:23 in an extra match.

ALL-TIME VERSUS OKST: Friday will mark just the fourth all-time dual between the Cowboys and Falcons, and the third as Big 12 rivals. OSU has won all three meetings so far. The first match-up between the two teams came back in 2007, when No. 4 OSU defeated AF in neutral site match in Grand Prairie, Texas, 40-5.

LAST TIME AGAINST THE COWBOYS: Air Force fell to No. 11 Oklahoma State, 37-3, Saturday afternoon, Feb. 8 2020, inside the East Gym. AF faced a gauntlet of nine nationally ranked wrestlers.
AF's lone win came in the finale, as sophomore heavyweight Kayne Hutchison took a hard fought 6-5 decision.

AF RETURNING SOME FIREPOWER: The Falcons are poised to make some noise this season, as they return nine of the 10 primary starters from a season ago, as well as 15 wrestlers who have experience as a starter in a Big 12 dual. All four placewinners in the Big 12 tournament from a season ago also return in Cody Phippen, Lenny Petersen, Cody Surratt, and Jake Thompson.

AF RECRUITING CLASS NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED: Air Force's 16-man recruiting Class of 2024 was recognized by WIN Magazine as the 26th-best recruiting class in the country, while also being recognized by theopenmat.com as a recruiting class to watch. This marks the sixth time in seven seasons Air Force has landed a top-30 class. The group is headlined by heavyweight Wyatt Hendrickson, who was the second-ranked recruit in his weight class by theopenmat.com and third by Flowrestling.

NEXT WEEK: The Falcons hit the road for the first time, as they head up to Laramie, Wyo. to take on Wyoming in a dual. Action against the Cowboys is set to begin at 5 p.m. MT.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Wyatt Hendrickson

Kayne Hutchison

Lenny Petersen

Cody Phippen

Cody Surratt

Jake Thompson

Jared Van Vleet

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