Falcon Wrestling Falls at No. 4 Missouri

COLUMBIA – Air Force left it all on the mat in the Big 12 dual slate opener, falling to the fourth-ranked Missouri Tigers, 39-3, Friday evening, in the Hearnes Center. Mizzou improved to 3-0 in Big 12 dual action.

Air Force senior team captain Jared Van Vleet (133) walked away from the mat victorious, battling back from an early deficit to defeat a tough Trey Crawford with a late takedown, 6-4. Van Vleet registered his 40^th career win in the victory.

The Falcons held their own in the lower weight classes, holding nationally ranked wrestlers to narrow victories. Falcon 141-pounder Cody Phippen put 10^th-ranked Allan Hart to task, holding the two-time NCAA qualifier to a takedown and escape point while putting pressure on the Tiger for the better portion of seven minutes. Air Force junior Dylan Martinez (149) out-paced Josh Edmond in the second and third period, registering a stall point against the dug in Mizzou wrestler.

Missouri excelled in the second half of the dual, tallying two tech falls and a pin in the final three bouts. Freshman Jack Ganos (165) showed tenacity in fighting off a fall by fifth-ranked All-American Keegan O'Toole. Noah Blake (174) showed heart in holding No. 11 Peyton Mocco to a 5-3 decision, denying the two-time NCAA qualifier a share of bonus points.

Missouri has held all Big 12 dual opponents to three points so far this season (NSDSU, 37-3; UNC, 38-3).

"I'm proud of the effort put forth," head coach Sam Barber said. "When you go against a top-five team in the NCAA, you can gauge where you're at and where you need to get better. Despite the score, we were close in about half the matches and that shows promise. The guys want to get better and I see that in them, every day at practice, and especially on this kind of big stage. We're going to keep improving, the guys are hungry to get better."

Next up, the Falcons open up Clune Arena for the first time since February 2020 as they host in-state foe, Western Colorado, in the home opener on Friday, December 3, at 7 p.m. MT.

Nov. 19 – #4 Missouri 39, Air Force 3
125: #19 Noah Surtin (MU) Dec. Quinn Melofchik (AF), 6-0 | MU 3, AF 0
133: #21 Jared Van Vleet (AF) Dec. Trey Crawford (MU), 6-4 | MU 3, AF 3
141: #10 Allan Hart (MU) Dec. Cody Phippen (AF), 3-0 | MU 6, AF 3
149: Josh Edmond (MU) Dec. Dylan Martinez (AF), 7-4 | MU 9, AF 3
157: #10 Jarrett Jaques (MU) Fall Giano Petrucelli, (1:57) | MU 15, AF 3
165: #5 Keegan O'Toole (MU) TF Jack Ganos (AF), (19-3, 6:58) | MU 20, AF 3
174: #11 Peyton Mocco (MU) Dec. Noah Blake (AF), 5-3 | MU 23, AF 3
184: #12 Jeremiah Kent (MU) Fall Jake Thompson (AF) (3:37) | MU 29, AF 3
197:#5 Rocky Elam (MU) TF Kayne Hutchison (AF) (19-1, 4:34) | MU 34, AF 3
285: #11 Zach Elam (MU) TF Cole Forrester (AF), (21-6, 6:30) | MU 39, AF 3

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Players Mentioned

Noah Blake

Cole Forrester

Jack Ganos

Kayne Hutchison

Dylan Martinez

Quinn Melofchik

Giano Petrucelli

Cody Phippen

Jake Thompson

Jared Van Vleet

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