Wrestling Prepped for Three-Dual Day

Fresno State Bulldogs (0-3, 0-1 Big 12)
Saturday, Feb. 6 | 10 A.m. MT
East Gym | USAFA, Colo.

Northern Colorado Bears (3-1, 2-1 Big 12) & West Virginia Mountaineers (5-2, 1-1 Big 12)
Saturday, Feb. 6 | 6/7:30 p.m. MT
Bank of Colorado Arena | Greeley, Colo.

THIS WEEK: The Air Force Academy wrestling team has a three-dual day in two locations, Saturday, Feb. 6. The Falcons will host Fresno State for Senior Day, starting at 10 a.m., followed by a pair of duals up in Greeley against the host Northern Colorado Bears at 6 p.m. and West Virginia at 7:30 p.m. AF will also wrestle bonus matches throughout the day in both locations.

FOLLOWING THE ACTION: The dual and bonus matches against the Bulldogs will stream for free on TrackWrestling, while the duals and bonus matches in Greeley will stream with a subscription through FloWrestling. All results can be found on TrackWrestling. Fans can also follow results live on Twitter by following @AF_Wrestle.

MEETS 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. The same goes for the duals in Greeley.

SENIOR DAY: Prior to the dual against Fresno State, the 12-man Class of 2021 will be honored for their contributions to the wrestling team and the Air Force Academy. The ceremony will begin at 9:50 and will be streamed on TrackWrestling. Set to be honored are Justin Becci, Trace Carello, Brock Jennings, Tanner Johnson, Casey Jumps, Terence Perkins, Lenny Petersen, Cole Phelps, Parker Simington, Cody Surratt, Jacoby Ward, and Jimmy Weaver.

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

125: Cody Phippen - #27
133: Jared Van Vleet - #16
141: Lenny Petersen - #22
174: Cody Surratt - #33
184: Jake Thompson - #28
HWT: Wyatt Hendrickson - #27

ALL-TIME VERSUS FRESNO: AF is 2-2 all-time against FS, with the first meeting coming in 2001. The Falcons are 2-1 over Fresno since it re-started its program prior to 2017. Last season, the Bulldogs edged out the Falcons, 19-18, via criteria after they won six of the 10 bouts.

HISTORY WITH THE BEARS: Saturday will mark the 32nd all-time dual meeting between AF and the Bears. In a series dating back to 1976, AF holds an 18-13 advantage. The two in-state rivals have squared off in a dual each of the last 19 seasons. Last season, UNC won 25-12 in the season finale.

WE MEET AGAIN, MOUNTAINEERS: Saturday will be just the second all-time meeting on the mat for AF against WVU, with the inaugural meeting coming in 2018, Air Force's third season in the Big 12. The Mountaineers came out on top, 19-18, via criteria. The deciding factor on the winner came down to the third criteria, total match points, in which the Mountaineers outscored the Falcons, 28-27

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.

NEXT WEEK: Air Force will have another three-dual day, Saturday, Feb. 13, in Brookings, S.D. Air Force will square off in dual and bonus match action against host South Dakota State, as well as North Dakota State and Utah Valley.

Players Mentioned

Justin Becci

Trace Carello

Wyatt Hendrickson

Brock Jennings

Tanner Johnson

Casey Jumps

Terence Perkins

Lenny Petersen

Cole Phelps

Cody Phippen

Parker Simington

Cody Surratt

Jake Thompson

Jared Van Vleet

Jacoby Ward

Jimmy Weaver

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