Saturday, November 4
USAFA, CO
6:00 PM
Air Force Academy
vs
Western Colorado
Falcon Wrestling Opens 2023-24 Campaign with Pair of Home Duals
11/3/2023 2:30:00 PM | Wrestling
Air Force vs. Western Colorado
6 p.m. MT, Saturday, November 4
Clune Arena, USAF Academy
Air Force vs. CSU-Pueblo
7:30 p.m. MT, Saturday, November 4
Clune Arena, USAF Academy
FOLLOW ALONG
The double-header will be livestreamed on FloWrestling.com. Fans can tune in via this link. Air Force will also be sharing live updates on X.com at @AF_Wrestle.
LET'S GET IT STARTED
The Falcons return eight of its dual meet starters in Tucker Owens (125), Garrett Kuchan (141), Jack Ganos (157), Giano Petrucelli (165), Sam Wolf (174), Noah Blake (184), Calvin Sund (197), and Wyatt Hendrickson (285).
Of the eight returners five were Big 12 Championship placers in Owens, Wolf, Blake, Sund and Hendrickson. Three returners were NCAA qualifiers in Owens, Wolf, and Hendrickson. Hendrickson third-place finish at nationals marked Air Forces first All-American since Kevin Hoy in 2003.
The Falcons will host seven dual opponents on six dates in Clune Arena. Air Force will also battle in four competitive tournaments leading up to conference dual meets— the Mountaineer Invitational (Nov. 11), the Navy Classic (Nov. 18), the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite (Dec. 1-2), and the David Lehman Open at Franklin & Marshall (Jan. 5). Non-conference duals include Cal Poly on the road and American University at home.
IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Four Falcons cracked into the nation's Top-33 at the beginning of the season. Hendrickson leads the team at No. 2 in Intermat and FloWrestling. In the FloWrestling rankings, Sam Wolf checks in at No. 16, Tucker Owens at No. 21, and Giano Petrucelli at No. 26.
As a team, the Falcons are ranked 20th in the team tournament rankings by FloWrestling, and 23rd by Intermat.
WELCOME ABOARD
Air Force has unveiled its roster for the 2023-24 campaign, announcing the addition of 12 C4C's to the ranks. The class marks the seventh top-25 recruiting class in the last 10 years.
Dany Asongkeng Tanefeu 174 Bismark, ND / Century
Gavin Caprella 133 Bluffton, OH / Lima Central Catholic
Joshua Cordio 184 Lancaster, MA / Wyoming Seminary
Jackson Dewald 197 Sloan, IA / Westwood
Jake Doone 149 Nazareth, PA / Nazareth Area
Owen Heiser 184 Oregon, WI / Evansville
Soren Herzog HWT Inner Grove Heights, MN / Simley
Paul King 174 Colorado Springs, CO / Pine Creek
Trason Oehme 141 Brandon, SD / Brandon Valley
Antonio Ramos HWT Springfield, MA / Northfield Mount Hermon
Nicco Tocci 149 Lititz, PA / Warwick
Bubba Wright 133 Wichita, KS / Kapuan Mt. Carmel
AT THE HELM
Sam Barber enters his 10th season at the helm of the Air Force wrestling program in 2023-24. Before taking over the head coaching duties, Barber spent the previous five years as a full-time assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Falcons after serving as a volunteer assistant during the 2008-09 season.
The 2022-23 season under Barber was a historic season for Air Force; the team finished 8-6 in duals with six wins over Division I programs, including Pac-12 Champions Cal-Poly. At the Big 12 Championships, Air Force had a program-high seven medalists and placed fifth as a team. Five Falcons qualified for the NCAA championship, the most since 1991. At the NCAA Championships, Air Force placed 18th, tied with Oklahoma State; this was the highest finish for Air Force or a Service Academy since 1971. The team was led by Wyatt Hendrickson, who earned All-American honors placing third. Hendrickson was the program's first All-American since 2003.
Wyatt Hendrickson and Sam Wolf have been named team captains for the 2023-24 season. It is the second-straight season that the duo has occupied the team captaincy.
WHAT'S NEXT
Thew Falcons travel to Boone, North Carolina, to battle for titles at the Mountaineer Invitational, hosted by Appalachian State on Saturday November 11. The Falcons had three individual champions at last season's App State tournament.
CHASING 100
Wyatt Hendrickson holds a 75-9 career record and is on track to hit the coveted century mark. The last time a Falcon had more than 100 wins was Josh Martinez in 2016.
WYATT'S WORLD
Wyatt Hendrickson became a U23 World Champion after besting Adil Misirci of Turkey in the finals at 125 kg. Hendrickson took a quick lead in the first period before unleashing an explosion on offense in the second period that led to a 13-3 technical fall. Hendrickson medals in just his second trip to an age-group World Championships. He is the Air Force Academy's first World Champion and medalist.
Sam Barber was chosen over several qualified applicants to coach Team USA's U23 men's freestyle team. Barber and Hendrickson were integral parts of helping the team to its first-ever UWW U23 men's freestyle world title.
Hendrickson was also selected to compete at the prestigious NWCA All-Star Classic—a program-first selection for Air Force Wrestling. Hendrickson will meet with Penn State's No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet.
The 2023 NWCA All-Star Classic presented by Cliff Keen will take place on Tuesday, November 21, 2023, at 7:00 pm (ET) at Rec Hall on the campus of Penn State. This event can be viewed only on FloWrestling and will feature 10 highly ranked Div. I folkstyle matchups along with four cross-divisional women's freestyle matches.
The prestigious event began in 1967 and was a staple of the college season until 2017. After a four-year hiatus, the All-Star Classic made its return in 2022 in Austin, Texas, due in large part to the support of the National Wrestling Coaches Association.
6 p.m. MT, Saturday, November 4
Clune Arena, USAF Academy
Air Force vs. CSU-Pueblo
7:30 p.m. MT, Saturday, November 4
Clune Arena, USAF Academy
FOLLOW ALONG
The double-header will be livestreamed on FloWrestling.com. Fans can tune in via this link. Air Force will also be sharing live updates on X.com at @AF_Wrestle.
LET'S GET IT STARTED
The Falcons return eight of its dual meet starters in Tucker Owens (125), Garrett Kuchan (141), Jack Ganos (157), Giano Petrucelli (165), Sam Wolf (174), Noah Blake (184), Calvin Sund (197), and Wyatt Hendrickson (285).
Of the eight returners five were Big 12 Championship placers in Owens, Wolf, Blake, Sund and Hendrickson. Three returners were NCAA qualifiers in Owens, Wolf, and Hendrickson. Hendrickson third-place finish at nationals marked Air Forces first All-American since Kevin Hoy in 2003.
The Falcons will host seven dual opponents on six dates in Clune Arena. Air Force will also battle in four competitive tournaments leading up to conference dual meets— the Mountaineer Invitational (Nov. 11), the Navy Classic (Nov. 18), the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite (Dec. 1-2), and the David Lehman Open at Franklin & Marshall (Jan. 5). Non-conference duals include Cal Poly on the road and American University at home.
IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Four Falcons cracked into the nation's Top-33 at the beginning of the season. Hendrickson leads the team at No. 2 in Intermat and FloWrestling. In the FloWrestling rankings, Sam Wolf checks in at No. 16, Tucker Owens at No. 21, and Giano Petrucelli at No. 26.
As a team, the Falcons are ranked 20th in the team tournament rankings by FloWrestling, and 23rd by Intermat.
WELCOME ABOARD
Air Force has unveiled its roster for the 2023-24 campaign, announcing the addition of 12 C4C's to the ranks. The class marks the seventh top-25 recruiting class in the last 10 years.
Dany Asongkeng Tanefeu 174 Bismark, ND / Century
Gavin Caprella 133 Bluffton, OH / Lima Central Catholic
Joshua Cordio 184 Lancaster, MA / Wyoming Seminary
Jackson Dewald 197 Sloan, IA / Westwood
Jake Doone 149 Nazareth, PA / Nazareth Area
Owen Heiser 184 Oregon, WI / Evansville
Soren Herzog HWT Inner Grove Heights, MN / Simley
Paul King 174 Colorado Springs, CO / Pine Creek
Trason Oehme 141 Brandon, SD / Brandon Valley
Antonio Ramos HWT Springfield, MA / Northfield Mount Hermon
Nicco Tocci 149 Lititz, PA / Warwick
Bubba Wright 133 Wichita, KS / Kapuan Mt. Carmel
AT THE HELM
Sam Barber enters his 10th season at the helm of the Air Force wrestling program in 2023-24. Before taking over the head coaching duties, Barber spent the previous five years as a full-time assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Falcons after serving as a volunteer assistant during the 2008-09 season.
The 2022-23 season under Barber was a historic season for Air Force; the team finished 8-6 in duals with six wins over Division I programs, including Pac-12 Champions Cal-Poly. At the Big 12 Championships, Air Force had a program-high seven medalists and placed fifth as a team. Five Falcons qualified for the NCAA championship, the most since 1991. At the NCAA Championships, Air Force placed 18th, tied with Oklahoma State; this was the highest finish for Air Force or a Service Academy since 1971. The team was led by Wyatt Hendrickson, who earned All-American honors placing third. Hendrickson was the program's first All-American since 2003.
Wyatt Hendrickson and Sam Wolf have been named team captains for the 2023-24 season. It is the second-straight season that the duo has occupied the team captaincy.
WHAT'S NEXT
Thew Falcons travel to Boone, North Carolina, to battle for titles at the Mountaineer Invitational, hosted by Appalachian State on Saturday November 11. The Falcons had three individual champions at last season's App State tournament.
CHASING 100
Wyatt Hendrickson holds a 75-9 career record and is on track to hit the coveted century mark. The last time a Falcon had more than 100 wins was Josh Martinez in 2016.
WYATT'S WORLD
Wyatt Hendrickson became a U23 World Champion after besting Adil Misirci of Turkey in the finals at 125 kg. Hendrickson took a quick lead in the first period before unleashing an explosion on offense in the second period that led to a 13-3 technical fall. Hendrickson medals in just his second trip to an age-group World Championships. He is the Air Force Academy's first World Champion and medalist.
Sam Barber was chosen over several qualified applicants to coach Team USA's U23 men's freestyle team. Barber and Hendrickson were integral parts of helping the team to its first-ever UWW U23 men's freestyle world title.
Hendrickson was also selected to compete at the prestigious NWCA All-Star Classic—a program-first selection for Air Force Wrestling. Hendrickson will meet with Penn State's No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet.
The 2023 NWCA All-Star Classic presented by Cliff Keen will take place on Tuesday, November 21, 2023, at 7:00 pm (ET) at Rec Hall on the campus of Penn State. This event can be viewed only on FloWrestling and will feature 10 highly ranked Div. I folkstyle matchups along with four cross-divisional women's freestyle matches.
The prestigious event began in 1967 and was a staple of the college season until 2017. After a four-year hiatus, the All-Star Classic made its return in 2022 in Austin, Texas, due in large part to the support of the National Wrestling Coaches Association.
Players Mentioned
174
/ Wrestling
165
/ Wrestling
HWT
/ Wrestling
133/141
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
157/165
/ Wrestling
184
/ Wrestling
174
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