Sunday, November 3
Charleston, SC
7:00 AM MT
Air Force Academy
at
Battle at The Citadel
Falcon Wrestling Opens the 2024-25 Campaign on the Road
11/1/2024 2:20:00 PM | Wrestling
USAF ACADEMY – Air Force wrestling will open the 2024-25 season on multiple fronts, sending athletes to the Battle at the Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, and the Mines Rookie Open in Golden, Colorado.
Battle at the Citadel
9 am ET, Sunday, November 3
McAlister Field House, The Citadel – Charleston, SC
Live Results
Participating teams: Air Force, Appalachian State, Duke, George Mason, North Carolina State, The Citadel
Mines Rookie Open
10 am MT, Sunday, November 3
Steinhauer Field House, Colorado-Mines – Golden, CO
Live Results
AT THE HELM
Sam Barber enters his 11th season at the helm of the Air Force wrestling program in 2024-25. Before taking over the head coaching position, Barber spent the previous five years as a full-time assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, marking 17 seasons of coaching experience at the Academy.
Barber has led Falcons to two top-25 NCAA team finishes, two NCAA Div. I All-American honors, 31 National Qualifiers, two Big 12 Champions, and 38 Big 12 medalists. He helped lead eight cadet-athletes that have competed on the international stage garnering a United World Wrestling World Champion and Pan-American Champion. In addition to success on the mat, Barber has also mentored the Falcons in the classroom, as he guided 21 Falcons to become NWCA Scholar All-Americans. At the same time, his athletes have been named to academic all-conference teams 90 times.
WELCOME BACK
Air Force returns four starters from the 2023-24 dual roster highlighted by 2023 NCAA Qualifier Tucker Owens. Gage Musser was elected Team Captain by way of team vote. Junior Drake Buchanan returns for another season after finishing last year with 10 pins, the second most on the team behind All-American Wyatt Hendrickson. Owen Heiser enters his sophomore season with the fastest pin from last season (7 seconds) along with four technical falls, tying for most on the team.
THE NEW GUYS
The Falcons welcome 14 freshman to the roster and two new members to the coaching staff. Eight of the 14 freshman joined the team by way of the Air Force Academy Prep School.
Elroy Perkin
Assistant Coach / Head Coach AFRTC
Elroy Perkin was announced Head Coach to the Air Force Regional Training Center and assistance coach to the Falcon wrestling staff beginning in the 2024-25 season. Perkin brings nearly a decade of coaching experience and over 20 years of wrestling experience.
Perkin joins the Academy by way of Big 12 Conference rival California Baptist where he helped transition the Lancers from a Division II program to Division I, guiding a pair of wrestlers to NCAA Div. I NCAA qualifications. Prior to his stint at CBU, Perkin was the head assistant coach at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire where he earned the Joe Merten Coaching Excellence Award for his efforts in helping produce an All-American and 11 national qualifiers. In addition to his collegiate coaching experience, Perkin was the 2019 AIA coach in Ukraine and served seven years as camp counselor at USAFA and the U.S. Naval Academy.
Burke Paddock
Director of High Performance
Air Force Wrestling announced the appointment of Burke Paddock as the new Director of High Performance. Paddock brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of success in athlete development. Prior to joining the Air Force staff, Paddock coached at Sand Creek High School in Colorado Springs for three seasons, two of which served as the head coach. This past season (2023-2024) Sand Creek had their first state champion and three other state placers. The team finished eighth overall in the state which marked the school's best-ever team finish.
As a wrestler, Paddock was a two-time New York State Champion, Most Outstanding Wrestler, and five-time state placer. He set the record in the state of New York for most career wins (304). At the University of Iowa, Paddock started for the Hawkeyes in 2015 and 2016, earning World Trials runner-up finishes in both freestyle and Greco Roman. In 2019, he qualified for the Greco World Team Trials, and in 2023 placed fourth (77 kg) at the U.S. Open.
Class of 2028
Mike Avelar
Hometown: Tucson, AZ (Sunnyside High School/USAFA Prep)
Career Record: 110-18
State Tournament Placings: 2nd, 1st, 1st
Major Tournament Placings: NHSCA Junior All American – 6th place
EJ Beloncik
Hometown: Chandler, OK (Heritage Hall High School/USAFA Prep)
Career Record: 123-13
State Tournament Placings: 1st, 1st, 2nd
Major Tournament Placings: Reno Worlds Finalist
Brian Burburija
Hometown: Clearwater, FL (Countryside High School/USAFA Prep)
Career Record: 201-13
State Tournament Placings: 2nd, 1st ,1st
Major Tournament Placings: 16u 170 Fargo Freestyle All American - 5th place, 2022 Super 32 6th place, Cadet Duals All-Tournament Team
Highest national ranking: #108 on Matscouts Big Board
Logan Fowler
Hometown: Murfreesboro, TN (Cleveland High School)
Career Record: 150-17
State Tournament Placings: 1st ,3rd, 1st ,1st
Major Tournament Placings: 3x state champion, NHSCA National Champion, Powerade 4th place, Carnahan Champ, Knockout Champ, Brian Keck Preseason Nationals 3rd and 8th, Al Dvorak Invitational 2nd place
Highest National Ranking: #99 on Matscouts Big Board
Ethan Freund
Hometown: Kelso, WA (Kelso High School/USAFA Prep)
State Tournament Placings: 3rd, 1st, 1st
Major Tournament Placings: Tri State Champion
Lincoln Gregersen
Hometown: Arvada, CO (Ralston Valley High School)
Career Record: 148-19
State Tournament Placings: 2nd, 3rd, 1st
Major Tournament Placings: 3x Reno TOC Placewinner, Preseason Nationals 4th place, NHSCA Junior National All American – 6th place.
Highest National Ranking: #87 on Flowrestling Big Board, #17 weight class ranking
Andrew Harmon
Hometown: Emmaus, PA (Bethlehem Catholic High School/USAFA Prep)
Career Record: 97-30
State Tournament Placings: 7th,3rd
Major Tournament Placings: 7th at Ironman, 5th at Beast of the East, 7th at Escape the Rock
Highest National Ranking: 19th by Flowrestling
Jacob Jones
Hometown: Rancho Bernardo, CA (Rancho Bernardo High School/USAFA Prep)
Career Record: 152-23
State Tournament Placings: 6th
Major Tournament Placings: Bloodround finisher at Super 32
Charlie LaRocca
Hometown: Greenwood, IN (Center Grove High School)
Career Record: 137 - 19
State Tournament Placings: 1st, 1st
Highest National Ranking: #244 on Matscouts Big Board
Carter Nogle
Hometown: Laurel, MD (Mount Saint Joseph)
Career Record: 125-19
State tournament Placings:1st, 1st, 1st
Major Tournament Placings: 3x Fargo Greco all American (4th, 2nd, 4th), U17 Greco 3rd, U20 Greco 4th, 3x Beast of the East placer (5th, 4th, 4th), Powerade - 8th place, 2x Journeymen Folkstyle finalist, Journeymen World Classic Freestyle champion, 3x National Prep all American (2nd, 5th, 4th).
Highest national ranking: 13th by Flowrestling
Josh Palacio
Hometown: North Bergen, NJ (High Tech High School/USAFA Prep)
Career Record:122-15
State Tournament Placings: 2nd, 6th
Major Tournament Placings: New Jersey Freestyle State Champion, Journeymen World Classic 4th place, 2x Nuway National Duals All American
Highest National Ranking: #5 by Matscouts, currently #15 weight class ranking
Colby Ryan
Hometown: Glendale, AZ (Raymond S. Kellis High School/USAFA Prep)
Career Record: 164-14
State Tournament Placings: 2nd, 5th, 2nd, 1st
All-State Arizona 2022-2023
Jake Wood
Hometown: Perrysburg, OH (Perrysburg High School)
Career Record: 110-35
State Tournament Placings: 7th, 5th
Major Tournament Placings: 2022 USAW Preseason Nationals Champion
Tanner Spalding
Hometown: Atlanta, GA (Woodward Academy)
State tournament Placings: 1st, 1st
Major Tournament Placings: 2023 Southwest Regional Champ in Freestyle and Greco Roman; Knockout finalist; Southern Slam Champion
COMING UP
Air Force opens the Big 12 dual slate hosting the University of Oklahoma, Friday (Nov. 8), in Clune Arena. Action is slated for an 8 pm MT start.
LAST SEASON IN A NUTSHELL
Air Force concluded the 2023-24 season ranked 21st in the nation with then-senior heavyweight Wyatt Hendrickson garnering his second All-America honor with a third-place finish at the 2024 NCAA Championships. Hendrickson, one-of-three Falcons to qualify for the national tournament, earned his third-consecutive NCAA Most Pins Award. Three Falcons earned podium spots at the Big 12 Conference Championships marking the highest championships podium finishes to date (2nd, 3rd, 5th), highlighted by Hendrickson's runner-up placing. The Falcons capped their dual slate at 5-7, 2-6 Big 12, and finished ninth in the league.
Battle at the Citadel
9 am ET, Sunday, November 3
McAlister Field House, The Citadel – Charleston, SC
Live Results
Participating teams: Air Force, Appalachian State, Duke, George Mason, North Carolina State, The Citadel
Mines Rookie Open
10 am MT, Sunday, November 3
Steinhauer Field House, Colorado-Mines – Golden, CO
Live Results
AT THE HELM
Sam Barber enters his 11th season at the helm of the Air Force wrestling program in 2024-25. Before taking over the head coaching position, Barber spent the previous five years as a full-time assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, marking 17 seasons of coaching experience at the Academy.
Barber has led Falcons to two top-25 NCAA team finishes, two NCAA Div. I All-American honors, 31 National Qualifiers, two Big 12 Champions, and 38 Big 12 medalists. He helped lead eight cadet-athletes that have competed on the international stage garnering a United World Wrestling World Champion and Pan-American Champion. In addition to success on the mat, Barber has also mentored the Falcons in the classroom, as he guided 21 Falcons to become NWCA Scholar All-Americans. At the same time, his athletes have been named to academic all-conference teams 90 times.
WELCOME BACK
Air Force returns four starters from the 2023-24 dual roster highlighted by 2023 NCAA Qualifier Tucker Owens. Gage Musser was elected Team Captain by way of team vote. Junior Drake Buchanan returns for another season after finishing last year with 10 pins, the second most on the team behind All-American Wyatt Hendrickson. Owen Heiser enters his sophomore season with the fastest pin from last season (7 seconds) along with four technical falls, tying for most on the team.
THE NEW GUYS
The Falcons welcome 14 freshman to the roster and two new members to the coaching staff. Eight of the 14 freshman joined the team by way of the Air Force Academy Prep School.
Elroy Perkin
Assistant Coach / Head Coach AFRTC
Elroy Perkin was announced Head Coach to the Air Force Regional Training Center and assistance coach to the Falcon wrestling staff beginning in the 2024-25 season. Perkin brings nearly a decade of coaching experience and over 20 years of wrestling experience.
Perkin joins the Academy by way of Big 12 Conference rival California Baptist where he helped transition the Lancers from a Division II program to Division I, guiding a pair of wrestlers to NCAA Div. I NCAA qualifications. Prior to his stint at CBU, Perkin was the head assistant coach at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire where he earned the Joe Merten Coaching Excellence Award for his efforts in helping produce an All-American and 11 national qualifiers. In addition to his collegiate coaching experience, Perkin was the 2019 AIA coach in Ukraine and served seven years as camp counselor at USAFA and the U.S. Naval Academy.
Burke Paddock
Director of High Performance
Air Force Wrestling announced the appointment of Burke Paddock as the new Director of High Performance. Paddock brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of success in athlete development. Prior to joining the Air Force staff, Paddock coached at Sand Creek High School in Colorado Springs for three seasons, two of which served as the head coach. This past season (2023-2024) Sand Creek had their first state champion and three other state placers. The team finished eighth overall in the state which marked the school's best-ever team finish.
As a wrestler, Paddock was a two-time New York State Champion, Most Outstanding Wrestler, and five-time state placer. He set the record in the state of New York for most career wins (304). At the University of Iowa, Paddock started for the Hawkeyes in 2015 and 2016, earning World Trials runner-up finishes in both freestyle and Greco Roman. In 2019, he qualified for the Greco World Team Trials, and in 2023 placed fourth (77 kg) at the U.S. Open.
Class of 2028
Mike Avelar
Hometown: Tucson, AZ (Sunnyside High School/USAFA Prep)
Career Record: 110-18
State Tournament Placings: 2nd, 1st, 1st
Major Tournament Placings: NHSCA Junior All American – 6th place
EJ Beloncik
Hometown: Chandler, OK (Heritage Hall High School/USAFA Prep)
Career Record: 123-13
State Tournament Placings: 1st, 1st, 2nd
Major Tournament Placings: Reno Worlds Finalist
Brian Burburija
Hometown: Clearwater, FL (Countryside High School/USAFA Prep)
Career Record: 201-13
State Tournament Placings: 2nd, 1st ,1st
Major Tournament Placings: 16u 170 Fargo Freestyle All American - 5th place, 2022 Super 32 6th place, Cadet Duals All-Tournament Team
Highest national ranking: #108 on Matscouts Big Board
Logan Fowler
Hometown: Murfreesboro, TN (Cleveland High School)
Career Record: 150-17
State Tournament Placings: 1st ,3rd, 1st ,1st
Major Tournament Placings: 3x state champion, NHSCA National Champion, Powerade 4th place, Carnahan Champ, Knockout Champ, Brian Keck Preseason Nationals 3rd and 8th, Al Dvorak Invitational 2nd place
Highest National Ranking: #99 on Matscouts Big Board
Ethan Freund
Hometown: Kelso, WA (Kelso High School/USAFA Prep)
State Tournament Placings: 3rd, 1st, 1st
Major Tournament Placings: Tri State Champion
Lincoln Gregersen
Hometown: Arvada, CO (Ralston Valley High School)
Career Record: 148-19
State Tournament Placings: 2nd, 3rd, 1st
Major Tournament Placings: 3x Reno TOC Placewinner, Preseason Nationals 4th place, NHSCA Junior National All American – 6th place.
Highest National Ranking: #87 on Flowrestling Big Board, #17 weight class ranking
Andrew Harmon
Hometown: Emmaus, PA (Bethlehem Catholic High School/USAFA Prep)
Career Record: 97-30
State Tournament Placings: 7th,3rd
Major Tournament Placings: 7th at Ironman, 5th at Beast of the East, 7th at Escape the Rock
Highest National Ranking: 19th by Flowrestling
Jacob Jones
Hometown: Rancho Bernardo, CA (Rancho Bernardo High School/USAFA Prep)
Career Record: 152-23
State Tournament Placings: 6th
Major Tournament Placings: Bloodround finisher at Super 32
Charlie LaRocca
Hometown: Greenwood, IN (Center Grove High School)
Career Record: 137 - 19
State Tournament Placings: 1st, 1st
Highest National Ranking: #244 on Matscouts Big Board
Carter Nogle
Hometown: Laurel, MD (Mount Saint Joseph)
Career Record: 125-19
State tournament Placings:1st, 1st, 1st
Major Tournament Placings: 3x Fargo Greco all American (4th, 2nd, 4th), U17 Greco 3rd, U20 Greco 4th, 3x Beast of the East placer (5th, 4th, 4th), Powerade - 8th place, 2x Journeymen Folkstyle finalist, Journeymen World Classic Freestyle champion, 3x National Prep all American (2nd, 5th, 4th).
Highest national ranking: 13th by Flowrestling
Josh Palacio
Hometown: North Bergen, NJ (High Tech High School/USAFA Prep)
Career Record:122-15
State Tournament Placings: 2nd, 6th
Major Tournament Placings: New Jersey Freestyle State Champion, Journeymen World Classic 4th place, 2x Nuway National Duals All American
Highest National Ranking: #5 by Matscouts, currently #15 weight class ranking
Colby Ryan
Hometown: Glendale, AZ (Raymond S. Kellis High School/USAFA Prep)
Career Record: 164-14
State Tournament Placings: 2nd, 5th, 2nd, 1st
All-State Arizona 2022-2023
Jake Wood
Hometown: Perrysburg, OH (Perrysburg High School)
Career Record: 110-35
State Tournament Placings: 7th, 5th
Major Tournament Placings: 2022 USAW Preseason Nationals Champion
Tanner Spalding
Hometown: Atlanta, GA (Woodward Academy)
State tournament Placings: 1st, 1st
Major Tournament Placings: 2023 Southwest Regional Champ in Freestyle and Greco Roman; Knockout finalist; Southern Slam Champion
COMING UP
Air Force opens the Big 12 dual slate hosting the University of Oklahoma, Friday (Nov. 8), in Clune Arena. Action is slated for an 8 pm MT start.
LAST SEASON IN A NUTSHELL
Air Force concluded the 2023-24 season ranked 21st in the nation with then-senior heavyweight Wyatt Hendrickson garnering his second All-America honor with a third-place finish at the 2024 NCAA Championships. Hendrickson, one-of-three Falcons to qualify for the national tournament, earned his third-consecutive NCAA Most Pins Award. Three Falcons earned podium spots at the Big 12 Conference Championships marking the highest championships podium finishes to date (2nd, 3rd, 5th), highlighted by Hendrickson's runner-up placing. The Falcons capped their dual slate at 5-7, 2-6 Big 12, and finished ninth in the league.
Players Mentioned
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174/184
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HWT
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165/174
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