
Air Force Wrestling Announces 2025-26 Competition Schedule
8/21/2025 12:00:00 PM | Wrestling
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – Falcon wrestling head coach Sam Barber announced the wrestling schedule for the upcoming 2025-26 campaign, Thursday afternoon. The Falcons will host six dual meets in the historic Clune Arena beginning with the annual Black and Blue Intrasquad meet on October 25.
Air Force will welcome conference rivals Oklahoma State (Nov. 21, 2025), Utah Valley (Feb. 13, 2026), California Baptist (Feb. 15, 2026), and Northern Colorado (Feb. 22, 2026) to give the hometown fans a show of elite Big 12 wrestling. CSU-Pueblo will serve as Air Force's only non-conference home dual, November 9, 2025.
"Our 2025–26 schedule gives our cadet-athletes balance, challenge, and the opportunity to compete at the highest level," Head Coach Sam Barber said. "At home, we've set a goal to break our all-time attendance record on November 21st when we host Oklahoma State—an event made even more special with 2nd Lt. Wyatt Hendrickson planning to be in attendance."
Another highlight feature of the AF schedule is a tri-meet hosted on the deck of the USS Yorktown, an aircraft carrier harbored at Patriot's Point in Charleston, South Carolina, on November 15.
Air Force will compete in a myriad of tournaments over the season including with the Clarion Open serving as the first bit of tournament action for AF, November 2. Falcons will also compete at the Roadrunner Open (Nov. 23) and the prestigious Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Dec. 5-6) before jumping into 2026.
"We're excited to make our first appearance at the Clarion Open, and we'll showcase our program on a national stage at the Throwdown on the Yorktown in Charleston, South Carolina, competing on the deck of an aircraft carrier against The Citadel and Gardner-Webb. We'll return to the prestigious Cliff Keen Invitational to test ourselves against the best teams in the country"
In the new year, the Falcons will compete at the F&M David Lehman Open, December 9, before fully immersing in the Big 12 Conference dual slate. Air Force will take on Oklahoma (Jan. 16, 2026), South Dakota State (Jan. 30, 2026), North Dakota State (Feb. 1, 2026), and Wyoming (Feb. 6, 2026) on the road. The Falcons will conclude the regular season on a three home dual stretch with Senior Day serving as the season finale, February 22.
"As always, our Big 12 schedule remains one of the toughest in Division I wrestling with eight of the nation's elite programs," Barber continued. "The objective in building this schedule was to prepare our team for the Big 12 Championships and the NCAA Championships in Cleveland, and I believe we've achieved that."
Air Force will welcome conference rivals Oklahoma State (Nov. 21, 2025), Utah Valley (Feb. 13, 2026), California Baptist (Feb. 15, 2026), and Northern Colorado (Feb. 22, 2026) to give the hometown fans a show of elite Big 12 wrestling. CSU-Pueblo will serve as Air Force's only non-conference home dual, November 9, 2025.
"Our 2025–26 schedule gives our cadet-athletes balance, challenge, and the opportunity to compete at the highest level," Head Coach Sam Barber said. "At home, we've set a goal to break our all-time attendance record on November 21st when we host Oklahoma State—an event made even more special with 2nd Lt. Wyatt Hendrickson planning to be in attendance."
Another highlight feature of the AF schedule is a tri-meet hosted on the deck of the USS Yorktown, an aircraft carrier harbored at Patriot's Point in Charleston, South Carolina, on November 15.
Air Force will compete in a myriad of tournaments over the season including with the Clarion Open serving as the first bit of tournament action for AF, November 2. Falcons will also compete at the Roadrunner Open (Nov. 23) and the prestigious Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Dec. 5-6) before jumping into 2026.
"We're excited to make our first appearance at the Clarion Open, and we'll showcase our program on a national stage at the Throwdown on the Yorktown in Charleston, South Carolina, competing on the deck of an aircraft carrier against The Citadel and Gardner-Webb. We'll return to the prestigious Cliff Keen Invitational to test ourselves against the best teams in the country"
In the new year, the Falcons will compete at the F&M David Lehman Open, December 9, before fully immersing in the Big 12 Conference dual slate. Air Force will take on Oklahoma (Jan. 16, 2026), South Dakota State (Jan. 30, 2026), North Dakota State (Feb. 1, 2026), and Wyoming (Feb. 6, 2026) on the road. The Falcons will conclude the regular season on a three home dual stretch with Senior Day serving as the season finale, February 22.
"As always, our Big 12 schedule remains one of the toughest in Division I wrestling with eight of the nation's elite programs," Barber continued. "The objective in building this schedule was to prepare our team for the Big 12 Championships and the NCAA Championships in Cleveland, and I believe we've achieved that."
Players Mentioned
Wyatt Hendrickson Visit
Monday, April 07
Sam Barber Interview March 12, 2025
Wednesday, March 12
Sam Barber Interview March 5, 2025
Wednesday, March 05
Sam Barber Interview February 25, 2025
Tuesday, February 25