table of contents/quick facts -...

B E . . . D O N ’ T S E E M T O B E 11

table of contents/quick facts

air force quick facts

GENERAL INFORMATIONLocation ............................USAF Academy, Colo.Founded .......................................................1954Nickname.................................................FalconsColors...........................................Blue and SilverEnrollment ...................................................4,000Affiliation .....................................NCAA Division ISuperintendent.................Lt. Gen. John F. RegniAthletic Director........................Dr. Hans J. Mueh Athletic Dept. Phone ......................719.333.4008

TEAM INFORMATIONHome Venue....................Clune Arena/East GymConference .............................Western Wrestling2006-07 Dual Record....................................6-102006-07 WWC Record....................................3-12006-07 West Regional Finish ......................Fifth Letterwinners R/L ..........................................12/4Starters R/L .....................................................8/2NCAA Qualifiers Returning ................................1............................. Jake Kriegbaum (2005, 2006)

COACHING STAFFHead Coach.....................................Joel SharrattAlma Mater........................................Iowa (1995)Office Phone...................................719.333.2811Office Fax.......................................719.333.2599Email [email protected] Force Record/Yrs. ................................6-10/1Career Record/Yrs. .....................................SameAssistant Coach.................................Bart HortonHorton’s Phone...............................719.333.1603Assistant Coach ........................Maj. Tom TingleyTingley’s Phone..............................719.333.9265Volunteer Asst. Coach ..................Mike McArthurOfficer Representatives ............Maj. Hall Sebren,........................................Capt. Bradley StrawserAthletic Trainer ............................Erick Kozlowski

ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONSAssoc. AD/Communications .........Troy GarnhartWrestling Contact....................Melissa McKeownOffice Phone...................................719.333.9025Office Fax.......................................719.333.3798Cell Phone......................................719.331.8321E-mail ...................melissa.mckeown@usafa.eduWebsite..........................GoAirForceFalcons.com

Table of Contents/Quick Facts.......................................12007-08 Season Outlook ...............................................22007-08 Roster ..............................................................3Head Coach Joel Sharratt .............................................4Assistant Coach Bart Horton .........................................5Assistant Coach Maj. Tom Tingley.................................5Support Staff ..................................................................6Meet The Falcons .....................................................7-112006-07 Season Review ........................................12-132006-07 Dual Results ..................................................14Year-By-Year Results...................................................15Western Wrestling Conference ....................................16All-Americans...............................................................17Falcon Honors/Legends..........................................18-19Wrestling Facilities .......................................................20The Academy..........................................................21-24

table of contents

creditsThe 2007-08 Air Force wrestling media guide waswritten and designed by assistant media relationsdirector Melissa McKeown, using QuarkXPress.Editorial assistance provided by the Air Force athleticmedia relations office, as well as the Air Forcewrestling staff. Photos courtesy of Danny Meyer,Dave Armer and the Academy’s photographic servic-es division. Printing by Madeline McGuire, Air ForceAthletic Communications.

2 0 0 7 - 0 8 A I R F O R C E W R E S T L I N G22

2007-08 outlook

The 2007-08 wrestling season will challenge the Air Force wrestlingprogram to "Be; not seem to be." This motto, taken on by head coachJoel Sharratt, challenges the team's commitment to excellence in allareas of cadet life. "The challenge taken on by this year's motto is meantto reignite a fighting spirit that has burned over the decades of theFighting Falcon Wrestling Program," said Sharratt. "Our staff is lookingto once again ignite the winning spirit held by the wrestlers in this pro-gram throughout its history. The will to win is the single biggest contrib-utor to athletic excellence when all other areas of training and prepara-tion are equal among two competitors. The recent upgrades to ourcoaching staff, the commitment from the Academy and our Alumni tosupport our schedule, facilities and training requirements give us a levelplaying field with other Division I Programs.”

The wrestling program holds the honor of being first among all AirForce Academy programs to win a conference championship. In 1991,while members of the WAC, the Falcons captured the conference cham-pionship among a strong field of competitors from across the westernregion. The winning trend initiated by 1967 NCAA champion Don

Henderson has contin-ued among a host ofcadet grapplers, whohave found both teamand individual acco-lades while competingfor the Academy.

Starting his eighthseason working with aservice academy,Sharratt enters his sec-ond year as the headcoach at Air Force. Theprogram made amarked improvement intheir 2006-07 cam-paign in team results,ending the regular sea-son competition sched-ule with a 6-10 record

and a 3-1 record in conference dual meet competition. The2006-07 season marked the inaugural season of the WesternWrestling Conference and the Academy program was able toplace eight of ten wrestlers in the top four of the fledgling con-ference.

"We are excited about the core returning to this year's team,"said Sharratt. "Retaining the experience and knowledge ofeight returning starters from last year's lineup will be unques-tionably a positive influence on the underclassmen in the pro-gram and the results we are capable of producing this year."

The eight retuning starters bring with them 103 combined winsfrom last year's season and look to improve on both team andindividual accolades during the 2007-08 campaign. Seniorteam captain Chris Szabolcs believes "the team has thepotential to excel both in conference matches and non-confer-ence competition, as long as everyone stays healthy through-

out the year. We have new dedicated staff working on getting our prac-tice and workout times sequenced in an attempt to maximize all theopportunities we have here in order to better ourselves and the team asa whole."

Returning from a summer filled with military training and severalcompetitive opportunities, the upperclassmen arrived for the first day ofschool hungry and ready to embark on the journey of this season. Thecore of last year's team that will be returning for this season has alreadybrought great excitement and a strong team unity to this year's presea-son program. The commitment demonstrated by the senior leadershiphas been contagious among the younger members of the team.Leadership, combined with a strong work ethic and some talented ath-letes, will yield a positive result for the Air Force Academy program thisyear.

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B E . . . D O N ’ T S E E M T O B E 33

2007-08 roster

125 (4)Wesley OsbornSamuel SheppardZach ValdezAndrew Zwirlein

133 (4)Derek GillespieJoshua LeMairJuancarlos PinoCarlos SandovalKurt Spranger

141 (2)Jake KriegbaumStephen Makuka

149 (7)Kyle GadouryThomas GorryJoshua LopezPatrick SteppeDarren StoweChris SzabolcsMatt Torrence

157 (4)Tony DorwardMichael EricksonJustin GraffRandall Mitchner

165 (4)Stephen CrozierAkira NervikDerek PotterJustin Shadrix

174 (6)Casey ButikoferAlex FloriTyler FrenchAJ HarrisDuane MillerJoseph Stafford

184 (4)James CicconeNeil DelaneyJacob DevlinChris Thomas

197 (2)Josh LarsonJordan Tribble

HWT (2)Kazden IkeharaAnthony Stegeman

by weight c lass

SENIORS (8)Jacob DevlinTony DorwardAJ HarrisJake KriegbaumDuane MillerAnthony StegemanChris SzabolcsZach Valdez

JUNIORS (4)Casey ButikoferStephen CrozierJuancarlos PinoJordan Tribble

SOPHOMORES (12)James CicconeMichael EricksonTyler FrenchThomas GorryJoshua LopezStephen MakukaRandall MitchnerAkira NervikDerek PotterJustin ShadrixSamuel SheppardKurt Spranger

FRESHMEN (16)Neil DelaneyAlex FloriKyle GadouryDerek GillespieJustin GraffKazden IkeharaJosh LarsonJoshua LeMairWesley OsbornCarlos SandovalJoseph StaffordPatrick SteppeDarrin StoweChris ThomasMatt TorrenceAndrew Zwirlein

Name Yr. Wt. Hometown (High School)Casey Butikofer Jr. 174 Rigby, Idaho (Bonneville)James Ciccone So. 184 Mentor, Ohio (Lake Catholic)Stephen Crozier Jr. 165 Monona, Iowa (MFL Mar Mac)Neil Delaney Fr. 184 Grand Rapids, Mich. (Forest Hills Central)Jacob Devlin Sr. 184 Livingston, N.J. (Livingston)Tony Dorward Sr. 157 Seattle, Wash. (Mt. Rainier)Michael Erickson So. 157 O’Fallon, Ill. (Robert E. Lee)Alex Flori Fr. 174 Eagle River, Alaska (Emerald Ridge)Tyler French So. 174 Malta, Mont. (Malta)Kyle Gadoury Fr. 149 West Warwick, R.I. (West Warwick)Derek Gillespie Fr. 133 Chesapeake, Va. (Great Bridge)Thomas Gorry So. 149 Stuttgart, Germany (Patch American)Justin Graff Fr. 157 El Cajon, Calif. (Steele Canyon)AJ Harris Sr. 174 Boise, Idaho (Centennial)Kazden Ikehara Fr. HWT Mililani, Hawaii (Kamehameha)Jake Kriegbaum Sr. 141 Abilene, Kan. (Abilene)Josh Larson Fr. 197 Windsor, Colo. (Windsor)Joshua LeMair Fr. 133 Madison, S.D. (Madison)Joshua Lopez So. 149 Colorado Springs, Colo. (St. Mary’s)Stephen Makuka So. 141 Columbus, N.J. (Northern Burlington County Regional)Duane Miller Sr. 174 Bellevue, Idaho (Wood River)Randall Mitchner So. 157 Cordova, Tenn. (Cordova)Akira Nervik So. 165 Bellflower, Calif. (Mayfair)Wesley Osborn Fr. 125 Phoenix, Ariz. (Desert Vista)Juancarlos Pino Jr. 133 Yuma, Ariz. (Kofa)Derek Potter So. 165 Granite Falls, N.C. (South Caldwell)Carlos Sandoval Fr. 133 Colorado Springs, Colo. (Harrison)Justin Shadrix So. 165 Bremen, Ga. (Bremen)Samuel Sheppard So. 125 Ramstein AB, Germany (Ramstein American)Kurt Spranger So. 133 Tampa, Fla. (Tampa Jesuit)Joseph Stafford Fr. 174 Loomis, Calif. (Del Oro)Anthony Stegeman Sr. HWT Cincinnati, Ohio (Elder)Patrick Steppe Fr. 149 Swansea, Ill. (Belleville East)Darren Stowe Fr. 149 The Colony, Texas (The Colony)Chris Szabolcs Sr. 149 Westlake, Ohio (St. Edward)Chris Thomas Fr. 184 El Cajon, Calif. (Valhalla)Matt Torrence Fr. 149 Tulsa, Okla. (East Central)Jordan Tribble Jr. 197 Midwest City, Okla. (Midwest City)Zach Valdez Sr. 125 Parker, Colo. (Chaparral)Andrew Zwirlein Fr. 125 Nashotah, Wis. (Arrowhead)

Head Coach: Joel SharrattAsst. Coaches: Bart Horton, Maj. Tom TingleyVolunteer Asst. Coach: Mike McArthurManagers: Greg Adam, Matt Alva, Joe Brock, Joseph Cook, Chris Jimenez, Zac Pendleton, AjvishVaratharaj

by year


coaching staff

j o e l s h a r r a t tHead Coach • Second Season • Iowa ( ‘95)

Joel Sharratt enters his second season atthe helm of the Air Force wrestling program.

Sharratt helped lead Air Force to a 3-1 markin its inaugural season in the WesternWrestling Conference. Stephen Crozier andJacob Devlin were third-team all-conference

selections, while Crozier was also named to the WWC All-Academic team.

"Air Force has a great program and a great staff and I'm looking forward to thechance to get it going," said Sharratt upon his arrival in 2006. "My goals for theAir Force wrestling program are for every athlete to graduate and be commis-sioned as an Air Force officer, for our wrestlers to be leaders in the Cadet Wing,and for each individual to reach his full potential on the mat."

Sharratt came to the Academy after spending six seasons as the head assistantwrestling coach at the United States Naval Academy. In 2005-06, Sharratt helpedlead the Midshipmen to a 13-2 dual record, their best win total since the 1990-91season, while also sending five wrestlers to the NCAA Championships. Sharrattwas also a tenured assistant professor at the Naval Academy, teaching physical

education courses in wrestling,martial arts, judo and hand-to-hand combat, while additionallyserving as the faculty chair ofthe USNA combative courses.

A 1995 graduate of theUniversity of Iowa, Sharratt wasa three-time All-American, earn-ing three trips to the NCAAFinals, winning the champi-onship in 1994. Training underthe tutelage of legendary coachDan Gable during his collegecareer, Sharratt was a four-yearletterwinner for the Hawkeyes,and was twice selected as theteam captain. Sharratt led histeam to the 1995 Big Ten andNCAA titles, winning the Big Tenindividual championship thatseason. Sharratt also competedas a member of the 1993 and1994 Big Ten Championshipteams, as well as the 1992 and1994 NCAA Championshipteams.

Following his college career,Sharratt was a two-time mem-ber of the U.S. National Team,earning the bronze medal atboth the 1996 Olympic Trialsand 1997 Pan AmericanChampionships. While compet-ing on the international level,Sharratt represented the United

States around the world including trips to Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Bulgaria,Slovakia, Italy, France and Canada. Accomplishments as a coach in the freestylearena included cadet national champions and junior national champions, as wellas multiple national team members and world medalists.

Sharratt has also served as a graduate assistant at the University of Minnesota,where he earned his masters degree in sports administration in 2000, serving atwo year position as the Developmental Freestyle Coach for the state ofMinnesota. Sharratt also worked as an assistant coach at Lehigh from 1996-98and as a graduate assistant at his alma mater during the 1995-96 season.

Sharratt and his wife, Jamie, live in Monument, Colo., with their two daughters,Tori and Taylor.

HOMETOWNBloomington, Minn.

EDUCATIONUndergraduate:Iowa, 1995B.S. in Leisure StudiesGraduate:Minnesota, 2000 M.Ed.. in Sports Administration

COLLEGE ATHLETICSUniversity of Iowa• NCAA champion • Two-time NCAA runner-up• Three-time All-American• Big Ten champion

OTHER WRESTLING EXPERIENCE

• Two-time USA National team member (1996-97)

COACHING EXPERIENCEIowa

Grad. Asst. Coach (1995-96)Lehigh

Assistant Coach (1996-98)Minnesota

Grad. Asst. Coach (1998-2000)U.S. Naval Academy

Head Asst. Coach (2000-06)U.S. Air Force Academy

Head Coach (2006-pres.)

t h e s h a r r a t t f i l e

B E . . . D O N ’ T S E E M T O B E 55

coaching staff

Bart Horton enters his first year as an assistant wrestling coach for the Academy.

Horton comes to the Academy after spending nine years as the first assistant at the University of Missouri. In his nine seasons atMissouri, Horton helped the Tigers continuously improve, culminating in a banner year in 2007. In addition to taking home the team tro-phy at the prestigious Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, Missouri, led by two-time national champion Ben Askren, finished third at the

NCAA Championship. The Tigers' showing in 2007 marked the program's highest-ever placing at the national tournament.

Horton has also proven his value as a recruiter, helping Missouri land a pair of top-10 recruiting classes and an additional four top-15 recruiting classes in thepast six years.

A 1997 graduate of Iowa State University, Horton was an All-American at 167-pounds in his senior campaign. He was also a four-year letterwinner and a two-time freestyle All-American for the Cyclones under head coach Bobby Douglas. Horton was also named a High School All-American in 1992, while wrestling at WahlertHigh School in Dubuque, Iowa.

Horton and his wife, Lorna, reside in Colorado Springs with their son, Max.

bart hortonAssistant Coach • First Season • Iowa State ( ‘97)

Maj. Tom Tingley enters his second season as an assistant wrestling coachat the Academy. In addition to his coaching duties, he is a combatives instructorand deputy chief of the Scheduling and Grading Division.

Tingley was a four year varsity starter and letter winner at USAFA. He wasteam captain his senior year, Western Athletic Conference (WAC) champion at 118 pounds and NCAA quali-fier in 1990.

While on active duty, Tingley continued to wrestle for the All-Air Force team between 1991-1996, winningmultiple medals at the U.S. Armed Forces Championship. Tingley placed four times at the U.S. NationalChampionship and competed for the U.S. Armed Forces at the Counseil International Sport Militaire (CISM) -military world championship. Tingley also competed at the U.S. World Team Trials in 1993-95 and the U.S.Olympic Team Trials in 1992.

From 1998-2006, Tingley served as the assistant coach of the All-Air Force Wrestling team, coachingseveral Armed Forces gold medalists and one U.S. National champion. He also represents the United Stateson the CISM wrestling committee.

Since his graduation from the Academy, Tingley has completed many different assignments. After attend-ing Communications Officer training school at Keesler AFB, Miss., he became an intelligence analyst at theNational Air Intelligence Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. He has also served as classified network man-ager at USSPACECOM/NORAD at Peterson AFB and Cheyenne Mountain AS, Colo., as test planner/directorat the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center, Kirtland AFB, N.M., and a communications flight com-mander at Buckley AFB, Colo. While at Buckley, he deployed to US Central Command in support of OperationEnduring Freedom and later went to Europe to serve as a division chief and the US senior national represen-tative in the Information Technology Wing, for NATO's Early Warning and Control Force, in Geilenkirchen, Germany. In addition, Tingley earned a masters degree insystems management from the Air Force Institute of Technology.

Tingley resides in Colorado Springs with his wife, Joette, and three sons, Joshua (9), Zachary (7) and Mitchell (2).

MAJ. tom t ingleyAssistant Coach • Second Season • USAFA ( ‘90)


support staff

Erick Kozlowski is in his 10th year as an athletic trainer for the Air Force wrestling team. His other duties include working with thevarsity and junior varsity football teams, while also serving as medical director for the USAFA Sports Camps since 2004.

Kozlowski came to the Academy in 1998 from the University of New Mexico, where he was the assistant athletic trainer and direc-tor of the undergraduate athletic training program. In 1995, he received his master’s degree in sports administration from UNM afterreceiving his bachelor’s degree in athletic training from New Mexico in 1989.

Kozlowski has also served as head athletic trainer at Santa Fe (N.M.) High School and worked with the Texas Rangers BaseballClub (rookie league) in Port Charlotte, Fla. He has been a certified member of the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) since1989 and is a current member of USA Wrestling and the Volunteer Sports Medicine Program with the United States Olympic Committee.In the summer of 2005, he received his certification as a performance enhancement specialist from the National Academy of SportsMedicine (NASM).

erick kozlowski - athletic trainer

Col. William Walker is the Deputy Athletic Director, as well as the professor and head of the Physical Education Department, at theAir Force Academy. One of his many duties includes managing the Academy's NCAA intercollegiate sports program involving 10 varsi-ty sports.

A native of Hartland, Wis., Walker, captain of the varsity wrestling team his senior year, graduated from the Academy in 1983. Helater served as an assistant coach of the wrestling team. His involvement with the wrestling program continues to this day, as he servesas the team’s senior administrator. Walker was also the chair of the NCAA Wrestling Rules Committee, while also serving as the com-missioner of the Western Wrestling Conference.

COL. william walker - senior administrator

mike mcarthur - volunteer assistant coachant

Mike McArthur is in his fifth year as a volunteer assistantcoach for the Falcons.

McArthur is a former two-time Big 10 champion and All-American out of the University of Minnesota. He was a 1976U.S. Olympic Freestyle team alternate and a member of the1979 World Cup team.

McArthur has been an assistant coach at Minnesota andOklahoma State, and most recently was an assistant coach forthe 2000 Pan American games.

McArthur and his wife, Myra, have four children.

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT STAFF:

Officer Representatives: Maj. Hall Sebren, Capt. Bradley StrawserEligibility Committee Representative: Maj. Grant T. Weller, Department of HistoryCadet Wing Representative: Maj. John T. Beattie, Air Officer Commanding (AOC) Cadet Squadron 1Team Physician: Dr. J.T. TokishManagers: Greg Adam, Matt Alva, Joe Brock, Joseph Cook, Chris Jimenez, Zac Pendleton, Ajvish Varatharaj

B E . . . D O N ’ T S E E M T O B E 77

meet the falcons

2006-07: Compiled a 15-22 overall record on the sea-son and 7-8 mark in dual action … went 3-0 in WWC

action … notched three falls on the year, with a fastest time of 1:39 …earnedthird-team All-WWC honors after finishing fourth at the NCAA West Regional.2005-06: Put together an 11-9 overall record ... notched four falls on the season.2004-05: Compiled a 7-11 overall record ... placed third at the Great Plains Open... scored 17 takedowns, two reversals and 16 escapes on the season ... alsoadded three near falls ... recorded five pins. High School: Lettered two years inwrestling ... coached by Robert Keenan ... two-time county and district champi-on ... regional champion ... finishedin the top 12 at the state champi-onships ... All-American at FilaNationals. Personal: Member ofcadet squadron 38 ... son ofBrendon and Cecilia Devlin ... sib-lings are Brendon (28), Andi (27),Paul (25), Dan (23) and Mark (17)... nickname is "Jake the Snake" ...majoring in social sciences ... cra-ziest ambition is to punch a sharkin the nose.

jacob devlinsr. • 184

livingston, n.j.

(livingston)

2006-07: Put together an 8-17 overall record, compet-ing at 157 and 165 pounds … went 1-6 in dual action

… captured third place at 165 pounds at the All-Academy Championships … tal-lied three falls on the season … earned Most Improved Award. 2005-06:Compiled a 6-11 overall record and 0-2 dual mark, wrestling at 157 and 165pounds ... notched a pair of falls. 2004-05: Put together a 14-20 overall record,including a 3-4 mark in dual action ... finished fourth at the Tracy BorahInvitational ... scored 45 takedowns, three reversals and 21 escapes on the sea-son ... also had a three-point near fall … recorded one major decision and fivepins. High School: Four-time letterwinner in wrestling ... coached by FrankBrandt ... four-time state place-winner ... state champion at 160 pounds as a sen-ior ... compiled a career record of 138-7 ... two-time league MVP ... team captain... seven-time Washington state freestyle champ ... also competed in football and

track and was named to the all-league cross country team ...earned four academic letters.Personal: Member of cadetsquadron 7 ... son of Dale andJeannine Dorward ... has abrother, Ricky (18) ... majoringin management ... hobbiesinclude playing all sports,camping and hanging out withfriends.

tony dorwardsr. • 157

seattle, wash.

(mt. rainier)

2006-07: Put together a 7-13 overall record, wrestlingat 174 and 184 pounds … notched two falls on the

year, with a fastest time of 0:31 … captured fourth place at 174 pounds at theTournament of Champions. 2005-06: Compiled a 3-4 overall record ... notchedone fall on the season. 2003-05: Spent two years in Guatemala on an LDS mis-sion. 2002-03: Went 0-2 in freshman campaign ... scored 10 escapes. HighSchool: Three-year wrestling letterwinner ... coached by Jon Watson and MitchBlackwood ... district champion and fifth-place state finisher in 2002 ... placedsecond in the region in 2001 ... named hardest working in the offseason in 2000and 2001 ... also lettered two years in football and one year in track ... all-districtand outstanding defensive player in football in 2001. Personal: Member of cadetsquadron 40 ... son of Jeff and Katrina Harris ... siblings are Matt (22), Ashlee(18), Chase (15) and Breezy (8) ... given name is Andrew ... majoring in civil engi-neering … craziest ambition is become a Special Forces/Operations command-er.

a.j. harrissr. • 174

boise, idaho

(centennial)

2006-07: Compiled an 18-20 overall record and 10-6mark in dual action … went 3-1 in WWC competition …

finished fourth at the NCAA West Regional … tallied four falls on the season, witha fastest time of 0:21 … recipient of the Coaches Appreciation Award. 2005-06:Qualified for NCAA Championships for second straight season, finishing secondat the NCAA West Regional ... went 0-2 at the national meet ... led the team intotal victories for the season, finishing the year with a 29-16 (.644) overall ledger... compiled a 7-1 record in dual action ... finished third at the Northern ColoradoOpen and Colorado Collegiates ... placed fourth at the Cowboy Open andOklahoma Open ... registered six falls on the year, with a fastest time of 15 sec-onds. 2004-05: One of four Falcons to qualify for the NCAA Championships ...went 0-2 at the national meet ... earned an at-large bid to the NCAAs by finish-ing second at 141 lbs. at the West Regionals ... finished the season with a 19-13(.594) overall record, including a 3-2 dual meet ledger ... placed third in DivisionII at the Cowboy Open to begin the season... took second place at the ColoradoCollegiates ... scored 31 takedowns, 16reversals and 24 escapes on the season... also tallied a total of 26 near falls ... wonfour major decisions, two tech falls andfive pins. High School: Lettered fouryears in wrestling ... coached by BillChristner and James Stout ... four-timestate champion ... team also won the statetitle in his junior season. Personal:Member of cadet squadron 15 ... son ofJohn and Debbie Kriegbaum ... has a sis-ter, Melissa (23) ... nickname is "Dirdy" ...hobbies include hunting and fishing ... cra-ziest ambition is to make his own movies.

jake kriegbaumsr. • 141

abilene, kan.

(abilene)


meet the falcons

2006-07: Compiled a 4-17 overall ledger and 2-7 markin dual action … recorded one fall in a time of 0:28.

2005-06: Finished the season with a 2-6 ledger ... recorded one fall on the year.2004-05: Competed in nine matches ... scored three takedowns, five reversalsand six escapes on the year. High School: Lettered four years in wrestling ...coached by Danny Turner ... four-time state qualifier ... finished sixth in the stateas a senior ... compiled a career record of 140-34 ... finished third in the state inGreco wrestling and fourth in freestyle ... a cadet and junior national team qual-ifier ... most valuable wrestler and team captain ... also lettered in cross countrytwo years and football and baseball for a year. Personal: Member of cadetsquadron 2 ... son of Donald and Barbara Miller ... siblings are Madalyn (19) andMurdoch (17) ... nicknames are Duey, Dwight ... majoring in biology ... plans onbecoming a doctor.

duane millersr. • 174

bellevue, idaho

(wood river)

2006-07: Put together a record of 18-20 on the season,with a 7-9 dual mark … went 3-1 in the WWC … placed

third at the Oklahoma Open … took fourth place at the All-AcademyChampionships … finished fourth at the NCAA West Regional … earned WWCWrestler of the Week honors … led the team with seven falls on the season,recording a fastest time of 0:56. 2005-06: Did not compete. 2004-05: Compiledan overall record of 13-11 ... recorded 22 takedowns, four reversals and 36escapes ... also notched 10 two-point near falls and five three-point near falls ...recorded five pins. High School: Two-year letterwinner in wrestling ... coachedby Dick McCoy and Pete Suer ... two-time Greco state champion ... freestylestate runner-up ... finished fifth in the state high school tournament ... wrestlingAcademic All-American ... also lettered two years in football ... two-time state

football champion ...first-team all-statedefensive lineman.Personal: Member ofcadet squadron 28 ...son of Bob and LindaStegeman ... siblingsare Krista (30), Josh(29), Anna (16) andSarah (13) ... majoringin computer engineer-ing.

anthony stegemansr. • hwt

cincinnati, ohio

(elder)

2006-07: Compiled an overall record of 7-10 … went 1-1 in dual action … ranked second on the team with six

wins by fall. 2005-06: Put together a 7-8 overall record ... notched three falls onthe season. 2004-05: Compiled an overall record of 8-12 ... placed fourth at theTracy Borah Invitational ... notched eight takedowns, seven reversals and 32escapes ... also scored a three-point near fall ... recorded seven pins. HighSchool: Lettered three years in wrestling ... coached by Greg Urbas ... compileda career record of 109-9 ... team won its 20th state title in 2004 ... president ofNational Honor Society ... Eagle Scout ... senior class secretary. Personal:Member of cadet squadron 3 … son of Laszlo and Teresa Szabolcs ... siblingsare Nick (23) and Katie (20) ... majoring in biology ... hobbies include running, lift-ing, sculpture, drawing, painting, camping, hiking and reading ... craziest ambi-tion is to produce movies after his military career.

chris szabolcssr. • 149

westlake, ohio

(st. edward)

2006-07: Compiled an overall record of 13-20 and adual mark of 5-8 … went 2-2 in WWC action …

notched two falls on the year … placed fourth at the Oklahoma Open … finishedfourth at the All-Academy Championships … took fourth place at the NCAA WestRegional. 2005-06: Did not compete. 2004-05: Finished the season with a 6-14overall record, including a 1-5 dual meet mark ... scored 22 takedowns, tworeversals and 20 escapes on the season ... also added nine total near falls ...registered two major decisions, a tech fall and two pins. High School: Four-timeletterwinner in wrestling ... coached by Rodney Padilla ... put together a 140-15career record ... state champion ... also was a runner-up at state tournament ...named the 2002 state tournament outstanding wrestler ... also lettered in crosscountry for a year ... member of the National Honor Society ... named scholar-athete of the year ... Outstanding Student of the Year. Personal: Member ofcadet squadron 28 ... son of Paul and Monica Valdez ... siblings are Patrick (19)and Elizabeth (14) ... majoring in management ... hobbies include tennis andmountain climbing.

zach valdezsr. • 125

parker, colo.

(chaparral)

greg adamsr. • manager

ajvish varatharajsr. • manager

B E . . . D O N ’ T S E E M T O B E 99

meet the falcons

2006-07: Put together an 11-25 overall record and 4-11mark in dual action … went 1-3 in WWC competition …

captured fourth place at the Oklahoma Open … finished fourth at the NCAA WestRegional, earning third-team All-WWC honors … recorded three falls on the year… named to the WWC All-Academic team. 2005-06: Compiled an 11-22 overallrecord and 2-7 dual mark ... finished third at the NCAA West Regional ... notchedthree pins on the year, with a fastest fall of 55 seconds. High School: Four-yearwrestling letterwinner … coached byChet Bachman ... third-place finisher atstate tournament ... freestyle and Grecostate champion ... cadet Greco All-American ... also earned three letters infootball and two in track and field ... first-team all-district selection in football ...class salutatorian. Personal: Member ofcadet squadron 4 ... son of Dale Crozierand Jill Zalesny ... siblings are Rob (22)and Jenny (17) ... nickname is Steve thePirate ... hobbies include unicycling andwakeboarding ... craziest ambition is to"make pottery when I'm an old man."

stephen crozierjr. • 165

monona, iowa

(mfl mar mac)

2006-07: Compiled a 13-16 overall record on the sea-son and 3-7 mark in dual action … captured second

place at 184 in the Amateur Division at the Cowboy Open … placed fourth at 197at the All-Academy Championships … took fourth place at the NCAA WestRegional … recorded two falls on the season. 2005-06: Did not compete. HighSchool: Coached by Mike Clark and Jodie Marple ... state champion and staterunner-up... all-state and all-conference selection ... named to Who’s Who inHigh School Sports. Personal: Member of cadet squadron 24 ... son of Jimmieand Karen Tribble.

jordan tribblejr. • 197

midwest city, okla.

(midwest city)

2006-07: Compiled a 6-9 overall record and 0-1 markin dual action … notched two falls on the year with a

fastest time of 1:19. High School: Coached by Jack Mulhall ... finished fifth inthe state ... district and sectional champion ... placed third (freestyle) in theMidwest regional. Personal: Member of cadet squadron 1 ... son of Jim andJean Ciccone.

james cicconeso. • 184

mentor, ohio

(lake catholic)

2006-07: Put together a 16-13 overall ledger and 0-1mark in dual action … tallied five falls on the season,

recording a fastest time of 0:06 … captured fifth place in the Amateur Division atthe Kaufman/Brand Open … finished third at the Tournament of Champions.High School: Coached by Craig French ... state champion. Personal: Memberof cadet squadron 38 ... son of Craig and Conni French.

tyler frenchso. • 174

malta, mont.

(malta)

2006-07: Compiled an overall record of 7-23 and dualmark of 4-11 … notched two falls on the season. High

School: Coached by Jule Dolci. Personal: Member of cadet squadron 21 ... par-ents are Stephen and Susan Makuka.

stephen makukaso. • 141

columbus, n.j.

(n. burlington county)

2006-07: Compiled a 9-11 overall record and 1-0 markin dual action … notched three falls on the season,

recording a fastest time of 1:54. High School: Coached by Tony Armas ... four-time state finalist ... two-time state champion ... two-time Brute/Adidas All-American ... finished third at NHSCA nationals. Personal: Member of cadetsquadron 10 ... son of Brian and Kimberly Shadrix.

justin shadrixso. • 165

bremen, ga.

(bremen)

2006-07: Posted a 5-11 overall record and 1-3 mark indual action … recorded one fall on the season. High

School: Coached by Dave Izzo and Gary Steffinmeyer ... two-time champion atEuropeans ... had an undefeated club season in freestyle and Greco. Personal:Member of cadet squadron 30 ... parents are Andrew and Eileen Sheppard.

samuel sheppardso. • 125

ramstein ab, germany

(ramstein american)


meet the falcons

High School: Coached by Brad Anderson. Personal:Member of cadet squadron 32 ... son of Brian and Julie

Delaney.

neil delaneyfr. • 184

grand rapids, mich.

(forest hills central)

High School: Three-year wrestling letterwinner …coached by Norman Smith and David Hall … named to

the honor roll. Personal: Member of cadet squadron 17 … son of FrankyGillespie and Shirley Whitehurst … has a sister, Corrine (19) … would like tobecome a para-rescuer … craziest ambition is to jump from 35,000 feet … great-est moment in sports was competing in the USMC Ultimate Challenge … lovesTaco Bell.

derek gillespiefr. • 133

chesapeake, va.

(great bridge)

High School: Lettered in wrestling for three years …coached by Charles Barton … state champion …

three-time conference all-star … two-time state placer … two-time conferencechampion … National Merit Scholar … member of National Honor Society.Personal: Member of cadet squadron 35 … son of Adrian and Iolani Ikehara ...has three siblings, ages 17, 13 and 11 … plans to major in aeronautical engi-neering … hobbies include reading.

kazden ikeharafr. • hwt

mililani, hawaii

(kamehameha)

High School: Lettered in wrestling for four years …coached by Dave Nicholl … state runner-up in 2006 …

fifth-place state finisher in 2007 … regional champion in 2007 … two-time third-place regional finisher … three-time all-conference selection … all-state selec-tion … set school record for most team points scored in a season … also letteredfour years in football and one year in track … named 2006-07 male athlete of theyear … student body president. Personal: Member of cadet squadron 28 … sonof Bill and Linda Larson … has two siblings, Sara (15) and Connor (14) … hob-bies include Xbox, music, writing, painting, reading and "chillaxin."

josh larsonfr. • 197

windsor, colo.

(windsor)

High School: Lettered in wrestling for coach MarkGerardi … league champion and CIF champion … fin-

ished first at El Dorado Invitational … also lettered in football and baseball.Personal: Member of cadet squadron 3 … son of Dan and Avis Thomas … hasa brother, Pete (16) … plans to become an Air Force pararescuer or ArmyRanger … hobbies include wakeboarding, snowboarding and weightlighting …craziest ambition is to meet Jose Canseco.

chris thomasfr. • 184

el cajon, calif.

(valhallo)

High School: Coached by Gary Roberts. Personal:Member of cadet squadron 12 … son of Boston

Torrence and Cindy Parker ... attended the Academy Prep School ... competedin the All-Service Tournament.

matt torrencefr. • 149

tulsa, okla.

(east central)

High School: Lettered four years in wrestling …coached by John Mesenbrink … placed second in the

state as a junior … won the Bi-State Classic and Cheesehead Invitational tour-naments in senior season … also lettered two years in soccer. Personal:Member of cadet squadron 22 … son of Judy Zwirlein … has two sisters, Kristin(21) and Emily (14) … nickname is "Z" … hobbies include soccer, rock climbingand fishing … craziest ambition is to win the lottery and forever live as a beachor mountain bum.

andrew zwirleinfr. • 125

nashotah, wis.

(arrowhead)

B E . . . D O N ’ T S E E M T O B E 1111

meet the falcons

casey butikoferjr. • 174

rigby, idaho (rigby)

josh duranjr. • 125

woodstock, ga.(sequoyah)

(USNA Exchange)

zac pendletonmanager

juancarlos pinojr. • 133

yuma, ariz.(kofa)

michael ericksonso. • 157

springfield, va.(robert e. lee)

thomas gorryso. • 149

stuttgart, germany (patch american)

joshua lopezso. • 149

colorado springs, colo.(st. mary’s)

randall mitchnerso. • 157

cordova, tenn. (cordova)

akira nervikso. • 164

bellflower, calif. (mayfair)

derek potterso. • 165

granite falls, n.c. (south caldwell)

kurt sprangerso. • 133

tampa, fla. (tampa jesuit)

alex florifr. • 174

eagle river, alaska (emerald ridge)

kyle gadouryfr. • 149

west warwick, r.i.(west warwick)

justin grafffr. • 157

el cajon, calif. (steele canyon)

joshua lemairfr. • 133

madison, s.d.(madison)

chris jimenezmanager

wesley osbornfr. • 125

phoenix, ariz.(desert vista)

carlos sandovalfr. • 133

colorado springs, colo.(harrison)

joseph staffordfr. • 174

loomis, calif.(del oro)

patrick steppefr. • 149

swansea, ill.(belleville east)

darren stowefr. • 149

the colony, texas(the colony)

matt alvamanager

joseph cook manager


2006-07 season review

With a new coach at the helm of the program,the 2006-07 Air Force wrestling squad compiled a6-10 overall record on the season. In addition, theFalcons, competing in the inaugural campaign ofthe Western Wrestling Conference put together a 3-1 mark in the league.

Taking over the reins from Wayne Baughman,who retired after 27 years at the helm of Air Force’sprogram, was Joel Sharratt, a former assistant atNavy. Sharratt brought an impressive resume withhim to the Academy, as the Iowa graduate was athree-time All-American and national champion in1994. He also helped lead the Midshipmen to a 13-2 dual record in 2005-06 while sending fivewrestlers to the NCAA Championships.

The Falcons, under the new leadership ofCoach Sharratt, began the 2006-07 season on Nov.11 at the Cowboy Open, hosted by Wyoming. AirForce’s lone placewinner was sophomore JordanTribble, who finished second at 184 pounds in theAmateur Division.

The next weekend saw the Falcons competingat the Kaufman/Brand Open, where the team againfinished with one placewinner. This time, freshmanTyler French captured fifth place in the AmateurDivision at 174 pounds.

Next up for Air Force was the OklahomaOpen, where four Falcons took home top-four fin-ishes. Junior heavyweight Anthony Stegemancaptured third place, while Zach Valdez (125),Bridger Lord (157) and Stephen Crozier (174) allfinished fourth in their respective weight classes.

A trip to the prestigious Cliff Keen Las VegasInvitational was up next on the agenda for Falcons,who brought nine wrestlers to compete. Valdez,Stephen Makuka (133), Duane Miller (165),Crozier, Jacob Devlin (184) and Stegeman all fin-ished the week with an 0-2 mark, Bridger Lord(149) and Zach Lord (157) both finished at 1-2, andJake Kriegbaum (141) compiled a 2-2 record forthe tournament.

After a trip to the Fort Hays Open followed theLas Vegas Invitational, Air Force was ready to getits dual meet season off to a start, traveling toWestern State. After getting out to a 9-3 lead, the

Falcons wonjust one ofthe last sixbouts to dropthe 19-12c o n t e s t .Kriegbaum,Zach Lord,Miller andStegeman allr e g i s t e r e ddecisions tolead AirForce in theloss.

T h enext night,the Falconsr e t u r n e dhome to host

Colorado School of Mines.This time, theOrediggers grabbed the early advantage, leading9-0 after two bouts, but Air Force won six matchesdown the stretch to capture the 29-16 victory.Justin Shadrix (165) and Devlin each notcheddecisions, Kriegbaum picked up a technical falland Chris Szabolcs (149), Tony Dorward (157)and Stegeman all registered falls to lead Air Forceto the victory.

With time off for exams and a holiday break,the Falcons then sent six wrestlers—Kriegbaum,Bridger Lord, Zach Lord, Miller, Crozier andDevlin—to the Midlands Invitational, hosted byNorthwestern. Bridger Lord was the only Falcon topick up a victory on the weekend.

Next up for Air Force was a trip to the LoneStar Duals in Grand Prairie, Texas, where theFalcons would compete in four dual meets in oneday. Air Force opened with a 40-5 loss to fourth-ranked Oklahoma State, its lone win a tech fall byValdez. After being shut out, 38-0, by CentralOklahoma, the top-ranked Division II team, theFalcons rebounded with an18-13 win over Brown. TheFalcons won six decisionsagainst the Bears, asMakuka, Kriegbaum,Bridger Lord, Crozier, Devlinand Tribble (197) each wontheir bouts. Air Force thenended the day with a 37-6loss to 19th-rankedWisconsin, as Bridger Lordand Miller picked up thelone decisions for theFalcons.

While the majority ofthe Falcons’ team was com-peting at the Lone StarDuals, another group head-ed to the Tournament ofChampions, hosted byColby CC. French and AJHarris finished third and

fourth, respectively, at 174 pounds to lead Air Forceat the tournament.

The next week, a contingent of Air Forcewrestlers headed to the Fort Hays Open, while theremainder of the team headed east for a dual atPittsburgh, as well as a trip to the Wendy’s Duals inAshland, Ohio. Against Pittsburgh, the Falcons man-aged just three wins en route to a 28-9 loss, gettingdecisions from Kriegbaum, Bridger Lord and Devlin.Air Force then faced Cleveland State, Ashland andKent State at the Wendy’s Duals, dropping all threecontests. Against Cleveland State, the Falcons fell,23-10. Kriegbaum and Devlin each recorded deci-sions for Air Force, while Crozier picked up a majordecision. Against Ashland, Air Force gathered deci-sions from Valdez, Kriegbaum and Bridger Lord in a24-9 loss. Meanwhile, in a 33-4 loss to Kent State,Bridger Lord picked up the Falcons’ only victory, amajor decision.

The Falcons returned home for their next twodual meets, hosting North Dakota State in a WWCcontest, as well as a meeting with Adams State.Against NDSU, Air Force picked up three wins,including a forfeit at 184 pounds, getting a fall fromStegeman, a decision from Bridger Lord, butdropped the 24-15 decision. The Falcons notchedfour victories in a 23-15 loss to Adams State, led bya technical fall by Makuka, a major decision by ZachLord and decisions from Kriegbaum and Stegeman.

Air Force then headed up to Greeley, Colo., totake on Portland State in a neutral-site dual meet.The Falcons rolled to a 31-9 victory, winning six ofnine contested bouts. Zach Lord and Crozier wondecisions, Bridger Lord registered a major decisionand Valdez, Tribble and Stegeman each postedtechnical falls. With his three victories on the week-end, Stegeman became the first Air Force wrestler toearn WWC Wrestler of the Week honors.

The Falcons then hosted the All-AcademyChampionships, finishing fifth overall. Five differentwrestlers were placewinners, led by third-place fin-ishers Zach Lord and Dorward. In addition, Valdez,

bridger lordbridger lord

stephen stephen

croziercrozier

B E . . . D O N ’ T S E E M T O B E 1313

2006-07 season review

Tribble and Stegeman each placed fourth in their respective weight classes.Air Force hosted WWC-foe South Dakota State in its next dual

meet, taking the 25-21 victory. In addition to a forfeit win at 133 pounds, theFalcons registered four wins, getting pins from Valdez and Bridger Lord, amajor decision by Stegeman and a decision by Kriegbaum. With his first fallof the season, Lord became the second Air Force wrestler to earn WWCWrestler of the Week honors.

The Falcons were next slated to visit Wyoming and Utah ValleyState for road conference meets. While hazardous weather conditions pre-vented Air Force from making the trip to Wyoming, the team had an impres-sive showing at Utah Valley State, winning, 38-6. The Falcons picked up apair of forfeits at 125 and 133 pounds, while six others also won their bouts.Bridger Lord and Devlin won decisions, Zach Lord recorded a major decision,Kriegbaum and Stegeman notched technical falls and Crozier recorded a fall.

The team wrapped up its dual slate at home versus NorthernColorado. While the Bears took an early 7-0 lead in the match, the Falconswon the next three bouts and five total, to take the 25-22 victory. Senior cap-tains Bridger and Zach Lord both celebrated their final home matches withvictory, with Bridger registering a decision, while Zach recorded a fall. Also

picking up wins for Air Force were Kriegbaum with a fall, Devlin by injury default and Tribble by major decision. With the win, the Falcons closed out their first seasonin the WWC with a 3-1 record, while Zach Lord became the latest WWC Wrestler of the Week honoree.

Finished with its 2006-07 dual slate, Air Force was next headed to the 2007 NCAA West Regional, hosted this year by Northern Iowa. There, the Falcons fin-ished sixth with 32.5 points. Eight different Air Force wrestlers—Valdez, Kriegbaum, Bridger Lord, Zach Lord, Crozier, Devlin, Tribble and Stegeman—all placed fourthin their respective weight classes. Later, Crozier and Devlin were named third-team All-WWC selections, based on their placement at the NCAA West Regional.

While the Falcons did not have any representatives at the NCAA Championships, the team did make great strides on the season, winning four straight dualmeets down the stretch. Air Force also turned in a solid performance in the Western Wrestling Conference, losing just one conference dual.

Crozier earned a pair of accolades from the WWC, named to the conference’s all-academic team, while also earning third-team all-conference honors, alongwith Devlin. Meanwhile, Samuel Sheppard, Kurt Spranger and Andrew Teigeler were named to the WWC Commissioner’s Honor Roll. Crozier was later recog-nized as the recipient of the team’s Scholar-Athlete Award, while Teigeler was given the Commitment to Excellence Award, granted to the cadet with the best all-around performance at the Academy (academics, military and athletics).

The Falcons' top awardwinner was Bridger Lord, named the 2006-07 Outstanding Wrestler, given to the wrestler who demonstrates outstanding leadership, ahard work ethic and competitive spirit. Lord, who posted the team's highest winning percentage this season, recorded a 10-4 mark in dual action. The Most FallsAward, given to the wrestler who earned the most wins by fall on the season, was presented to Stegeman, who led the team with seven wins by fall.

The recipient of the Most Improved Award, presented to the wrestler who made steady improvements over the course of the 2006-07 season, was Dorward.While Dorward did not begin the season in the starting lineup, he was able to work hard to move up a weight class, eventually earning a chance to represent Air Forceat the NCAA West Regional.

The Coaches Appreciation Award was presented to the wrestler who has displayed great leadership and work habits in the wrestling room on a consistent basis.This year's winner was Kriegbaum, the Falcons' starter at 141 pounds and two-time NCAA qualifier. Meanwhile, the final team award presented was the WayneBaughman/A-10 Wart Hog Award. Named in part for the Falcons' former head coach, the award is earned by the wrestler who, like Coach Baughman and the A-10Wart Hog, is relentless and aggressive, demonstrates an unwavering determination to succeed and who embodies good sportsmanship and team spirit. The recipi-ent of the 2006-07 award was Zach Lord.

zach lordzach lord

2006-07 awards

TEAM CAPTAINSBridger Lord/Zach Lord

MVPBridger Lord

MOST FALLSAnthony Stegeman

MOST IMPROVEDTony Dorward

COACHES APPRECIATION AWARDJake Kriegbaum

WAYNE BAUGHMAN/A-10 WART HOG AWARDZach Lord

ALL-WWC (THIRD TEAM)Stephen Crozier/Jacob Devlin

WWC ALL-ACADEMIC TEAMStephen Crozier

WWC COMMISSIONER’S HONOR ROLLAndrew Teigeler/Samuel Sheppard/Kurt Spranger

tony dorwardtony dorward


2006-07 dual results

Dec. 8 - WESTERN STATE 19, Air Force 12141 Kriegbaum (AF) dec. Freiji, 9-4149 DuPont (WSC) dec. B. Lord, 6-1157 Z. Lord (AF) dec. Ross, 4-3165 Miller (AF) dec. Wiggins, 4-1174 Wilbanks (WSC) maj. dec. Crozier, 15-5184 Pipher (WSC) dec. Devlin, 20-13197 Lueders (WSC) dec. Bozynski, 8-4HWT Stegeman (AF) dec. Skinner, 3-0125 Hockett (WSC) dec. Valdez, 5-3133 Bravo (WSC) dec. Makuka, 7-0

Dec. 9 - AIR FORCE 29, Colo. School of Mines 16125 Meng (CSM) fall Sheppard, 1:09133 Eller (CSM) dec. Makuka, 9-2141 Kriegbaum (AF) tech fall Weitzel, 6:15149 Szabolcs (AF) fall Rineer, 2:58157 Dorward (AF) fall Corbett, 5:35165 Shadrix (AF) dec. Brennan, 13-11174 Cornett (CSM) dec. French, 12-5184 Devlin (AF) dec. Ryan, 8-1197 Knerr (CSM) maj. dec. Bozynski, 11-3HWT Stegeman (AF) fall Stansbury, 4:29

Jan. 6 - #4 OKLAHOMA STATE 40, Air Force 5133 Scott (OSU) fall Makuka, 1:46141 Kyle (OSU) dec. Kriegbaum, 6-3149 Jackson (OSU) dec. B. Lord, 7-5157 McSpadden (OSU) maj. dec. Z. Lord, 12-2165 Wainscott (OSU) maj. dec. Miller, 16-3174 Mason (OSU) tech fall Crozier, 17-0184 Jensen (OSU) maj. dec. Devlin, 14-4197 Shelton (OSU) tech fall Bozynski, 20-4HWT Rosholt (OSU) fall Stegeman, 2:43125 Valdez (AF) tech fall Ravannack, 15-0

Jan. 6 - CENTRAL OKLAHOMA 38, Air Force 0133 Henning (UCO) tech fall Makuka, 15-0141 Evans (UCO) dec. Kriegbaum, 4-0149 Timothy (UCO) dec. Szabolcs, 5-0157 Leavitt (UCO) dec. Z. Lord, 8-5165 Wood (UCO) fall Miller, 4:03174 Morrison (UCO) maj. dec. Crozier, 13-5184 Hess (UCO) dec. Devlin, 5-2197 Jolley (UCO) dec. Tribble, 7-0HWT Leadingfox (UCO) dec. Stegeman, 4-3125 Carruthers (UCO) tech fall Sheppard, 16-0

Jan. 6 - AIR FORCE 18, Brown 13133 Makuka (AF) dec. Triggas, 11-10141 Kriegbaum (AF) dec. Savino, 6-4149 B. Lord (AF) dec. LaFollette, 8-6157 Fazio (BU) dec. Z. Lord, 8-6165 Kitchner (BU) maj. dec. Miller, 12-3174 Crozier (AF) dec. Musser, 7-2184 Devlin (AF) dec. Gevelinger, 8-2197 Tribble (AF) dec. Otsuka, 5-2HWT Mock (BU) dec. Stegeman, 7-2125 Einfrank (BU) dec. Valdez, 8-4

Jan. 6 - #19 WISCONSIN 37, Air Force 6133 Tanelli (UW) tech fall Makuka, 18-0141 Ruschell (UW) dec. Kriegbaum, 8-2149 B. Lord (AF) dec. Crass, 16-10157 Henning (UW) fall Z. Lord, 1:32165 Miller (AF) dec. Metzger, 11-10174 Donar (UW) dec. Crozier, 8-4

184 Brandvold (UW) maj. dec. Devlin, 13-2197 Herbst (UW) fall Bozynski, 0:34HWT Massey (UW) fall Stegeman, 2:29125 Cudd (UW) maj. dec. Valdez, 9-0

Jan. 20 - PITTSBURGH 28, Air Force 9125 Gentzle (Pitt) dec. Valdez, 4-2 (SV)133 Headlee (Pitt) tech fall Makuka, 15-0141 Kriegbaum (AF) dec. Ciampoli, 5-2149 B. Lord (AF) dec. Generalovich, 6-0157 Kocher (Pitt) maj. dec. Z. Lord, 12-3165 Richmond (Pitt) maj. dec. Miller, 19-8174 Gavin (Pitt) tech fall Crozier, 17-2184 Devlin (AF) dec. Heist, 3-1197 Cassidy (Pitt) maj. dec.Tribble, 12-0HWT Sheaffer (Pitt) dec. Stegeman, 6-2

Jan. 21 - CLEVELAND STATE 23, Air Force 10125 Riggs (CSU) dec. Valdez, 2-1133 Armstrong (CSU) maj. dec. Makuka, 15-5141 Kriegbaum (AF) dec. Nicholson, 1-0149 Hurley (CSU) dec. B. Lord, 5-3157 Crenshaw (CSU) dec. Z. Lord, 9-3165 Effner (CSU) dec. Dorward, 7-0174 Crozier (AF) maj. dec. Kmetz, 13-3184 Devlin (AF) dec. Gilkey, 10-5197 Hahn (CSU) maj. dec.Bozynski, 14-4HWT Goff (CSU) dec. Stegeman, 6-1

Jan. 21 - ASHLAND 24, Air Force 9125 Valdez (AF) dec. Belcher, 4-0133 Kanaga (AU) maj. dec. Makuka, 17-6141 Kriegbaum (AF) dec. Iovine, 2-0149 B. Lord (AF) dec. Gordon, 4-3157 Bradberry (AU) tech fall Z. Lord, 16-1165 Bowman (AU) dec. Dorward, 11-7174 Job (AU) dec. Crozier, 3-2184 Allen (AU) dec. Devlin, 4-3197 Crowley (AU) dec.Tribble, 10-5HWT Ohl (AU) dec. Stegeman, 12-5

Jan. 21 - #21 KENT STATE 33, Air Force 4125 Sportelli (KSU) dec. Valdez, 6-0133 Mitcheff (KSU) dec. Makuka, 14-7141 Sponseller (KSU) dec. Kriegbaum, 4-2149 B. Lord (AF) maj. dec. Lanham, 16-8157 Gross (KSU) dec. Z. Lord, 4-2165 Bostelman (KSU) dec. Miller, 6-4174 Miller (KSU) fall Crozier, 3:20184 Chine (KSU) dec. Devlin, 6-5197 Ramadani (KSU) fall Bozynski, 3:40HWT Porter (KSU) dec. Stegeman,12-7

Jan. 27 - NORTH DAKOTA STATE 24, Air Force 15*125 Hoffman (NDSU) maj. dec. Valdez, 11-0133 Sanders (NDSU) tech fall Makuka, 15-0141 Mooney (NDSU) dec. Kriegbaum, 6-3149 B. Lord (AF) dec. Adams, 5-4157 Aho (NDSU) dec. Z. Lord, 12-10165 Quamme (NDSU) dec. Dorward, 7-6174 Hermann (NDSU) dec. Crozier, 14-9184 Devlin (AF) win by forfeit197 Bryce (NDSU) dec. Tribble, 9-5HWT Stegeman (AF) fall Lagosh, 4:34

Jan. 27 - ADAMS STATE 23, Air Force 15125 Barksdale (ASC) tech fall Sheppard, 17-1133 Makuka (AF) tech fall Schmitt, 17-1141 Kriegbaum (AF) dec. Jo. Deaguero, 7-6149 Jones (ASC) dec. B. Lord, 6-3157 Z. Lord (AF) maj. dec. Sheridan, 16-2165 Copeland (ASC) maj. dec. Miller, 14-4174 Reynolds (ASC) dec. Crozier, 9-8184 Ja. Deaguero (ASC) maj. dec. Devlin, 11-2197 Woodall (ASC) maj. dec. Tribble, 14-5HWT Stegeman (AF) dec. Schossow, 8-3

Jan. 28 - AIR FORCE 31, Portland State 9125 Sheppard (AF) win by forfeit133 Valdez (AF) tech fall Moniz, 18-2141 Einerson (PSU) dec. Kriegbaum, 6-0149 B. Lord (AF) maj. dec. Vanaman, 12-0157 Z. Lord (AF) dec. Dailey, 6-0165 Seley (PSU) dec. Dorward, 5-4174 Crozier (AF) dec. Lemmon, 8-3184 Schneider (PSU) dec. Devlin, 3-1197 Tribble (AF) tech fall Washington, 16-1HWT Stegeman (AF) tech fall Smith, 16-1

Feb. 10 - AIR FORCE 25, South Dakota State 21*184 Althoff (SDSU) fall Ciccone, 3:19197 Gottschalk (SDSU) dec. Tribble, 5-3 (SV)HWT Stegeman (AF) maj. dec. Stripling, 13-0125 Valdez (AF) fall Waters, 5:37133 Makuka (AF) win by forfeit141 Kriegbaum (AF) dec. Pirner, 8-4149 B. Lord (AF) fall Flynn, 1:33157 Everson (SDSU) dec. Z. Lord, 9-6165 Meyer (SDSU) fall Dorward, 2:59174 Moran (SDSU) dec. Crozier, 12-5

Feb. 17 - AIR FORCE 38, Utah Valley State 6*141 Kriegbaum (AF) tech fall Morrill, 17-0149 B. Lord (AF) dec. Rawle, 10-4157 Z. Lord (AF) maj. dec. Wolf, 14-0165 Olsen (UVSC) dec. Miller, 8-4174 Crozier (AF) fall Fenwick, 4:20184 Devlin (AF) dec. Jardine, 4-2 (SV)197 McAllister (UVSC) dec. Tribble, 10-6HWT Stegeman (AF) tech fall Dennis, 15-0125 Valdez (AF) win by forfeit133 Makuka (AF) win by forfeit

Feb. 24 - AIR FORCE 25, Northern Colorado 20*125 Mustari (UNC) dec. Valdez, 5-0133 Bahe (UNC) maj. dec. Makuka, 15-1141 Kriegbaum (AF) fall Kaiser, 6:22149 B. Lord (AF) dec. Lohr, 7-2157 Z. Lord (AF) fall Salazar, 5:26165 Lewis (UNC) dec. Dorward, 5-1174 Walker (UNC) fall Crozier, 6:06184 Devlin (AF) inj. def. Vincent197 Tribble (AF) maj. dec. Nicholl, 11-0HWT Hopkin (UNC) maj. dec. Stegeman, 10-0

OVERALL RECORD: 6-10*WWC RECORD: 3-1

B E . . . D O N ’ T S E E M T O B E 1515

year-by-year results

Year W-L-T Pct. Coach Captain(s) 1957 4-4 .500 1Lt Bob Karnes Charles Zaleski1958 5-7 .417 Karl Kitt Charles Zaleski1959 5-6 .454 Karl Kitt Charles Zaleski1960 4-6 .400 Karl Kitt Wayne Kendall1961 4-5 .444 Karl Kitt Terry Jorris1962 8-3-1 .607 Karl Kitt Joe Zaleski1963 7-3 .700 Karl Kitt DeVere Henderson1964 4-5 .444 Karl Kitt Thad Wolfe1965 2-7 .222 Karl Kitt Al Pfeltz1966 9-3 .750 Karl Kitt Bob Englebretson1967 9-3 .750 Karl Kitt Bob Englebretson1968 4-7 .364 Karl Kitt Don Henderson1969 7-3 .700 Karl Kitt Mike Grenard1970 10-2 .833 Karl Kitt Richard Christy/Felix Sanchez1971 10-1 .909 Karl Kitt Jim Scrabeck1972 4-8 .333 Karl Kitt John Black1973 5-4 .555 Karl Kitt Jim Callard1974 6-5 .545 Karl Kitt George Lawrence1975 10-1-1 .875 Karl Kitt Bob Orwig1976 7-6 .538 Maj. W. Baughman Al Nuytten1977 3-7 .300 Maj. W. Baughman Monroe Ratchford1978 6-6-1 .500 Maj. W. Baughman Greg Bush1979 5-4 .555 Maj. W. Baughman Lowell Tenpas1980 13-7 .650 Maj. W. Baughman Paul Feliz1981 7-6 .538 Maj. W. Baughman Gary Chadwick1982 6-13 .316 Maj. W. Baughman Dale Walters1983 6-8 .423 Maj. W. Baughman Billy Walker1984 12-3 .800 Maj. W. Baughman Dave Stark1985 10-7 .571 Capt. Jim Oeser Tony Seeley/Doug Wells1986 3-12 .200 Maj. Jim Oeser Kevin Houdek1987 10-2 .833 Maj. Jim Oeser Steve Turner1988 9-4 .692 Capt. Don Mabry Scott Smith1989 7-7 .500 Wayne Baughman Scott Ulrich1990 4-6-1 .409 Wayne Baughman Tom Tingley1991 10-3 .769 Wayne Baughman Mark Lindow1992 6-3-1 .650 Wayne Baughman Brook Leonard1993 10-1 .909 Wayne Baughman Jon Erickson/Wes Winterstein1994 8-2 .800 Wayne Baughman Brett Machovina1995 8-1 .889 Wayne Baughman Frank Bryant1996 6-3 .666 Wayne Baughman Dax Cornelius1997 5-4 .555 Wayne Baughman Chris Kretsinger/Jeremy Potvin1998 8-2 .800 Wayne Baughman Kirk Eknes/Jake Sherer1999 5-7-1 .417 Wayne Baughman Luke Bindreiff/Chris Sample2000 7-6 .538 Wayne Baughman Patrick Brady-Lee/Phil Johnston2001 7-2 .778 Wayne Baughman Scott Jenkins/Alex Pelbath2002 11-3 .785 Wayne Baughman Scott Frohardt/Terry Parham2003 6-2 .750 Wayne Baughman Kevin Hoy/Sam Sherertz2004 3-7 .300 Wayne Baughman Blaine Brown/Heath McKim2005 5-7 .416 Wayne Baughman Luke Lefever/Josh Peterson2006 2-8 .200 Wayne Baughman Brandon Strong/Beau Tresemer2006 6-10 .375 Joel Sharratt Bridger Lord/Zach Lord

coaching records

karl kitt

1958-1975 (18 years)113-79-2 (.587 pct.)

jim oeser

1985-1987 (3 years)23-21 (.523 pct.)

don mabry

1988 (1 year)9-4 (.692 pct.)

wayne baughman

1976-1984 (9 years)1989-2006 (18 years)183-134-4 (.574 pct.)

t o t a l s : 3 3 8 - 2 5 2 - 6

joel sharratt

2007 (1 year)6-10 (.375)


western wrestling conference

The Western Wrestling Conference, an NCAA Division I wrestling-only alliance, willbegin its second season of existence after a solid start in the 2006-07.

The WWC enjoyed plenty of success in 2006-07, which included sending 19 wrestlersto the 2007 NCAA Wrestling Championships. The first WWC tournament took placeunder the title of NCAA West Regional on March 3 in the McLeod Center on theUniversity of Northern Iowa's campus. The goal of the league is to replace the WestRegional with the conference tournament, which would then serve as the NCAA qualifi-er.

The 2008 NCAA West Regional/Western Wrestling Conference tournament will takeplace March 8, 2008, in Fargo, N.D.

The 2007 West Regional served as the first national qualifier for three schools makingthe move from Division II to Division I. North Dakota State, South Dakota State andNorthern Colorado all sent wrestlers to the NCAA Championships for the first time sincereclassifying to Division I. Utah Valley State is also a reclassifying institution but will notbe eligible for the postseason until the 2009-2010 season.

"We are happy with this new conference affiliation for our wrestling program," UNIDirector of Athletics Rick Hartzell said. "At UNI, we strive to have a national top-10 pro-gram and we think this league affiliation will continue to allow us to have a strongwrestling program that can reach those lofty aspirations."

With league members spread out over six states and two time zones, schools will only be required to compete against four league schools in dual action to be eli-gible for the regular season conference championship. Schools will be encouraged to schedule as many conference schools as possible.

The WWC recognizes student-athletes on both a weekly and full-season basis. Individual awards include Wrestler of the Week; All-Conference teams; anAcademic All-Conference team; and Wrestler, Newcomer and Coach of the Year awards. The league also crowns a team champion following the conclusion of theregular season conference competition and the postseason tournament.

The University of Northern Iowa was crowned the inaugural champion of both the regular season and postseason tournament. UNI swept the three major awardsas well by winning Coach of the Year (Brad Penrith), Wrestler of the Year (Nick Baima) and Newcomer of the Year (Kyle Anson).

The governance of the Western Wrestling Conference will remain primarily with the member institutions. Scheduling of contests, assignment of officials and certainmedia relations functions will remain with member institutions.

One of the major benefits of having a league spread out so far is the added exposure - both in terms of media and recruiting - in new destinations. The conferenceaffiliation is also expected to generate much interest within the seven schools' substantial alumni base, which numbers nearly 800,000 combined.

Charter members of the Western Wrestling Conference include: the United States Air Force Academy, North Dakota State University, the University of NorthernColorado, the University of Northern Iowa, South Dakota State University, Utah Valley State College and the University of Wyoming.

Western Wrestling Conference

2006-07 Final Standings

Team Conf. (W-L/Pct.) Overall (W-L/Pct.)Northern Iowa 4-0 1.000 7-9-1 .441Wyoming 4-1 .800 5-9 .357Air Force 3-1 .750 6-10 .375North Dakota State 3-2-1 .583 8-5-1 .607Northern Colorado 2-4 .333 5-11 .313South Dakota State 1-4-1 .250 8-8-1 .500Utah Valley State 0-5 .000 6-12 .333

B E . . . D O N ’ T S E E M T O B E 1717

air force all-americans

TERRY ISAACSON• Three-time (1962-64) All-American (167 lbs)• 1962 NCAA Runner-up

DON HENDERSON• 1967 National Champion (145 lbs) • Three-time MIWA champion

KIRT DONALDSON• 1971 All-American (118 lbs)

KEN DONALDSON• 1971 All-American (126 lbs)• 1971 NCAA Runner-up

BOB ORWIG• 1975 All-American (190 lbs)

TERRY PARHAM• 2002 All-American (174 lbs)

SCOTT FROHARDT• 2002 All-American (149 lbs)

KEVIN HOY• Two-time (2002-03) All-American

(HWT)• 2003 NCAA Runner-up

division I

all-americans

In 1967, Don Henderson won thenational championship at 145 pounds.He was also a three-time MIWA cham-

pion.

In 1971, Kirt Donaldson earned All-America honors, finishing fifth at 118

pounds.

In 1971, Ken Donaldson finished asthe NCAA runner-up at 126 pounds.

Kevin Hoy was a two-time All-American, fin-ishing as runner-up at heavyweight in 2003.

The Air Force wrestling program boasts aproud history, with eight different wrestlers

earning All-America accolades a combined 11times.

Terry Issacson became the Falcons’ first All-American, finishing second at 167 pounds in1962. He backed up that performance with afourth place finish in 1963 and a sixth-placefinish in 1964, becoming Air Force’s first and

only three-time All-American.

While Issacson was the first All-American,Don Henderson was the first national champi-on for the Falcons. A three-time MIWA cham-pion, Henderson won the title at 145 pounds

in 1967.

Twins Ken and Kirt Donaldson were next togarner All-America honors in 1971. Ken

became the next runner-up, finishing secondat 126 pounds, while Kirt took fifth place at118 pounds that season. Four years later,

Bob Orwig became the next All-American, fin-ishing fifth at 190 pounds.

It was almost 30 years before another AirForce wrestler would earn All-America hon-

ors, but the Falcons came on strong in 2002.Three Air Force wrestlers finished as All-

Americans that year. Scott Frohardt took sev-enth place at 149 pounds, while Kevin Hoy

(HWT) and Terry Parham (174) each finishedeighth at the NCAA Championships.

Hoy had an even more impressive finish in2003, placing second. He became just thethird national runner-up in Air Force history,

and just the second wrestler to earn All-America accolades in more than one season.

MIWA ChampionsName Yr. Wt.George Bruns 1963 177Terry Isaacson 1964 167Don Henderson 1965 145Don Henderson 1967 145Don Henderson 1968 145Bob Pavalko 1968 123Jack Thrasher 1969 171Jim Callard 1970 150Jim Callard 1971 150Ken Donaldson 1971 126Jim Callard 1973 150Steve Campbell 1974 167Russ Casella 1974 177Steve Campbell 1976 177Lowell Tenpas 1979 190Gary Chadwick 1980 177Gary Chadwick 1981 177Dale Walters 1981 167

WAC ChampionsName Yr. Wt.Dale Walters 1981 167Gary Chadwick 1981 177Terry Maki 1985 Hwt.J.B. Waltermire 1987 158Scott Ulrich 1989 Hwt.Tom Tingley 1990 118Thad Allen 1991 126Jon Erickson 1991 134Matt Ciccarello 1991 142Brian McGill 1991 158Johnny Harrison 1992 190Wes Winterstein 1992 150Jeremy Potvin 1994 158Shawn Finnicum 1998 177Mike Kallai 1998 150Jake Sherer 1998 190Scott Frohardt 1999 149Shawn Finnicum 1999 177

West Regional ChampionsName Yr. Wt.Scott Frohardt 2001 149Scott Frohardt 2002 149Terry Parham 2002 174Kevin Hoy 2003 HwtHeath McKim 2003 125Brandon Strong 2005 125Matt Benza 2005 133

All-WWCName Yr. Wt.Stephen Crozier (third) 2007 174Jacob Devlin (third) 2007 184

Academic All-WACName YearJon Erickson 1991Joe Heilhecker 1991Brook Leonard 1991A.J. Werner 1991Dan Bunts 1992Brook Leonard 1992A.J. Werner 1992Dan Bunts 1993Jason Arnold 1994Dan Bunts 1994Matt Warner 1996Chris Linberg 1997Luke Osborne 1997Chris Sample 1997Matt Warner 1997Joseph Beauregard 1998Chris Linberg 1998Chris Sample 1998Matt Warner 1998

MWC Scholar-AthleteName YearRyan Coates 2001Luke Vitolo 2001Luke Lefever 2003Luke Lefever 2004Luke Lefever 2005Stephen Crozier 2006

Academic All-WWCName YearStephen Crozier 2007


falcons honors/legends

Scott Frohardt, WAC champion in 1999 and two-time (2001-02)West Regional champion.

B E . . . D O N ’ T S E E M T O B E 1919

falcons honors/legends

dick christy (1946-1972)

Dick Christy was the USAFA wrestling team captain during the 1969-70 season. Although he was unableto retain his varsity spot, he remained on the team and his leadership was credited for one of the mostsuccessful seasons in Falcon wrestling history. Christy was loved and respected by all who knew him andrepresented the best of what the Academy is about.

The Most Valuable Wrestler Award is presented in Christy’s memory.

dale walters (1959-85)

Dale Walters held the Academy record for most single-season and career victories for many years. He wasthe Academy’s first-ever WAC Champion in any sport and was awarded the Academy’s Athletic ExcellenceAward in his senior year. In 1985, he was killed while flying a mission as a Euro-NATO Instructor Pilot atSheppard Air Force Base, Texas.

The Athletic Excellence Award is presented in Walters’ memory.

national wrestling hall of fame

outstanding american

Gen. Ronald R. Fogleman (Ret.) was honored by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2007, asa recipient of the Outstanding American Award. Fogleman, a 1963 graduate of the Academy, servedas the 15th Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, the highest leadership position and seniorranking officer in the USAF. As chief, Fogleman was responsible for the organization, training andequipage of 750,000 active duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian forces serving in the United Statesand overseas. Fogleman was the first Academy graduate to become Air Force chief of staff.

Fogleman also served on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, where he functioned as a military adviser to thesecretary of defense, National Security Council and the president. He was a career officer in the AirForce from 1963-1997.

In his flight career, Fogleman received a rating as a Command pilot and parachutist. He loggedmore than 6,800 flight hours in fighter, transport, tanker and rotary wing aircraft. He flew 315 com-bat missions and logged 806 hours of combat flying in fighter aircraft.

Fogleman was a successful wrestler for Juniata High School in Mifflintown, Pa., where he was teamcaptain as a senior and won regional and sectional tournaments. He was also a member of the var-sity wrestling team as a cadet at the Academy.


wrestling facilities

The Air Force wrestling room, located inCadet Gym, has a 50 x 120 square-footwrestling surface with double thick mats on awood floor. It also includes over-head ladders,climbing ropes, two “Adam” takedownmachines, two stationary bikes and a real runnerexercise machine.

The artwork, pictures and trophies in theroom are dedicated in memory of 1st Lt. DaleWalters, class of 1982. Walters was killed in anaircraft accident while serving as a Euro-NATOInstructor pilot. The Academy’s first-ever WACChampion in any sport, Walters is tied for theAcademy record for most wins in a season andcareer.

air force practice facility

The Air Force wrestling team splits time betweentwo facilities. Clune Arena, a state-of-the-art facili-ty which seats 5,939, was the site of two of theFalcons’ inaugural conference victories (SouthDakota State and Northern Colorado). The teamalso competes in the Cadet East Gym (picturedleft). The gym has the capacity and history to holdtop events. This facility has hosted several majormeets over the years, including the 2005 ColoradoCollegiates and 2007 All-AcademyChampionships. The gym has been the host ofthree WAC Championships, as well as the WestRegional Championships in 2004.

air force meet facility

B E . . . D O N ’ T S E E M T O B E 2121

u.s. air force academy

The United States Air Force Academy offers a four-year program of instruction and experiencedesigned to provide cadets the knowledge andcharacter essential for leadership, and the motiva-tion to serve as Air Force career officers. Eachcadet graduates with a bachelor of science degreeand a commission as a second lieutenant in the AirForce.

COURSE OF STUDYCadets are exposed to a balanced curriculum thatprovides a general and professional foundationessential to a career Air Force officer. Specialneeds of future Air Force officers are met by profes-sionally oriented courses, including human physiol-ogy, computer science, economics, military history,astronautics, law and political science.

The core curriculum includes courses in science,engineering, social sciences and humanities.Cadets take additional elective courses to completerequirements for one of 25 major areas of study.About 60 percent of the cadets complete majors inscience and engineering; the other 40 percent grad-uate in the social sciences and humanities. Some ofthe most popular majors include management,astronautical engineering, international affairs andpolitical science, history, behavioral science, civilengineering, aeronautical engineering, electricalengineering and engineering mechanics.

FACULTY COMPOSITIONThe majority of the Academy's nearly 600 facultymembers are Air Force officers. They are selectedprimarily from career-officer volunteers who haveestablished outstanding records of performance anddedication. Each has at least a master's degree andmore than 35 percent have doctorates.

In addition to imparting knowledge, each facultymember must assist with the development of char-acter and qualities of leadership essential to futureAir Force career officers and the motivation of serv-ice to country. To provide greater contributions by adiverse faculty, the Academy has several distin-guished civilian professors and associate profes-

sors who serve one or more years. Officers fromother services are members of the faculty as well,and a small number of officers from allied countriesteach in the foreign language, history and politicalscience departments. Distinguished civilian and mili-tary lecturers also share their expertise with thecadets during the academic year.

ATHLETIC PROGRAMThe Academy's athletic program is designed toimprove physical fitness, teach athletic skills anddevelop leadership qualities. To achieve its goals,the Academy offers some of the most extensivephysical education, intramural sports and intercolle-giate athletic programs in the nation. Cadets take atleast three different physical education courseseach year.

MILITARY EDUCATION AND TRAININGAn aerospace-oriented military education, trainingand leadership program begins with basic cadettraining and continues throughout the four years.Seniors are responsible for the leadership of thecadet wing, while juniors and sophomores performlower-level leadership and instructional tasks.Cadets are projected into as many active leadershiproles as possible to prepare them to be effective AirForce officers.

Fundamental concepts of military organization --drill, ethics, honor, Air Force heritage and physicaltraining -- are emphasized the first summer duringbasic cadet training. Freshmen then study the mili-tary role in U.S. society as well as the mission andorganization of the Air Force. Sophomores receiveinstruction in communicative skills, and juniorsstudy the combat and operational aspects of the AirForce. Military studies for the senior class focus onmilitary thought.The Academy offers courses in flying, navigation,soaring and parachuting, building from basic skillsto instructor duties. Cadets may fly light aircraft withthe Cadet Flying Team. Those not qualified for flighttraining must enroll in a basic aviation course.Astronomy and advanced navigation courses alsoare available. Students bound for pilot training

enroll in the flight screening program at theAcademy and fly the DA-20 Katana aircraft.

Summer training for cadets is divided into three,three-week training periods. There are a variety ofprograms available, and each cadet is required tocomplete two training periods each summer withleave during the other period. All new cadets takesix weeks of basic cadet training in their first sum-mer.

Combat survival training is a required three-weekprogram during cadets' second summer. For othersecond-summer training periods, cadets haveoptions such as working with young airmen in anoperational unit at an Air Force installation, airborneparachute training, soaring or basic free-fall para-chute training.

During their last two summers, all cadets areoffered leadership training as supervisors or instruc-tors in summer programs, such as basic cadet train-ing, survival training, freefall parachuting and soar-ing.

Extracurricular activities also are an integral part ofthe education program. The cadet ski club, drumand bugle corps, cadet chorale and forensics are afew of the programs available.

NOMINATIONSNominations to the Academy may be obtainedthrough a congressional sponsor or by meeting eli-gibility criteria in other categories of competitionestablished by law. For information on admissionprocedures, write to HQ USAFA/RRS; 2304 CadetDrive, Suite 200; USAF Academy, CO 80840-5025.

HISTORY -- In 1948, a board of leading civilian and military educators was appointedto plan the curriculum for an academy that would meet the needs of the newly estab-lished Air Force. The board determined that Air Force requirements could not be metby expanding the other service academies and recommended an Air Force academybe established without delay.

In 1949, then Secretary of the Air Force W. Stuart Symington appointed a commissionto assist in selecting a site and on April 1, 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhowerauthorized creation of the United States Air Force Academy. After considering 580sites in 45 states, the commission narrowed the choice to three locations. The sum-mer of 1954, Secretary of the Air Force Harold Talbott selected a site near ColoradoSprings, Colo. Colorado contributed $1 million toward purchase of the property.

In July 1955, the first academy class entered interim facilities at Lowry Air Force Base,Denver, while construction began. It was sufficiently completed for occupancy by thecadet wing in late August 1958. Initial construction cost was $142 million.

Women entered the academy on June 28, 1976, as members of the class of 1980.


u.s. air force academy administration

Lieutenant General John F. Regni is superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs,Colo. He directs a four-year academic, military training, athletic and character development program leading to abachelor's degree and commission as an Air Force officer.

The general was commissioned in the Air Force following graduation from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1973.His career has encompassed a wide range of personnel, training and command assignments, and he has servedat base, numbered air force, major command, Air Staff and joint unified command levels. Prior to his stint at theAcademy, he served as Commander, Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.

The general’s military awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf clus-ter, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal with silver oak leaf cluster and

Air Force Commendation Medal.

Commandant of CadetsBrig. General

Susan Y. Desjardins

Dean of FacultyBrig. General Dana H. Born

u.s. air force academy senior staff

B E . . . D O N ’ T S E E M T O B E 2323

athletic department administration

Dr. Hans J. Mueh is in his third year as the director of athletics at the Air Force Academy. A retired Air Force brigadier general, Muehwas vice dean of faculty for two years prior to his retirement in the summer of 2004. In addition, he was the Academy's faculty athlet-ics representative from 1996-2004.

Before assuming his duties as vice dean, Mueh was permanent professor and head of the department of chemistry at the Academy,a position he held since October 1987 where he oversaw the annual design and instruction of 25 undergraduate courses for 1,500cadets annually. Mueh was born Jan. 8, 1944, in Celle, Germany, and emigrated to the United States in 1951. He entered the Air Force in 1962 as amember of the Academy's eighth graduating class, and he graduated with a bachelor of science degree in chemistry in 1966. While atthe Academy, Mueh was a two-year letterwinner in soccer as a goalie. He still holds the Academy record for saves in a game with 30,accomplishing it twice in 1965 against North Carolina and Benedictine. In his junior and senior years, Mueh helped the Falcons to theRocky Mountain Intercollegiate Soccer League championship and quarterfinal berths in the NCAA tournament. Following graduation, Mueh completed two assignments in intelligence before attending the University of Wisconsin where he earned

his master's degree in chemistry in 1970. He later earned a doctorate degree in chemistry from Wisconsin in 1976 as a distinguished graduate. He has also completedSquadron Officer School, Air Command and Staff College and Air War College.

Between earning the two degrees, Mueh returned to the Academy as an instructor in the department of chemistry from 1970-72. He also served as assistant soc-cer coach and played semi-pro soccer with the Aurora Internationals in Denver during those two years, leading the Internationals to the Colorado state title in 1971. Hevolunteered for duty in Vietnam and served as an intelligence officer in Saigon, Republic of Vietnam and at Nakhon Phanom RTAB, Thailand, in 1972 and 1973.

After earning his doctorate degree, Mueh returned to the Academy in 1976 as an associate professor of chemistry. He remained at the Academy except for a stintin 1985-86 as the special assistant for technical matters at the Defense Intelligence Agency at the Pentagon.

In 1986, he assumed the position of acting head, department of chemistry, before being selected for his position of permanent professor and head of the depart-ment of chemistry in 1987. As faculty athletics representative, he was active in both the Western Athletic Conference and Mountain West Conference, and was theAcademy's representative on the transition team to form the new MWC, the only faculty athletics representative on the team. He is currently the chairman of Region VIIfor the NCAA's Postgraduate Scholarship Committee, covering 119 schools, and has served in that capacity for five years. He competes in golf, racquetball, volleyball,handball and tennis, and has promoted Air Force Academy intercollegiate sports throughout his tenure, beginning with work as chairman of the hockey eligibility com-mittee, officer representative to the men's golf team and five years as the officer representative to the football team.

Mueh is married to the former Sally Flax of Cincinnati, Ohio. They have three children: Kristine, Kurt and Deborah.

Vice Director of AthleticsBrad DeAustin

Associate AD/ProgramsCol. Billy Walker

Associate AD/Intercollegiate Programs

Marti Gasser

Associate AD/Sports Medicine

Lt. Col. Bob Wishtischin

Associate AD/Support

Wayne Kellenbence

Associate AD/Recruiting Support

William Carpenter


athletic department

Few schools in the country have an athletic program as extensive as the Air ForceAcademy's.

The goals of the athletic program are to enhance the physical conditioning of all cadets,to develop the physical skills necessary for officership, to teach leadership in a competitiveenvironment and to build character. There are three subdivisions of the athletic program:intercollegiate athletics, intramurals and physical education.

The intercollegiate program has 17 men's and 10 women's NCAA-sanctioned teams,facing some of the top competition in the nation. Men’s teams are football, baseball, bas-ketball, ice hockey, cross-country, fencing, golf, gymnastics, indoor and outdoor track,lacrosse, rifle, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, water polo and wrestling. The Academyfields women's teams in basketball, cross-country, fencing, gymnastics, rifle, indoor and out-door track, swimming and diving, soccer, tennis and volleyball. In addition, the Academysponsors two non-NCAA programs; boxing and cheerleading.

The majority of the Academy’s men’s and women’s programs compete at the NCAADivision I level in the Mountain West Conference. The Falcons compete in this conferenceagainst teams from Brigham Young, New Mexico, Colorado State, San Diego State, TCU,Wyoming, Utah and UNLV. All sports also compete against non-conference opponents,including many nationally ranked teams.

The football team competes annually for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy, which isemblematic of service academy football supremacy. The Falcons have won the trophy 16times, which is more than Army and Navy combined. The winner of the annual rivalry visitswith White House to have the trophy presented by the President of the United States.

The USAFA Cadet Field House is one of the most impressive build-ings in the country. It’s a modern, versatile structure with seeminglyendless uses. The $5.6 million building is five stories high and 396feet by 426 feet, the size of three football fields laid side by side.The structure is divided into three areas--Clune Arena, ice hockeyarena and multipurpose area. The three sections have a combinedseating capacity of 11,000.

Clune Arena seats 5,939. The Cadet Ice Rink has a seatingcapacity of 2,502, while the multipurpose area seats 1,000 fans fortrack and field competitions.

Falcon Stadium open on Sept. 22, 1962. The stadium was originally built solely forfootball, but non-athletic events like the Academy’s annual graduation ceremoniesare also conducted there. The newest modification to the stadium was completed inthe spring of 2006 with fieldturf. Falcon Stadium has a seating capacity of 46,551.

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