LARAMIE, Wyo. (Jan. 16, 2019) – The No. 8/12 Wyoming wrestling team looks to stay hot this weekend as it goes for its seventh-straight dual win on Friday against Big 12 foe Air Force. The dual is set for 7 p.m. MT in the UniWyo Sports Complex.
Dual Coverage
Fans can stream all of the action this weekend live on FloWrestling. Live scoring will be available on Trackwrestling as well. Fans can also follow live updates on Twitter at @WyoWrestle.
From Coach Branch
"It's another tough dual. We have to be sharp because they have guys that are capable of making this dual very interesting. There are going to be a lot of tight matches, and we're going to have to win those. It's going to boil down to that. We've wrestled them well in the past and I don't want to see that change. We always show up for them, and I don't know if it's because we're familiar with them since we see them quite a bit. We usually show up and wrestle well, and we're going to have to. When you look at a 10-match dual, half of those are going to be close…We've got to make sure we wrestle to the end and close those matches out that are going to be tough."
Last Time Out
The 11th-ranked Wyoming wrestling team earned its sixth-straight win on Sunday afternoon, fighting off Oregon State in a thrilling, 22-16 win inside the UniWyo Sports Complex. The win marks the Pokes' third-straight win in the series with the Beavers.
The Cowboys (10-3) won six of the ten bouts, including a fall from senior
Branson Ashworth at 165 pounds and a major decision from
Montorie Bridges at 133. Wyoming was able to win the dual outright and avoid the result being decided by criteria thanks to a win by Cowboy redshirt sophomore
Jaron Jensen in the final bout of the night.
Know the Foe
Air Force heads into Friday's battle with the Cowboys at 4-2 overall with a 1-1 conference record. Last weekend, the Falcons went 3-0 at the Borah Duals, defeating Simon Fraser while dropping Western Colorado twice. All three were double digit wins. Air Force's lone Big 12 win thus far came against Fresno State in a 19-15 home dual, with its only league loss coming to then-No. 19 North Dakota State. The Falcons return seven starters from their 2017-18 campaign, losing three including its one NCAA qualifier.
The Falcons are led by head coach Sam Barber, who is in his fifth season at the helm of the Air Force program. Barber is 32-27 since arriving at the Air Force Academy.
The Series: Air Force
• The Cowboys and Falcons will be meeting for the 55th time in the two program's histories on Friday.
• The series between Wyoming and Air Force dates back to 1958, with the Cowboys holding a dominant, 42-12 advantage.
• Head coach
Mark Branch's teams have historically carried the day against Air Force, with Wyoming going 10-0 against the Falcons under Branch's tenure.
• The Cowboys are 22-1 against the Falcons in Laramie.
• The Pokes have won 10-straight duals over Air Force, including two by double digits.
A Cowboy Win Would...
• Mark the 11th consecutive win against the Falcons.
• Move Wyoming to 43-12 in the all-time series against Air Force.
• Push Branch's record against Air Force to 11-0.
• Mark the Cowboys' seventh-straight dual win, the longest streak since the Pokes won seven in a row during the 2014-15 season.
• Give Wyoming 12 dual wins on the season so far, marking the eighth time in school history the Pokes have reached that benchmark.
Looking Ahead
Following this Friday's showdown with Air Force, the Cowboys will wrap up their January homestand next Sunday when they host Big 12 rival West Virginia. That match is set for 2 p.m. on Jan. 27 in the UniWyo Sports Complex.
