February 11, 2009

Wrestling Heads To Air Force For WWC Dual

COMPLETE NOTES: at Air Force

Probables For Air Force

Wt

Name

Cl.

W-L

Dual

Pins

TF

MD

Notes

125

Tony Mustari

Jr

22-6

7-5

4

3

7

Is 12-3 since the inception of the WWC

133

Brett Bahe

Fr

2-2

2-2

0

0

0

Missed non-conference season with illness

141

Kenny Hashimoto

Jr

6-2

3-2

0

0

0

Had three first-period falls at Rocky Mountain Open

149

Mitchell Polkowske

Fr

24-6

11-4

3

5

6

Owns the best dual record on the team this season

157

Justin Gaethje

So

10-4

6-4

4

0

1

Has won 10 of his last 11 bouts

165

Daniel Prater

Sr

14-10

0-2

4

0

4

Finished 2nd at Rocky Mountain Open

   or

Tanner Weiks

Fr

13-16

2-11

0

1

1

One of nine Bears with double digit wins in 2008-09

174

Brandon Kammerzell

Fr

15-19

2-13

2

0

4

Placed third at Rocky Mountain Open

184

Ryan Johnson

Sr

14-18

4-11

2

0

4

Named WWC Wrestler of the Week after wins at NDSU/SDSU

197

Patrick Carey

So

15-16

1-10

2

1

1

Took third place at Rocky Mountain Open

   or

Eric Brennan

So

3-4

0-4

1

0

1

Won the Rocky Mountain Open

HWT

Justin Tuell

Jr

14-13

6-9

5

0

0

Placed third at Rocky Mountain Open

Just Two Remain
Northern Colorado travels south for a meeting with the Air Force Academy on Thursday and then has just one dual remaining when it hosts Wyoming on Feb. 25 to close out Western Wrestling Conference action. Thursday will be the last home match for the Falcons and the last road match for the Bears.

Against Air Force
Northern Colorado is 7-9-2 since the 1979-80 season in dual matches against Air Force. In 2007, the Bears dropped a 25-20 decision at the Academy, but won 25-14 last season in Butler-Hancock.  The Falcons are currently 1-2 in Western Wrestling Conference action this season and 4-9 in duals, while the Bears are 2-2 in WWC and 4-10-1 overall.

A Late Addition
Last weekend, several Bears headed to Golden to compete in the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Open, hosted by Colorado School of Mines and four Bears brought home titles, while one second-place, three third-place finishes and two sixth-place awards were also won by Northern Colorado. Junior Tony Mustari (125), junior Kenny Hashimoto (141), sophomore Justin Gaethje (157) and freshman Eric Brennan (197) were all victorious for the Bears, while senior Daniel Prater (157) took second behind Gaethje. Freshman Brandon Kammerzell finished in third place at 174 pounds, Patrick Carey finished third at 197 pounds and junior Justin Tuell took third at heavyweight, while freshman Zach Maes (133) and senior Cooper Hayes (149) both finished in sixth place.

Faltered
Northern Colorado dropped a 23-16 decision to first-place Utah Valley. The Bears won four of the 10 weight classes as junior Kenny Hashimoto posted a major decision at 141 pounds, freshman Mitchell Polkowske won a 7-2 decision at 149 pounds, sophomore Justin Gaethje tallied a fall at 157 pounds and junior heavyweight Justin Tuell won a 7-2 decision. The Wolverines won three of their six bouts with extra points in leading to their Western Wrestling Conference victory. They won two more last week to give them a 3-0 conference mark and first place in the standings.

Johnson Honored
Senior 184-pounder Ryan Johnson was named the Western Wrestling Conference wrestler of the week after posting thrilling wins over North Dakota State and South Dakota State. He recorded an overtime pin over NDSU's Kenny Moenkedick for just the third fall of his career and second this season. He then opened the competition with a 4-3 victory over SDSU's Zach Blindert. It is the first ward for Johnson and second for a Bear this season as freshmen Mitchell Polkowske earned the award on Dec. 2.

Eight Is Enough
Justin Gaethje, after sitting out the first semester, has added another punch for the Bears. At 157 pounds, the sophomore has won his last eight bouts and 10 of his last 11 in amassing a 10-4 record in 2009. Four of those eight straight victories have come by way of fall with another being a major decision as Gaethje continues to earn bonus points for the Bears. His eight match winning streak is tied for the second longest of the season with Tanner Weiks and behind the 16-straight freshman Mitchell Polkowske won at the beginning of the year.

First To 20
Freshman 149-pounder Mitchell Polkowske became the first Bear to reach 20 victories this season and is now 24-6 after defeating Utah Valley. His 24 wins are the most for a true freshman since transitioning to Division I, as both juniors Kenny Hashimoto and Tony Mustari won 19 bouts in their freshman years and former wrestler Alex Joseph posted 19 wins in 2003-04, the first year of the transition. Mustari has also topped the 20-win plateau for 2008-09 as he currently sports a record of 22-6.

Overtime Period
After every home event, please join the Northern Colorado coaches and members of the wrestling community at Old Chicago's, season sponsor of Northern Colorado wrestling, to break down that evening's match. The next home match, against Wyoming, will also be the last regular season match for the Bears.

Playing Hosts
Northern Colorado earned the distinct honor of hosting the NCAA West Regional in Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion on March 7. Tickets are available by calling the Northern Colorado ticket office at 970.491.4TIX or going online at www.uncbears.com. Winners of the NCAA West Regional automatically qualify for the NCAA Championship in St. Louis, Mo. The NCAA West Regional also serves as the Western Wrestling Conference Championships, where last season the Bears finished fourth overall.