Overview

Head coach: Sam Barber

Assistants: Joe Johnston, Chris Heilman, Scottie Boykin, George Lopez

2023 NCAA tournament finish: 18th

2023 NCAA tournament points: 28.5

2023 NCAA tournament record: 9-9

2023 Big 12 tournament finish: 8th

2023 dual record: 8-5 (3-5)

Returning national qualifiers: Tucker Owens, Sam Wolf, Wyatt Hendrickson

Returning All-Americans: 1 (Wyatt Hendrickson)

Last NCAA champion: Don Henderson (1967)

Highest NCAA team finish: 10th (1967)

Highest NCAA team finish under Barber: 18th (2023)

Most place winners under Barber: 1 (2023)

Click here for other early line-up looks

Summary

Air Force and Oklahoma State tied for 18th at the 2023 NCAA Championships, which will go down as one of the most surprising results in college wrestling. 

The Cowboys have won 34 NCAA team championships — the most in history. The Falcons hadn’t had an All-American since 2003.

Heavyweight Wyatt Hendrickson changed that when finished third at the NCAA Championships following a 31-2 season that included 26 bonus point wins and 17 falls. He earned the Gorriaran Award for the most falls in the least amount of time at the NCAA tournament. 

The Newton, Kansas, native scored 21.5 points for his team at nationals — and he’s back for one more year. 

It was a banner year for Air Force wrestling in many ways. The team placed in the top 25 for the first time since 2002 (22nd), it was the first top 20 finish in 52 years, and Hendrickson is one of two service academy wrestlers to place at nationals over the past 16 seasons. 

Air Force posted nine NCAA tournament wins and seven were by bonus points (five falls and two major decisions). Replicating a top-20 performance will be difficult in 2024, but another strong tournament by Hendrickson — along with a few wins from his supporting cast — could mean another top-25 finish. 

Cody Phippen didn’t place in 2023, but he scored 5.5 points and secured a first-round fall over Michigan’s Dylan Ragusin. Phippen graduated, so the Falcons need a balanced attack to replicate the magic of the 2023 season. Half the team could be seniors, so now is the time for Barber to take advantage of all the firepower he has. 

Cody Phippen had one of the biggest upsets of the 2023 NCAA Championships when he pinned Michigan's Dylan Ragusin

Projected 2023-24 Line-up

125: Tucker Owens, SO (NQ)

133: Brenden Barnes, SO

141: Garrett Kuchan, SR

149: Alex Viduya, JR

157: Jack Ganos, JR

165: Giano Petrucelli, SR

174: Sam Wolf, SR (NQ)

184: Noah Blake, SR

197: Calvin Sund, SR

285: Wyatt Hendrickson, SR (AA)

125: Tucker Owens, SO
2023 record: 28-14
2023 NCAA tournament record: 2-2

Owens won a pigtail match and had the unenviable task of wrestling Iowa’s Spencer Lee in the first round. His 1.5 points helped his team earn an 18th-place finish and will be a crucial part of the line-up next season. He had a nice stretch of wins during the middle of the season and should improve during his sophomore campaign. 

133: Brenden Barnes, SO
2023 record: 8-4

Lots of options here for Barber, but Barnes appears to be the leading candidate to replace Phippen. He has yet to compete in a college varsity event. 

141: Garrett Kuchan, SR
2023 record: 14-15

Kuchan enters his senior season as the returning starter. He went 0-2 at the Big 12 Championships but this is a solid option for Barber as he looks toward 2024. 

149: Alex Viduya, JR
2023 record: 5-2

Dylan Martinez was the starter last season so Viduya might take over this spot. Options at 149 are sparse so someone might move up or down to challenge. Viduya was used for the Northern Colorado dual and was pinned. 

157: Jack Ganos, JR
2023 record: 14-12

There are lots of options at 157 but Ganos is the front-runner after starting last season. He went 0-2 at the Big 12 Championships and can hang tough with middle-tier wrestlers. 

165: Giano Petrucelli, SR
2023 record: 20-8

Petrucelli was the starter for most of the year until he shattered his ankle. Nine pins and a metal bar later, he was out for the season. A healthy Petrucelli is a good option for the Falcons and will be a nice addition to the line-up. He can score points at nationals if he can get through the Big 12 Championships. 

174: Sam Wolf
2023 record: 13-6
2023 NCAA tournament record: 0-2

Wolf needs to score points at nationals for Air Force to make another run at the top 25. He didn’t enter the NCAA Championships healthy, so, like Petrucelli, he will be a big part of the line-up. Wolf can be the complementary piece to Hendrickson that Phippen was last season. 

Air Force captain Sam Wolf explains what it means to be a team leader for the Falcons.

184: Noah Blake, SR
2023 record: 19-14

Another wrestler with varsity experience and another wrestler who could reach nationals with his best season. Blake had some blowout losses but proved he can hang by winning three matches at the Big 12 Championships for a sixth-place finish. Barber should feel good about this weight. 

197: Calvin Sund, SR
2023 record: 17-15

Sund didn’t qualify for the NCAA Championships but returns as the starter. Qualifying for nationals is the goal here.

285: Wyatt Hendrickson, SR
2023 record: 31-2
2023 NCAA tournament record: 5-1 (3rd)

The Falcons fly as high as Hendrickson can take them. 

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Hendrickson had a wild quarterfinal match against Missouri's Zach Elam at nationals