FARGO, N.D. - The North Dakota State wrestling team (8-4, 1-0 WWC) will put its five-match win streak on the line as it hosts Air Force in a Western Wrestling Conference dual on Sunday, Jan. 31 at 1 p.m. at the Bison Sports Arena.  It is the first home meet for NDSU since the Dakota Duals on Dec. 13, 2009.  The five-match win streak is NDSU’s longest since stringing six together between Jan. 13-Feb. 7, 2006.  The Bison lead the all-time series with the Falcons, 7-1, including a 23-17 win in Colorado last season.

About Air Force

The Falcons have a 4-6 record as of Jan. 28.  They open WWC action tonight against Utah Valley and take on South Dakota State on Saturday, Jan. 30.  Air Force is led by freshman Cole VonOhlen, who ranked No. 16 at 141 pounds by Intermat.  VonOhlen is 20-5 overall this year.  Head coach Joel Sharratt is in his fourth season.

Solberg, Adams in first Coaches Panel Rankings

Senior Ryan Adams is ranked No. 30 at 141 pounds  and sophomore Justin Solberg is tied for No. 32 at 125 pounds in the first edition of the NCAA Division I Coaches Panel Rankings.  Wrestlers in each weight class will be measured by winning percentage, rating percentage index (RPI) and coaches’ rankings to earn spots for the 2010 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. The coaches’ rankings are compiled by a vote of coaches across the nation. The final rankings will be one of the tools used as part of the selection process to determine the qualifiers for the 2010 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.  Overall, 19 wrestlers from the Western Wrestling Conference were ranked in the first edition.

NDSU goes 3-0 on East Coast trip

The Bison closed out their month-long road swing with three wins.  On Saturday, Jan. 23, NDSU defeated East Stroudsburg, 42-9 and Boston University, 27-12.  The team continued its winning ways Sunday, Jan. 24 with a 37-9 victory over Sacred Heart.  Senior Ryan Adams, freshman Joe Arthur, sophomore Tyler Johnson, junior Vince Salminen and sophomore Justin Solberg all posted 3-0 records over the weekend.

Adams, Johnson, Solberg pass 20-win mark

Senior Ryan Adams and sophomores Tyler Johnson and Justin Solberg have all reached the 20-win mark this season.  Adams leads the way with 24 wins, while Johnson and Solberg have 23 and 21, respectively.  Johnson and Solberg, along with junior Andrey Patselov share a top dual mark of 9-3.  Solberg also leads the team in pins with six.  Last year, only Adams (26) and Gabriel Mooney (20) cracked the 20-win mark.

Bison take down No. 6 Boise State

NDSU pulled off its biggest upset since making the transition to Division I, beating No. 6-ranked Boise State on Friday, Jan. 15.  The Bison won five bouts with three coming by fall.   Sophomore Justin Solberg got the team off to a solid start with a pin of Mark Bleuze at 125 pounds.  After two Boise State wins, junior Andrey Patselov claimed a 10-5 win over Eli Hutchinson at 149 pounds and junior Vince Salminen pinned Brad Muri at 157 pounds.  Redshirt freshman Mac Stoll gave the Bison a big lead with a 10-0 win over Levi Holt at 174 pounds.  Sophomore Drew Ross clinched the win for the Bison with a pin of Matt Casperson at 197 pounds.

Bison open WWC action with win over UNC

NDSU won its second straight match for the first time since Feb. 2008 with a 21-19 victory over Northern Colorado on Sunday, Jan. 17.  Northern Colorado won the first three bouts, but the Bison claimed six of the final seven matches.  Senior Ryan Adams defeated No. 20 Kenny Hashimoto in an 8-2 decision at 141 pounds to kick-start the Bison rally.  With NDSU down 19-12, junior Kenny Moenkedick came from behind to win a 5-4 decision over Eric Brennan at 184 pounds and cut the margin to 19-15.  The Bears forfeit the 197 pound weight class, which gave the Bison the six points needed to clinch the win.