North Dakota State @ Air Force

North Dakota State defeated Air Force 25-12 in a Big 12 dual at the United States Air Force Academy on January 19, 2025. The margin was largely built on bonus-point wrestling, with three NDSU bonus wins offsetting a match-ending pin for Air Force.

At 133 pounds Kyle Burwick delivered a dominant 16-0 technical fall, a five-team-point result that put NDSU on the scoreboard in emphatic fashion. Air Force answered in kind at 141 when Carter Nogle finished Gideon Cole by fall, picking up six team points and keeping the Falcons competitive through the early portion of the lineup.

North Dakota State then produced the decisive run. Gavin Drexler’s 11-2 major decision at 149 and Max Petersen’s 17-6 major decision at 157 added four points apiece and swung the dual firmly back to the visitors. Those two majors, combined with Burwick’s technical fall, accounted for the bulk of NDSU’s bonus production and ultimately created the gap Air Force could not overcome.

With the bonus-point differential the story of the night, the other bouts were unable to change the scoreboard enough for Air Force. Nogle’s fall was a highlight for the Falcons, but NDSU’s three bonus victories made the difference in the final 25-12 result at the Air Force Academy.