Northern Colorado @ Air Force

Northern Colorado beat Air Force 32-12 in Colorado on February 18, 2024, handing the Falcons a 20-point loss in the Big 12 dual meet.

The dual was decided by a string of bonus-point victories for Northern Colorado. Dominick Serrano put up a dominant 23-5 technical fall at 133 pounds and Vinny Zerban followed with a 17-0 technical fall at 157, a pair of techs that swung a lot of team points. Xavier Vasquez added a back-breaking blow with a fall at 197 pounds, turning those bonus results into an insurmountable cushion.

Branson Britten’s 13-3 major decision at 184 also contributed valuable bonus points and helped keep Air Force from clawing back. Northern Colorado’s aggressiveness in several matches left Air Force needing multiple bonus results to close the gap, and the Falcons were unable to string those together.

Air Force’s bright spot came at heavyweight when Wyatt Hendrickson answered with a fall over Andrew Blackburn-Forst, but that late pin was not enough to overcome Northern Colorado’s earlier bonus scoring. In the end, the Bears’ combination of tech falls, a major decision, and a pin produced the margin of victory and decided the dual.