Those who may someday fight for their country first fought each other this year in what has become a good-spirited annual contest on the wrestling mat.

Wrestlers from service academies and military schools across the country came together in camaraderie and rivalry for the eighth annual All-Academy Wrestling Championships this February.

While it's usually a patriotic affair, in light of world events this year it was perhaps more meaningful than ever.

The two-day championship concluded with an all-academy banquet that gave the student-athletes a chance to celebrate their common goals.

"Although the competition during the two days was very impressive, the banquet for the teams and their coaches after the competition was even more impressive," said Les Robinson, director of athletics at The Citadel. "I kept thinking that, sitting there in our dining hall at the Citadel were many of tomorrow's leaders who would be protecting and guiding our country in the decades to come.

"They had battled each other fiercely for two days, and now they were in their respective cadet uniforms breaking bread together. There was a much greater message sent by this gathering of athletes than the competition itself."

The U.S. Air Force Academy won the overall title with a score of 89, edging out Virginia Military Institute by nine points.

Among the top-10 nationally ranked competitors were senior Mark Conley from the U.S. Naval Academy, ranked first in the 141-pound class, and Kevin Hoy, also of Navy, ranked 10th in the nation at the junior heavyweight level.

Air Force's Scott Frohardt, who won his fourth consecutive All-Academy title in the 149-pound class, noted that the experience of the all-academy event meant a lot to the student-athletes, particularly those who may pursue careers in the military.

"This is a tournament that everyone looks forward to," he said. "We are all in the same boat, and we experience many of the same things -- that's what makes this event such a great tradition."

Other weight-class winners were: Steven Kovach, Navy; Kevin Hoy, Air Force; Matt Erwin, VMI; Terry Parham, Air Force; Adam Britt, VMI; Wayne Watts, Citadel; Phillip Simpson, U.S. Military Academy; Mark DiSalvo, VMI; Mark Conley, Navy; and Heath McKim, Air Force.

"The athletes competing in this tournament are some of America's finest," said John S. Grinalds, president of the Citadel and a retired Major General in the U.S. Marine Corps. "They come from institutions that graduate leaders to serve our society."