Air Force athletics recognizes Top 6 Award winners, MVPs

Air Force athletics recognized several cadet-athletes for their accomplishments during the 2019-20 season recently. Senior All-American Michael Rhoads from men's track and field and women's tennis standout T.J. Fumagalli earned male and female most valuable player honors while senior Kyle Johnson of the football program earned the scholar-athlete award. Senior Isaiah Sanders from the football team earned the Athletic Leadership Award, while senior men's basketball player Lavelle Scottie earned the Outstanding Athletic Achievement Award and Leanne Singleton-Comfort from fencing was the winner of the Athletic Excellence Award.

Rhoads is a three-time All-American in the 800-meter run and would have qualified for his fourth NCAA indoor championship to tie for the most-decorated All-American in program history. He is a five-time NCAA qualifier and two-time Mountain West Athlete of the Year in track and field. Rhoads is a four-time MW champion, twice each in the 800-meter run and the 4x400 relay, and earned all-conference honors six times. He is the Academy record holder in the indoor 800-meter, outdoor 800-meter, spring medley relay and 4x400 relay. Rhoads finished the 2020 season ranked fourth in the NCAAs in the 800-meters.

Fumagalli is a school-record holder in 11 of 12 categories and three-year team captain. Fumagalli is the 2020 Mountain West Women's Tennis Player of the Year, the first-ever player of the year honor for the program. She closed her career nationally-ranked in doubles all four years with three different partners. Fumagalli became the first player to ever be nationally ranked in doubles back in 2016. In 2018, she was part of the first-ever duo to win ITA Mountain Region doubles title and first fall national championship participant. She is the first Falcon at the Division I level to earn a national ranking in both singles and doubles. She is the winningest player in program history with 228 combined wins, which is 25 more than the second-ranked player. Fumagalli is also the 2019 and 2020 ITA Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award winner for the Mountain Region.

Johnson graduated with a 3.93 grade point average with a major in management and minor in Spanish. He was ranked 14th in the graduating class of 2020 for academics and 10th in order of merit which combined military training and athletics. He has been accepted to Harvard for post-graduate study sponsored by the management department. Johnson was a two-year starter for the Falcons at inside linebacker and finished second on the team in total tackles with 82 this season. He also earned the Charlotte Touchdown Club Defender of the Nation Award this season which goes to a player who is a standout on and off the field. Johnson served a team captain and helped the Falcons to an 11-2 overall record and a Cheez-It Bowl victory over Washington State.

Sanders earned recognition for three national awards in 2019, finishing as a finalist for the Witten Award and Wuerffel Trophy, which both recognize on and off the field accomplishments, character and leadership, in addition to being on of 11 FBS players selected for the American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team. He is the first player in program history to earn all three honors. Sanders graduated with a 3.86 grade point average with a degree in human factors engineering. He served as the football team community service representative and was active in the community with several youth organizations. He is the school-record holder on the field for most carries in a game with 44 vs. Utah State in 2017 while holding the program's third-best single season completion percentage of 61.5 percent during the 2018 campaign.

Scottie is a two-time all-Mountain West selection and served a team captain the last two seasons. He finished his career ranked fourth in program history in scoring with 1,546 points, the most by a Falcon in 25 years. He scored 968 points in conference games while is the most-ever in the Mountain West era by a Falcon. Scottie led the Falcons in scoring three straight seasons and is the school-record holder in games played with 128. He scored 324 points in Mountain West games during the 2018-19 season which is the most in program history.

Singleton-Comfort was a four-time NCAA qualifier and three-time All-American. She was the 2020 NCAA West Region champion in women's saber, going 10-0 during head-to-hear bouts. Singleton-Comfort was the runner-up at the North American Cup among 105 NCAA Division I competitors in 2019, falling only to two-time Olympic champion Mariel Zagunis. Single-Comfort posted a 195-46 career record at the Academy, including a 48-8 mark in 2019-20 while serving a team captain. She earned first-team All-American honors in 2020 by the United States Fencing Coaching Association (USFCA).

In addition to the top six awards, the department honored each sports most valuable player and a pair of physical education award winners.

2019-20 Team Most Valuable Players
Women's Cross Country
Senior Teri Brady had an impressive senior campaign in 2019, as she helped the women's cross country team to the most successful Division I season in program history. As the Falcons' No. 5 runner at the NCAA Championships (138th of 254), Brady was a member of the scoring lineup that placed eighth in the national meet. The senior was also the Falcons' No. 2 runner at the Bill Dellinger Invitational (15th of 141), the squad's No. 3 runner at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational (66th of 243) and the team's No. 3 runner at the NCAA Mountain Regional (28th of 130).

Men's Cross Country
Senior Justin Weber had a strong senior campaign on the cross country course in 2019, finishing among the squad's scoring runners in every race. Weber was the Falcons' top finisher at the Bill Dellinger Invitational, as he placed 40th in the full field of 143 runners. He was the team's No. 3 runner at the Air Force Open (third of 30), Mountain West Championships (22nd of 71) and Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational (116th of 230), while adding a No. 5 finish for Air Force at the NCAA Mountain Regional (56th of 129). The senior helped the Falcons to a runner-up placement at the MW Championships and a top-10 finish (ninth) at the NCAA Mountain Regional.

Most Valuable Football Player
Senior Mosese Fifita had one of the most dominant seasons as any interior defensive linemen in school history, helping lead the Falcons to the nation's 17th-ranked total defense. Fifita had 48 total tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss as a nose guard on the way first first-team all-Mountain West honors. He was also first-team all-Colorado by the National Football Foundation and was selected to play in the Hula Bowl All-Star game. Fifita led the Mountain West and ranked sixth in the nation in fumble recoveries with three.

Most Valuable Football Offensive Player
Senior offensive lineman Scott Hattok earned first-team all-Mountain West honors while spearheading an offensive line that helped the Falcons win the conference rushing title and rank second in the nation. The offensive line also helped the Falcons lead the nation in fewest sacks allowed while ranking second in the nation for time of possession and third in passing efficiency. A team captain, Hattok was selected to play in the NFLPA Collegiate All-Star game.

Most Valuable Football Defensive Player
Senior inside linebacker Kyle Johnson earned the Charlotte Touchdown Club Defender of the Nation Award for 2019 for on and off the field excellence. Johnson was second on the team in tackles with 82, and had 5.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and had an interception return for a touchdown for the second straight year. He is the first Falcon with two defensive touchdowns in his career since 1999. A team captain, Johnson earned second-team all-Mountain West honors and was honored with the football programs highest honor as the Brian Bullard Award winner for 100 percent effort no matter what his position on the team.

Most Valuable Football Lineman/Special Teams
Senior place kicker Jake Koehnke led the Falcon in scoring and sixth in the Mountain West with 6.9 points per game. He was a perfect 13-13 in field goals and his 1.000 percentage tied a school record and tied for first in the nation. He kicked a 57 yard field goal vs. Utah State which is the sixth longest in Air Force history while tying a school record with four field goals made with four vs. Navy, including three from 40-plus yards. Koehnke finished his career ranked second in career field goal percentage with an 88.0 mark, hitting 22-of-25 kicks.

Golf
Senior Joseph Crisostomo led the team with a 72.77 season stroke average. His season stroke average is the sixth best since the Falcons joined the Mountain West in 1999. Crisostomo had two top-10 finishes and one top-5 this season. In the opening round of the Kaanapali Collegiate Invitational, his 65 was the best by any Falcon this season and the best of his collegiate career. At the Loyola Intercollegiate, his three-round total of 207 (-9, 69-69-69) tied as the seventh best 54-hole score in Falcon history.

Women's Soccer
Freshman Lexi Romero had a historic first year as a Falcon. She is the first Falcon to earn MW Conference Offensive Player of the Year honors and the second to earn a Player of the Year honor all-time. She is also the fifth Falcon to be named a Newcomer of the Year. Romero is also just the second player in MW history to earn both awards. She led the conference in total goals (14), total points (33), goals per game (.82), and points per game (1.94), while ranking second in game winning goals (6). Nationally, she is in the top-20 in all of those categories, including 12th in total goals, 17th in total points, 13th in goals per game, 14th in points per game, and 10th in game winning goals. She is also the only freshman with at least 14 goals and 33 points in the NCAA this season. She also had the best offensive season in program history, breaking long-standing singe season records in total goals, total points, and game winning goals. Romero was also named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Pacific Region Second Team.

Men's Soccer
Nick Blessing, senior team captain, received an All-Western Athletic Conference honorable mention honors this season. He started all 19 games on the season and was one of three Falcons to register over 1,500 minutes of playing time. A linchpin defender, Blessing was instrumental in helping Air Force to its third WAC Tournament appearance in four seasons, earning 2019 WAC All-Tournament team honors at the conclusion of the tournament. Blessing is a four-year letterman and appeared in 63 career matches for the Falcons.

Volleyball
Co-captain Andi Ahlers had a strong junior season – her first as the team's primary setter. Finishing the season with 845 assists, she became just the program's 10th Division I setter to register at least 1000 kills in a career. Ahlers, who was named to the all-tournament team at the Oral Roberts Invitational, debuted on the program's DI list for single-season assists during a 37-helper outing against Nevada, while registering her first 50-assist match (career-high 50) against San Diego State.

Water Polo
Junior Campbell Harris was named second team all WWPA. Harris ranked fourth in the league with 18 goals in conference games. In all games, he was second on the team and 10^th in the league with 48 goals this season. Harris also led the team with 21 drawn exclusions and was third in points with 57. He scored a career-best five goals twice during the season (Whittier and Loyola-Marymount) and had two or more points in 18 games during the season.

Women's Basketball
Junior Kaelin Immel was selected as the 2019-20 women's basketball MVP. Immel had a stellar year as the women's basketball co-team captain, starting in all 31 games of the season. She scored 473 single-season points, setting a new Air Force Division I record for single-season points. She became the 16th all-time Falcon to score 1,000 career points and has 1,321 career-points, for second-most in the Division I era, and sixth-most of all-time. Immel earned a spot on the Mountain West All-Conference team, becoming the first Falcon since 2013 to achieve the feat. She led the Falcons in scoring from wire-to-wire, averaging 15.3 points-per-game, the highest Division I women's hoops scoring average to date. She had six games scoring 20-points or more and 26 games with double-digit points. At the end of the season, Immel was the seventh-leading scorer in the Mountain West.

Men's Basketball
Senior Lavelle Scottie is team MVP for Air Force men's basketball. One of the most skilled post scorers in program history, Scottie leaves the Academy ranking fourth all-time in scoring with 1,545 career points. Scottie led the Falcons in scoring for third straight season, averaging 15.7 ppg. Scottie earned third-team All-Mountain West honors for the second straight season. His 968 points in conference games is the most ever in the Mountain West era. Scottie also leaves the Academy as the record holder in career games played with 128.

Boxing
Team captain Devon Smith was in the midst of a stellar senior season for the Air Force boxing team, having claimed Wing Open honors for the third-straight year. Smith, who won the 156-pound title as a sophomore and the 147-pound title as a junior, returned to the 156-pound division for his final Wing Open and claimed the victory to finish the year undefeated against his teammates. Smith, who registered a 4-1 record in NCBA action during the shortened season, was named the Outstanding Boxer of the Chuck Davey Invitational, where he earned a knockout victory over a USNA contender in the 156-pound bout.

Women's Fencing
Senior Leanne Singleton-Comfort was named Air Force women's fencing MVP. Singleton-Comfort qualified for the NCAA Championships for the fourth time in her career by capturing the NCAA West Regional/Western Fencing Conference women's saber title with a 10-0 record in head-to-head bouts. Singleton-Comfort posted a 48-8 record to lead the women's team. She also placed second in the December North American Cup in the Div. I women's saber out of a field of 105 competitors.

Men's Fencing
Sophomore Nestor Levin was named Air Force men's fencing MVP. Levin led team with a 55-20 overall record in the foil weapon. Levin qualified for the NCAA's for the second straight season with a third place finish at the NCAA West Regional. Levin's top North American Cup performance came at the February NAC in Columbus, Ohio, where he placed fifth in the junior men's foil out of a field of 346. Levin was also a standout in the classroom, maintaining a 3.84 cumulative GPA.

Women's Gymnastics
Anna Salamone was selected as the 2020 women's gymnastics MVP. Salamone, the Academy record holder on the uneven parallel bars (9.950) is a six-time USA Gymnastics All-American and boasts a USAG Collegiate National Championship title. She is a three-time MPSF individual champion with eight All-MPSF accolades.

Men's Gymnastics
Junior team captain Zach Polen was a solid fixture on the still rings and vault rotations for Air Force during the shortened 2020 men's gymnastics season. He debuted in 12th on the program's all-time vault standings after scoring a career-best 14.200 in the home finale with Stanford, while accounting for a season-high still rings mark of 13.500 at the All-Academy Championships. Polen also competed on the pommel horse, high bars and parallel bars multiple times during the year

Ice Hockey
Sophomore Alex Schilling emerged as the team's starting goalie in the eighth game of the season and started the final 29 games. He ranked fourth in the league in wins (12), third in shutouts (2) and sixth in goals-against average (2.39). He won his first four career starts and was named the Atlantic Hockey goalie of the week twice during the season. He helped lead Air Force to five additional points in overtime games as he stopped 10 of 11 shootout shots he faced.

Men's and Women's Rifle
Sophomore Peter Fiori earned All-American honors in both smallbore and air rifle to highlight the 2019-20 season. Fiori won the Patriot League Rifle Conference smallbore championship for the second straight year while earning all-conference honors in consecutive years.

Women's Swimming
Senior Heidi Schellin, a team captain, earned All-Conference honors in the 200 breast after finishing eighth at the MW Championships. She also earned the MW Conference's Senior Recognition Award as the conference senior to most excel both in the pool, in the classroom, and in the community. She swam the fifth-fastest 400 IM time in program history at the Phill Hansel Invite. Overall, she had the team's fastest breaststroke times in the 100 and 200, as well as the second fastest 400 IM and third quickest 200 IM times.

Men's Swimming
Senior Zach Nelson was named the WAC Swimmer of the Year. At the WAC Championships, he was the winner of three individual events (100 & 200 breast, 200 IM), while also participating in two winning relays (200 and 400 Medley relay). His time in the 200 breast (1:54.83) set a new school record, while his 100 breast and 200 IM times are the second-fastest in program history. The 200 and 400 medley relay times were also program records. He qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 100 & 200 breast, as well as the 200 IM. Nelson earned All-American honors from the CSCAA

Men's/Women's Diving
Junior Cole Armagost Sophomore earned most valuable honors for the diving teams. He qualified for NCAA Zone E competition in all three dives. Armagost finished 11th in the 3-meter, 17th in the 1-meter, and seventh in the platform.

Wrestling
Senior Randy Meneweather finished with a 23-7 overall record, including a 7-1 dual record and perfect 5-0 Big 12 dual record. He led the team with the 23 wins, including 15 of those by fall and also had the team's fastest fall in just 10 seconds. His 10 DI pins in a total time of 21:03 were the 10th most in the country. He won titles at the Cowboy Open, Mountaineer Invite, and All Academy Championships while earning alternate status at 165 pounds for the 2020 NCAA Championships.

Baseball
Senior Ashton Easley was a preseason All-Mountain West Conference selection. Easley batted .299 with three doubles, four triples, eight RBIs, and 12 stolen bases. He was top-100 in nation in total hits with 23, fifth in the country in steals with 12 and was one of just nine players in the nation with four triples. He three appearances on the mound, striking out three over three innings and earned a save against South Dakota State, March 8. Easley finished AF career with a .301 batting average, 125 runs, 167 hits, 36 doubles, 15 triples, 17 home runs, 89 RBIs, a slugging percentage of .512, and 59 stolen bases, the third-most in Academy history.

Lacrosse
Junior Braden Host was selected as the 2020 lacrosse MVP. Host, the Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Month for February, set two career-high saves marks on the season, finalizing the shortened campaign with a 4-3 record. He started in all seven contests and concluded the season with a .541 save percentage.

Women's Tennis
Senior TJ Fumagalli is team MVP for women's tennis. Fumagalli capped off the greatest career by and Air Force women's tennis player by posting an overall record of 39-13, going 19-8 in singles and 20-5 in doubles. She was ranked in doubles for the fourth time in her career, going 11-3 in doubles with partner Nadeen Lieberman. Fumagalli and Lieberman earned two wins over ranked opponents. Fumagalli graduates as Air Force's record holder in 11 of 12 categories. She leaves the Academy with 228 career wins (next closest at 203).

Men's Tennis
Senior and team captain Mack Galvin is Air Force men's tennis MVP for the 2019-20 season. Galvin posted a 31-15 overall record. He won 16 singles matches and 15 doubles matches. Galvin led the team in singles, doubles and combined wins. He was 8-5 in dual singles and 8-3 in dual doubles. Galvin went 7-2 in dual competition at #3 doubles.

Women's Track and Field
Highlighted by one Mountain West title, a bid to the NCAA Indoor Championships and three improvements to the Academy's all-time standings, junior Maria Mettler was in the midst of a stellar junior season. Mettler, an All-American in cross country, claimed her second conference title in as many years, when she posted the second-fastest 3000-meter time in Air Force history (9:12.10a) to easily win the MW championship. The junior, who was scheduled to compete in the 5000-meter run at the NCAA final, added the program's second-fastest time in that event (15:49.58) at the Iowa State Classic, where she was the top collegiate finisher (second overall) in the Invitational section. In addition, in her only mile appearance of the season, Mettler registered the sixth-fastest time in Academy history (4:52.28a) to win the Air Force Invitational.

Women's Track and Field Outstanding Competitor
Junior miler Mahala Norris was in the midst of an impressive junior campaign, as she broke the Academy Record twice and earned all-conference honors during the indoor season. An All-American in cross country, Norris immediately made her impact on the mile this winter. After vaulting from 10th to second on the program's all-time standings during a win at Colorado, the junior took nearly two seconds off of the previous Academy record to finish third at the Iowa State Classic. She deleted another second from her own standard during a runner-up finish at the MW Indoor Championships (4:40.49a), while also accounting for the program's fifth-fastest 3000-meter time (9:34.50a) at that meet.

Men's Track and Field
Although Michael Rhoads' senior season came to an abrupt end with the cancellation of the NCAA Indoor Championships, he will go down as one of the most decorated runners in Air Force history. The senior finished the regular season ranked fourth in the nation in his signature 800-meter event after clocking a time of 1:47.65 to place second out of 53 runners at the Iowa State Classic. In addition to that time being the second-fastest in Academy history – a mark that only trailed his own Air Force Record from 2019 – it is also the third-fastest time in Mountain West history. Rhoads, who claimed all-conference honors as a member of the 4x400-meter relay that finished second at the 2020 MW Indoor Championships, earned the league's Indoor Track Athlete of the Week award twice (after the Red Raider Invitational, after the Iowa State Classic).

Men's Track and Field Outstanding Competitor
Senior Connor Stevens, who made a stellar return to the pole vault runway this winter after suffering a back injury that threatened to end his career last spring, capped his impressive collegiate career with his third all-conference award in as many Mountain West Indoor meets. Matching a career-best indoor clearance of 16'6¾" to place second at the conference meet, Stevens helped Air Force sweep the podium finishes and account for a 1-2-3-5-6 placement in the overall standings. The senior, who claimed the MW pole vault title at the 2019 indoor meet, also cleared the 16-foot bar in his other three performances this year (Air Force Invitational, Red Raider Invitational, Air Force Team Challenge).

Outstanding Cadet in Physical Education (The Crowell Award is presented to the graduating cadet who has attained the highest GPA from Physical Education (PE) Courses)
Matthew Lovetri received the highest Physical Education GPA in the Class of '20, with a 3.856 average earned across all ten of his PE courses. He also excelled in fitness, recognized for top performances in the Physical Fitness Test (PFT) and Aerobic Fitness Test (AFT) (500-club PFT and 451-club AFT) and earning Athletic Honors every semester throughout his cadet career.

Physical Education Average Award (The Bickle Award is presented to the graduating cadet who has attained the highest Cumulative Physical Education Average (PEA) in their class):
Jestyn Roberts was one of only four cadets, in the class of 2020, to earn prestigious recognition in the 1000-club by earning max 500-scores on both the cadet physical fitness test (PFT) and aerobic fitness test (AFT). He also excelled in the Physical Education Curriculum and competed as a member of the cadet marathon club. Jestyn ended his distinguished academy athletic career with a PEA of 3.93.

Air Force athletics recognizes Top 6 Award winners, MVPs

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