Air Force Finishes Third at MPSF Championships

USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – The 13th-ranked Air Force men's gymnastics team registered its highest total of the year (388.350), as it captured its highest conference finish ever (third) at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships, which were held this afternoon (April 3) at the Academy's Cadet West Gym.

Oklahoma, the nation's top-ranked team, secured its ninth-straight conference title with a team score of 412.750, as it edged third-ranked Stanford (411.550) on its final routine. Air Force improved its seasonal score by more than two points (388.350) to defeat 11th-ranked California (386.950) for just the second time in program history. The third-place finish is the Falcons' highest placement ever at the MPSF Championships – and the first time since 2002 that Air Force has not finished last at the conference meet.

Senior Brandon Bzoskie accounted for the Falcons' highest individual finish of the day, as he tallied a career-best 14.550 – the fifth-highest score in Academy history – to tie for fourth on the vault.

Bzoskie and the Falcons' Class of 2021 shined during their final competition at Cadet West Gym, combining for seven top-10 finishes, team-leading marks in four of the six events and three finishes within the top half of the 20-gymnast field on the pommel horse.

Ethan Esval, competing in his first meet since mid-February, tallied a season-best 13.350 to finish sixth on the pommel horse, while Frankie Valentin and Scott McMurray placed seventh (13.150) and 10th (season-best 12.850), respectively. Valentin also posted a team-leading score of 13.750 on the still rings (eighth) and a fourth-place finish in the all-around (78.800), while McMurray added a second top-10 finish after scoring a season-best 13.200 to finish 10th on the floor exercise. Brian Waschak rounded out the senior leadership on the parallel bars, as he finished eighth after earning a career-high score of 13.750.

Freshman Garrett Braunton accounted for a top-10 finish on the floor exercise, as he scored a team-high 13.350 to finish eighth and classmate Oliver Zavel completed Air Force's list of event leaders, as he scored a 12.800 to finish 12th on the high bar.

The 2021 season comes to a close on April 16-17, when the nation's top gymnasts converge on Minneapolis, Minn., for the NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships. Participants for the two-day meet, which begins with the National Qualifier, will be announced next week.

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