No. 10 Falcons Head to MPSF Championships

With their highest national ranking of the season, the 10th-ranked Air Force men's gymnastics team heads to Stanford this Saturday (April 2) for the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships. The meet, which features two of the nation's top-three teams – and four of the top 10 – is slated to begin at 4:00 p.m. (PT).

MEET INFORMATION
The MPSF Championships will take place at 4:00 p.m. (PT) on Saturday, April 2, inside Burnham Pavilion on the Stanford campus. The four-team conference field includes top-ranked Stanford, No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 9 California and N. 10 Air Force. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online or in-person before the meet, while parking will be available in the Sunken Diamond/Varsity Lot, the Track House Lot, or Parking Structure 7. A live broadcast will be available via the conference's subscription service, while live scoring will be posted on the Virtius platform.

THIS TIME LAST YEAR
At the 2021 MPSF Championships, Air Force improved its season score by more than two points (388.350) to defeat California (386.950) for just the second time in program history and finish third in the team standings. The Falcons' third-place finish was the program's highest placement ever at the conference meet – and marked the first time since 2002 that Air Force had not finished last.

SCOUTING THE FIELD
With a four-score average of 412.933, Stanford is the NCAA-leader for the 10th-straight week, while Oklahoma is third (409.117) and California is ninth (393.433). The Cardinal, winners of the last two national titles, hold the highest team averages in four of the six events (floor exercise, still rings, vault, parallel bars), while the Sooners are the highest-ranked squad on the high bar. Individually, Oklahoma has the top-three scorers in the all-around, while conference gymnasts (four from Stanford, one from Oklahoma) lead the NCAA on five of the six events.

AIR FORCE IN THE RANKINGS
With a four-score average of 389.083, Air Force moved up to 10th in the latest NCAA standings. The Falcons are listed among the nation's top 10 on the floor exercise (eighth, 67.600), pommel horse (10th, 62.317), vault (ninth, 70.383) and parallel bars (seventh, 65.100). Individually, Garrett Braunton is ranked fourth in the all-around with a four-score mark of 79.183, while Oliver Zavel is listed sixth (78.433) and Erich Upton is ranked eighth (78.117). Collin Hickey holds a No. 17 standing on the floor exercise (13.833), while Braunton is also ranked among the top 20 on the still rings (No. 19, 13.567).

YOU LOOK FAMILIAR
Air Force has faced all three opponents twice during the regular season, including a meeting with California and Stanford at Burnham Pavilion in early March.

WHAT'S AHEAD FOR THE FALCONS
The 2022 men's gymnastics season comes to a close on April 15-16, when the top NCAA top gymnasts converge on Norman, Okla., 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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Players Mentioned

Garrett Braunton

Collin Hickey

Erich Upton

Oliver Zavel

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