Air Force athletics recognizes Top 6 Award winners, MVPs

Air Force athletics recognized several cadet-athletes for their accomplishments during the 2021-22 season today during the Cadet Awards Ceremony in Clune Arena. Seniors Adam Grimm from men's swimming and Cierra Winters of women's basketball earned male and female athlete of the year, respectively. Senior Sean Geither of men's track and field earned scholar-athlete honors while senior baseball player Steven Fairburn won the athletic leadership award. Senior women's basketball player Riley Snyder earned the athletic excellence award while freshman Scott Rockett from rifle earned athletic achievement award.

Grimm tallied four podium finishes, a pair of WAC championship titles and two school records set at the 2022 WAC Championships. He posted first-place finishes in the 400 IM and 200 fly, setting the school record in both events. He placed second in the 200 IM with a time that is the second-fastest in school history and fastest of the season. He helped the 800 free relay team to a school record time and second-place finish at the league championships. Grimm competed in every event on the season. He is a four-time academic All-WAC honoree.

Winters punctuated her Air Force career as one of the most dominant on-ball defenders in the country. Her 2.7 steals per game led the Mountain West, leading to Winters being named the MW Defensive Player of the Year. Her 88 total steals were 13^th in Division I and the 2^nd-most by a Falcon in the Division I era. Winters' 11.6 points per game average was second among Air Force players, as she has scored more points this season (378) than her first three seasons combined (183).

Geither has a 3.95 grade point average overall and a perfect 4.0 mark in his major of aeronautical engineering. He ranks 12th overall in the 2022 graduation class of 1,017. Geither is an eight-time letterwinner in track and a four-time all-Mountain West honoree. A member of the 2021 Mountain West champion 4x400-meter relay team, Geither also has top 20 all-time Academy marks in the 200- and 400-meter runs in outdoor track.

Fairburn is a two-year team captain in baseball and a three-year starting pitcher. He has earned Mountain West Scholar-Athlete honors each year and the baseball team's leadership award twice. Fairburn has been active in the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee at the Academy and in the Mountain West as a member of the Social Justice Committee. Fairburn has also contributed more than 200 hours of community service as a cadet-athlete. Upon graduation, he will be attending medical school.

Snyder cemented herself as one of the most productive players in program history in her final season. An All-Mountain West selection this season, she scored 490 points in her senior campaign, the most by a player in the Division I era. She averaged 15.4 points per game, fifth-highest among Mountain West players. Snyder's 89.8% free throw percentage was second in the MW, and eighth among all DI players. She made Air Force history when she became the program's all-time Division I scoring leader with 1,614 career points. Snyder ranks sixth in program history in career scoring average with a 13.8 norm.

Rockett, the NCAA champion in air rifle, earned All-America honors in all three disciplines this season. He was first team in air rifle, second team in aggregate and third team in smallbore. At the NCAA Championships, he was fifth in aggregate (1185) and 10th in smallbore (587). Rockett shot 599 in air rifle several times throughout the season. He also shot career highs of 591 in smallbore and 1190 in aggregate at the NCAA qualifier, Feb. 19. Rockett's air rifle average of 597.857 was the best in the nation and his aggregate season average of 1183.00 was sixth in the nation.

In addition to the top six awards, the department honored most valuable athletes from each sport, plus a pair of physical education award winners.

2021-22 Team Most Valuable Players

Football – Most Valuable Defensive Player
Senior defensive back Tre Bugg III led the Falcons in tackles with 65, including a team-high 50 unassisted. An honorable mention all-conference selection, he finished his career tied for the lead among active players with five interceptions, returning them a team-best 107 yards. Bugg III was selected to play in the Hula Bowl All-Star Classic as one of the top seniors in the nation, becoming the first Air Force defensive back to be selected since 1998.

Football – Most Valuable Lineman
Senior offensive lineman Hawk Wimmer earned first-team all-Mountain West honors while helping the Falcons lead the nation in rushing for the second straight year with a 327.7 per-game average. Wimmer helped the offensive line garner national attention as the unit became the first Group of 5 squad to be a finalist for the Joe Moore Award as the nation's top offensive line. The offensive line also helped the Falcons lead the nation in time of possession with a 36:35 mark.

Football – Most Valuable Offensive Player
Junior fullback Brad Roberts finished second in the Mountain West and 17th nationally in rushing with an average of 104.0 yards per game. Roberts rushed for 1,352 yards on a school-record 298 carries which ranked second nationally. His 1,352 rushing yards rank third in program history and are the most since 2007. A first-team all-conference selection, Roberts recorded a conference-best seven 100-yard rushing performances on the year, second-most in Air Force history and most-ever by a fullback.

Football – Most Valuable Player
Senior defensive tackle Jordan Jackson closed his career as one of the all-time leaders in tackles for loss and sacks yardage at Air Force. He recorded 29.5 tackles for loss for 181 yards which is eighth in program history. He had 15.5 sacks for 137 yards which ranks second at Air Force. Jackson was a second-team all-conference selection for the second time in his career and recorded 41 total tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks in 2021.

Volleyball
Team captain Bailey Keith, the first Air Force player ever named a national semifinalist for the Senior CLASS Award, was named all-conference honorable mention. Keith led the team in kills during 15 matches, including a career-high, team-best 18 in the victory over San Diego State. The senior led the Falcons in 148 total kills on the year and a 2.47 per-set average during conference play, while also ranking third in blocks with 41 total and a 0.68 per-set average. With nine kills and four blocks, she helped Air Force snap a 13-match losing streak to Wyoming on Oct. 30 and backed the Falcons to conference sweeps over Fresno State (Sept. 25) and Nevada (Oct. 21).

Men's Cross Country
Senior Will Kitzhaber became just the seventh Falcon to earn all-Mountain West honors in three-straight years, as he registered a sixth-place finish at the conference championships. In addition to helping the men to their second-straight MW team title, Kitzhaber was a scoring member of the men's team that finished third at the Bill Dellinger Invitational and ran on the squad that captured a Top 20 placement (19th) at the NCAA Cross Country Championships.

Women's Cross Country
Senior Jenna Kill was a valuable leader for the young women's roster. She was the Falcons' No. 2 runner at the Nuttycombe Invitational and NCAA Mountain Regional, while earning scoring finish on the team that placed fourth at the Mountain West Cross Country Championships.

Men's Soccer
Senior forward Tristan Trager was dubbed the team's MVP. The 2021 Western Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year, had a stellar career at Air Force, leading all Falcons in goals, assists, and points during his tenure. For two seasons, Trager led the WAC in goals and points (2019, 2021). He made two NCAA Tournament visits (2018, 2021) and four WAC Tournament appearances, highlighted by being a leading figure in the program's first-ever WAC Tournament title in the belated 2020-21 season. A three-time All-Conference player (2019 1st, 20 HM, 21 1st), Trager played a significant role in helping the Falcons to a program-best 17-win season and WAC regular season title in 2018. Trager concludes his time at Air Force with 28 career goals, 13 career assists and 69 career points.

Women's Soccer
Primarily a defender on Air Force's back line, Kayla Milford's athleticism allowed the Falcons to utilize the junior in a myriad of ways. Even as a defender, Milford scored twice in 2021, including the Falcons first goal of the season on September 2 against Cal Poly. As proof of her explosivity, both of Milford's goals this season were of the headed variety. Milford was a lockdown center back yet again for Air Force, consistently giving opposing attackers fits due to her size, speed and soccer IQ. She was one of only five players to appear in all 18 games in 2021.

Water Polo
Junior Grant Snyder earned All-America honors for the second straight season as he was named honorable mention by the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC). Snyder was a second-team selection in 2020. He becomes just the fifth Falcon to earn All-America honors two or more times. This season, Snyder earned first-team all-WWPA honors. The native of Springville, Calif., tied for second in the WWPA and tied for fourth in the nation in goals (87). He also tied for second in the WWPA and tied for sixth in the nation with 111 points. He had three or more goals in 18 games, including a career-best nine goals in a season-opening win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.

Men's Fencing
Senior Nestor Levin qualified for the NCAA Championships for the fourth straight season in men's foil. Levin posted a 76-43 overall record in head-to-head competition. Levin was the runner up in men's foil at both the NCAA West Regional and MPSF Championships. Levin finished 13^th at the NCAA Championships with 11 bout victories. Levin earned USFCA All-West Region and first-team All-MPSF honors.

Women's Fencing
Sophomore Josie Ratzlaff was named Air Force women's fencing MVP. Ratzlaff posted a 69-44 record in women's epee. She qualified for the NCAA Championship, finishing 13^th with 11 bout victories. Ratzlaff was the runner up in women's epee at both the NCAA West Regional and MPSF Championships. Ratzlaff earned USFCA All-West Region and first-team All-MPSF honors.

Men's Basketball
Senior guard AJ Walker earned men's basketball MVP honors. Walker led the Falcons in scoring for the second straight season, averaging 14.2 points per game as a senior, earning All-Mountain West honorable mention honors. Walker finished his career with 1,410 career points, which rank seventh all-time. Walker leaves the Academy ranked in the program top 10 in games played, started, three's made, points and assists. Walker helped lead the Falcons to the Sunshine Slam Tournament Title by leading the team to a 3-0 record and earning Tournament MVP honors.

Women's Basketball
Senior Cierra Winters punctuated her Air Force career as one of the most dominant on-ball defenders in the country. Her 2.7 steals per game led the Mountain West, leading to Winters being named the MW Defensive Player of the Year. Her 88 total steals were 13^th in Division I and the 2^nd-most by a Falcon in the Division I era. Winters' 11.6 PPG average was second among Air Force players, as she has scored more points this season (378) than her first three seasons combined (183). Winters was the only AF player to start all 34 games in 2021-22.

Wrestling
Wyatt Hendrickson capped his historic 2022 season at the 2022 NCAA Wrestling Championships where he was announced as the Most Dominant Wrestler in NCAA Division I. Hendrickson, a native of Newton, Kansas, concluded his season with a record of 26-2 and his highest national ranking of No. 5 in the heavyweight division. Of Hendrickson's 26 wins, 23 came with bonus points and 16 by fall, marking the most pins by any Division I wrestler this season. Hendrickson had arguably one of the most successful seasons by any Falcon to date—despite coming up short of All-America honors, he was a perfect 24-0 heading into the NCAA Championships. A two-time NCAA qualifier, Hendrickson won Outstanding Wrestler nods at the prestigious Southern Scuffle and 2022 Big 12 Championships—both feats a first for any Falcon wrestler. He also claimed the Gorriaran at the Scuffle for the most pins in the least amount of time.

Men's Swimming
Wen Zhang led the squad in first-place finishes on the season and was named Western Athletic Conference Swimmer of the Year following his stellar junior campaign. Zhang etched his name into the record books in each freestyle event and in freestyle relay events. Zhang won conference championship titles in the 500 freestyle, 200 freestyle, 100 freestyle, and 800 free relay, setting WAC and Academy records in each of the four events. His efforts on the season yielded an NCAA Championships berth.

Women's Swimming
Corbyn Cormack led all swimmers in first-place finishes on the season, etching her name into the program record books in five events, highlighted by a new program standard in the 100 butterfly. She has the second-best time in Academy history in the 200 IM, sixth-best in the 200 back stroke, and eighth-best in both the 200 breast stroke and 400 IM. She clocked two NCAA B-Cut times in her freshman campaign and swam her way to a second-place podium finish at the MW Championships.

Men's Gymnastics
Garrett Braunton capped an impressive sophomore season with All-America honors on the high bar following a third-place performance at the NCAA Championships – a placement that matched the second-highest NCAA finish in program history. Braunton, a participant at the prestigious Winter Cup Challenge, claimed the all-around title at the USAG Collegiate Nationals – a finish that guaranteed him a spot at the U.S. National Championships this summer. A two-time USAG All-American (still rings, all-around), Braunton earned the program's first MPSF Gymnast of the Week award since 2019 and accounted for team-leading scores on the pommel horse, still rings and high bar.

Women's Gymnastics
Genevieve Sabado was a conference-high four-time recipient of the MPSF Freshman of the Week award in 2022, leading to her selection as the conference Freshman of the Year. Sabado becomes the first Falcon to receive the honor, and the first Air Force gymnast to receive a postseason award in over a decade. She competed in all 12 regular season meets, as her 466.25 all-around points led all Air Force gymnasts while her 116.875 points on the balance beam and 117.4 points on the floor exercise were also the most on the team. Following the completion of the USAG Collegiate Nationals, Sabado was named a First Team All-American in the all-around, and a Second Team All-American on the bars and beam.

Diving
Alex Kenyon led the diving squad with a season-high scores in the 3M dive (378.60) and 1M dive (332.18), winning a WAC Championship in the 3M dive and a third-place league finish in the 1M dive (327.20). He was the only male diver to qualify for the NCAA Zone E Qualifiers where he finished 43^rd in a field of 97 divers.

Rifle
Freshman Scott Rockett, the NCAA champion in air rifle, earned All-America honors in all three disciplines. He was first team in air rifle, second team in aggregate and third team in smallbore. At the NCAA Championships, he was fifth in aggregate (1185) and 10^th in smallbore (587). Rockett shot 599 in air rifle several times throughout the season. He also shot career highs of 591 in smallbore and 1190 in aggregate at the NCAA qualifier, Feb. 19. Rockett's air rifle average of 597.857 was the best in the nation. Rockett's aggregate season average of 1183.00 was sixth in the nation.

Hockey
Goaltender Alex Schilling was the lone senior on the team. A three-year starter, Schilling was the team MVP as a sophomore and senior and played in 75 career games with more than 1500 career saves. This season as team captain, he led the Falcons to wins over Michigan State and Colorado College and had a career high 42 saves against third-ranked Denver. Air Force was picked to finish ninth in the preseason coaches' poll and Schilling led a young team to a sweep of Army in the playoffs and a berth in the conference championship game.

Boxing
Junior Walker Morris claimed the 185-pound national title at the National Collegiate Boxing Association (NCBA) Championships, while also earning the Most Outstanding Boxer of the championships, for the upper weight division. Morris, a Wing Open champion at 195 pounds, also accounted for the NCBA West Region title in the 185-pound weight division. The Outstanding Boxer of the first-ever Commanders Classic, Morris finished the season with a 7-0 record, including a perfect 5-0 mark against his service academy rivals from Navy and Army West Point.

Golf
Junior Isaac Layne was the top Falcon in four tournaments this season. His 69 in the second round of the Herb Wimberly Invitational at New Mexico State tied as the best round by a Falcon this season. He placed 14^th at the Wimberly, his highest of the season, as he shot 218 (+5) in Las Cruces, N.M. His 77.27 season stroke average was second on the team while playing in 30 of the 33 rounds this season.

Women's Tennis
Senior Vivian Glozman is team MVP for women's tennis. Glozman earned All-MW in singles and doubles. In duals competition, Glozman was a perfect 19-0 at No. 1 singles and 24-1 at doubles. Glozman became the first in program history to go undefeated in No. 1 singles (7-0) and No. 1 doubles (10-0) in conference play in program history. Glozman went 25-2 overall in singles and 30-4 in doubles for a 55-6 combined record. Glozman cracked the Air Force Top 10 in five single season categories: overall doubles wins (7^th), overall combined wins (7^th), dual singles wins (7^th), dual doubles wins (3^rd), dual combined wins (4^th).

Men's Tennis
Senior and team captain Robert Baylon is the team MVP for Air Force men's tennis. Baylon had a banner senior season, earning All-MW singles and doubles honors. Baylon, who played at No. 1 singles and doubles led Air Force with a 21-12 duals record and 23-12 mark in doubles for a 43-24 combined record. Baylon and doubles partner Jordan Azuma went a perfect 5-0 in MW doubles matches and ran their unbeaten streak in MW matches to two consecutive seasons.

Cheer/Dance
Senior Trey Shuford served as both a cheerleader and helped coach this season. A four-year letterwinner, he served as the cadet squadron 35 squadron commander in 2022. He has been a valued mentor and role model for the team throughout his career.

Lacrosse
Junior Brandon Dodd led the Falcons in goals (46), assists (24), and points (70), leading the ASUN in goals and points and concluding the regular season with the third-best points per game average in the NCAA. His 70 points on the season is a new program record for single-season points while his 46 goals rank him second in the record book for single-season goals. He had nine hat tricks on the season and put up a career-best seven goal performance in league play. At the conclusion of the regular season, Dodd was named to the ASUN All-Conference First Team.

MEN'S TRACK AND FIELD MVP
Junior All-American Sam Gilman, the 2022 Mountain West Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year, is in the midst of a stellar junior campaign, claiming two Mountain West titles, two all-conference accolades, four Academy Records, and one Mountain West Record since the start of the school year. The only Mountain West athlete to qualify to the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships on the men's side, Gilman captured All-America honors in the 5000-meter run at the national meet to cap an indoor campaign that began with an Academy and Conference Record performance in that event at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Opener. Just two weeks removed from an All-American outing at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, Gilman opened the indoor season with a 13:25.17 finish in the 5000-meter run, placing seventh out of 133 runners, crushing the Academy's 11-year-old record by more than 16 seconds, resetting the Mountain West's two-year-old standard by more nearly 15 seconds, and posting a time that remained among the nation's Top 12 all season. His success on the track was not limited to the 5000-meter event, as Gilman accounted for Academy Records in every indoor distance he raced this season, including the mile (3:57.52a) and 3000-meter run (7:47.93), before anchoring the distance medley relay to a program-best mark of 9:31.62a and a winning finish at the Mountain West Indoor Championships. Gilman, the MW champion in the mile, also accounted for first-place finishes at the Air Force Invitational, where his mile time set a new Cadet Field House Facility Record, and at the Iowa State Classic, where his record-setting 3000-meter performance bettered an elite field of 52 by more than a second. Gilman, gearing up for the MW Outdoor Championships, has competed twice this outdoor season, winning the 1500-meter run against an all-Power 5 field at the Jim Click Shootout and taking down an elite field of predominately professional runners in the 5000-meter run at the Mt. SAC Relays with a conference-leading time of 13:33.26.

WOMEN'S TRACK AND FIELD MVP
Senior Michelle Roca, who set the Academy Record in the 400-meter hurdles with a 60.01 performance as a junior, is having another stellar season on the track this year. She has reset the program's Senior Class Record in that event three times (currently at 60.34), while posting the Academy's third-fastest 400-meter dash (55.17) and fifth-fastest 200-meter dash (25.13) during the indoor season. She also raced on the sprint medley relay that crushed the program standard at the Drake Relays (3:56.82), anchored the 4x400-meter relay that clocked the second-fastest indoor time (3:44.52), led off the 4x400-meter relay that posted the fourth-fastest outdoor time (3:44.33) and ran the sprint leg of the distance medley relay that accounted for the sixth-fastest time in program history (11:48.86a) during an all-conference performance at the Mountain West Indoor Championships.

MEN'S TRACK AND FIELD OUTSTANDING COMPETITOR
Senior Wyatt Murphy has already accounted for two all-conference accolades this season, following top-three finishes in the heptathlon (second) and 60-meter dash (third) at the Mountain West Indoor Championships. Murphy, who registered the second-highest heptathlon total in program history (5442) during the indoor season, has accounted for two Air Force Decathlon Event Records so far this outdoor season (400-meter dash, 48.24; 110-meter hurdles, 14.80). He heads into the MW Outdoor Championships ranked second in the conference.

WOMEN'S TRACK AND FIELD OUTSTANDING COMPETITOR
Senior Ari Martinez capped the regular season with the second-best outdoor high jump clearance in Air Force history on May 6, as she improved her personal height by two bars to win the Air Force Twilight Open with a mark of 5'10" – a clearance that currently leads the Mountain West and is tied for 14th in the NCAA. Martinez, who cleared a season-best indoor height of 5'7¾" to tie for fourth at the MW Indoor Championship, has placed within the top four in 10 of 13 high jump competitions this season (four of six indoors, six of seven outdoors).

Baseball
After being named the Mountain West Freshman of the Year a season ago, sophomore Paul Skenes has made good on his lofty expectations. A two-way player, Skenes currently owns a 2.92 ERA on the mound, the second-lowest mark in the Mountain West. His 67 strikeouts are also the third-most in the conference. In the batter's box, Skenes' .936 OPS is 5^th among Falcon hitters. A recipient of two Mountain West weekly awards as both a hitter and pitcher thus far in 2022, Skenes continues to be one of the most potent two-way players in the country.

Air Force athletics recognizes Top 6 Award winners, MVPs

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