Air Force Hosts Navy And Rare Air Challenge

This Week: Air Force (7-3 overall, 0-0 WWPA) has a busy week, beginning with a battle for the Vase Thursday hosting service academy rival Navy on Sept. 15 at 5:30 pm MT. The Falcons then play six games as the host of the seven-team Rare Air Challenge Friday-Sunday, Sept. 16-18, at the Cadet Natatorium.

Stats/Video Stream for Navy Game:
Livestats: Fosh.net
Video Stream: https://www.youtube.com/c/AirForceFalcons

Rare Air Challenge Schedule Schedule (Home team wears dark caps and listed second)
Live stats available for every match via fosh.net
Free video stream for all Air Force games only.

Friday, Sept. 16
12:30 pm - Iona vs. Air Force
6 pm - St. Francis College vs. Air Force
7:30 pm - Westcliff vs. Iona

Saturday, Sept. 17
9 am - Redlands vs. St. Francis College
10:30 am - Chapman vs. Iona
Noon - Redlands vs. Air Force
1:30 pm - La Verne vs. Westcliff
3 pm - Chapman vs. St. Francis College
4:30 pm - La Verne vs. Iona
6 pm - Westcliff vs. Air Force

Sunday, Sept. 18
8 am - Westcliff vs. St. Francis Brooklyn
9:15 am - La Verne vs. Air Force
10:30 am - Redlands vs. Iona
11 am - Westcliff vs. Chapman (Water Polo Pool - no livestats)
1 pm - La Verne vs. St. Francis College
2:15 pm - Westcliff vs. Redlands
3:30 pm - Chapman vs. Air Force

The Navy Series: Air Force will be playing Navy for The Vase on Thursday. The teams are meeting for the 35th time with Navy holding a 23-11 lead in the series. Air Force won 11-7 at Navy last season, earning The Vase for the fourth time in seven years.

Series History vs. Rare Air Challenge Opponents
vs. Iona - Air Force leads 11-2. Last meeting, 22-9 win on 10/24/21.
vs. St. Francis College - Air Force trails 3-8. Last meeting, 15-13 loss on 9/3/22.
vs. Redlands - Air Force leads 31-11. Last meeting, 10-9 win on 9/10/22
vs. Westcliff - Air Force meets Westcliff for first time.
vs. La Verne - Air Force leads 19-1. Last meeting, Air Force 24-9 win on 9/8/19
vs. Chapman - Air Force leads 22-1. Last meeting, Air Force 14-8 win on 9/11/21

Recapping Inland Empire Classic: Air Force went 3-1 at the Inland Empire Classic last weekend. The Falcons went 2-0 on Saturday in Redlands, defeating Occidental 14-13 and Redlands 10-9. On Sunday, the Falcons split their games in Claremont, downing Pomona-Pitzer 15-10 and fell to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 11-10. Grant Snyder led the Falcons with 16 goals on the weekend. Goalkeeper AJ Kuypers recorded 51 saves and a .543 saves percentage. Kuypers had a season-high 18 saves against Occidental.

National Leaders: Air Force boasts the NCAA's top scorer, assists leader and saves leader (based off 9/12/22 results on theFosh.net).

Goals   Grant Snyder - 44
Assists   Ian Christie - 28
Points    Grant Snyder - 60
Saves   A.J. Kuypers - 96
Savers Per Game - A.J. Kuypers - 12.0

Who's Back: Air Force returns two of its top three scorers from the 2021 season. Senior Grant Snyder led the team in scoring with 87 goals 111 points in 26 games last season. Junior Ian Christie was third on the team with 29 goals and 78 points. AJ Kuypers is Air Force's top returner in goal with 17 starts last season. Kuypers posted a 9-9 record in goal with a .456 saves percentage, to go with 152 saves.

Back-to-Back All-American Grant Snyder: 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. As a junior, Snyder earned first-team all-Western Water Polo Association 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. Snyder ranked second in the WWPA and fourth in the nation with 58 sprint victories and was third in the WWPA and tied for ninth in the nation with 45 steals. His 87 goals in 2021 are the second most in school history and the most since 1972. Snyder's 111 points are the fourth most in school history.

Final season in WWPA: Air Force plays its final season as members of the Western Water Polo Association in 2022. The Falcons will join West Coast Conference for the 2023 season as part of a newly added sport to the WCC. Air Force will be an affiliate member of the WCC and will join WCC member institutions – Loyola Marymount, Pacific, Pepperdine and Santa Clara, along with fellow affiliate members California Baptist and San Jose State.

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Players Mentioned

Ian Christie

A.J. Kuypers

Grant Snyder

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