Friday, October 4
Claremont, CA - Haldeman Pool
1:20 pm MT
Air Force Academy
vs
#6 UC Irvine
Photo by: Gary DeVore, Cadet Wing Media
#20 Air Force Water Polo Travels To Troyer Tournament and UCSD
10/3/2024 9:27:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
This Week: #20 Air Force men's water heads to the Gary Troyer Tournament this weekend, Oct. 4-5, in addition to a Sunday game at #13 UC San Diego.
Troyer Invite Schedule for Air Force
Friday, Oct. 4 - #6 UC Irvine @ Haldeman Pool/Claremont - 12:20 pm PT
Friday, Oct. 4 - Claremont-Mudd-Scripps @ Axelrood Pool/Claremont - 7:00 pm PT
Saturday, Oct. 5 - vs. La Verne @ La Verne Aquatic Center/La Verne - 9 am PT
Saturday, Oct. 5 - vs. Mount St. Mary's @ La Verne Aquatic Center/La Verne - 1 pm PT
Livestats: Fosh for all four games.
Video Stream: Flo Swimming (fee required) for CMS, La Verne and Mount St. Mary's games (none for UCI game).
#13 UCSD Game
Sunday, Oct. 6 - Canyonview Aquatic Center/La Jolla - 12 pm PT
Watch: ESPN+
Livestats: Fosh
Series History vs. Opponents
vs. UC Irvine - Air Force trails 1-18. Last meeting, 14-7 loss on 10/23/22
vs. CMS - Air Force leads 39-8. Last meeting, a 10-8 loss on 9/22/23 at Titan Invite
vs. La Verne - Air Force leads 20-1. Last meeting, 20-13 win on 9/18/22 at Rare Air Challenge
vs. Mount St. Mary's - Air Force leads 1-0. Last meeting, a 20-8 win on 9/30/23 at Troyer Tournament
vs. UCSD - Air Force trails 17-73. Last meeting, 12-7 loss on 10/21/22 in a WWPA game.
Recapping Last Week: Air Force went 1-2 last weekend. The Falcons lost 20-6 at #9 Long Beach State on Friday. On Saturday, the Falcons lost 21-10 at #1 UCLA and then won at Chapman 14-9.
NCAA Rankings (As of 10/02/24)
Goals - Tom Leggett - 1st/72
Points - Tom Leggett - 1st/91
Points - Jack Richards - 8th/53
Points - Jacob Yi - 8th/53
Assists - Jacob Yi - 1st/36
Sprint Wins - Jacob Yi - 7th/13
Steals - Jacob Yi - 1st/34
Steals - Luca Smith - 2nd/27
Saves - Luca Smith - 1st/132
Recapping 2023: Air Force went 17-16 last year and 1-5 in the first year as member of the West Coast Conference. Freshman Tom Leggett led the team with 114 goals and 143 points.
Who's Back: Air Force returns 15 letterwinners, including 9 of its 10 top scorers from 2023. The Falcons return UT Tom Leggett, who led the WCC and ranked second in the nation with 114 goals as a freshman. He also ranked fourth in the nation with 143 points. Sophomore Jack Richards was second on the team with 59 goals last season. Junior Luca Smith started 17 games in goal for the Falcons last season, recording 125 saves.
Who's Gone: Air Force lost four seniors to graduation. Ian Christie was the second-leading scorer for the Falcons with 92 points and a team-leading 59 assists. He graduates as Air Force's all-time assists leader with 214. The Falcons also graduated Sam De La Cruz, Cole Kopperud and Joey Schell.
Who's New: Air Force welcomes 10 freshmen from the class of 2028. The freshmen come from four different states, with six from California and two from Washington.
Aiden Blatt - AT - Bellevue, WA/Newport HS
Gavin Carter - AT - Broomfield, CA/Stargate Charter HS
Brady Kopperud - UT - Rancho Cucamonga, CA/Damien HS
Gavin Honken - C - Elmhurst, IL/York Community
Luke Logan - C - Seattle, WA/Kennedy Catholic HS
Alexander Lyukmanov - AT - Santa Monica, CA/Redondo Beach HS
Dante Nocetti - AT - Sacramento, CA/Jesuit
Jay Pyle - GK - Huntington Beach, CA/Huntington Beach HS
Owen Steckmest - AT - San Jose, CA/Valley Christian HS
Benny Swanson - C - Detroit, MI/Walled Lake Central HS
2024 Honors:
So. UT Tom Leggett
- 2024 WCC Preseason All-Conference Team
- Air Force Athletics Athlete of the Week (Sept. 9)
- WCC Player of the Week (Sept. 24)
Air Force Record Book Watch:
Most goals in a season:
1. Grant Snyder, 2022 - 123
2. Ben Phillips, 1972 - 120
3. Tom Leggett, 2023 - 114
4. Grant Snyder, 2021 - 87
5. Bobby Geiger, 2009 - 77
6. Ben Phillips, 1971 - 74
7. Ben Phillips, 1973 - 73
8. Bill Monroe, 1974 - 73
9. Tom Leggett, 2024 - 72
Most points in a season:
1. Grant Snyder, 2022 - 181
2. Ian Christie, 2022 - 170
3. Ben Phillips, 1972 - 145
4. Tom Leggett, 2023 - 143
5. David Chaney, 1991 - 121
6. Scott Butler, 2003 - 117
7. Grant Snyder, 2021 - 111
8. Ben Phillips, 1974 - 109
9. David Chaney, 1990 - 106
10. Riley Thomas, 2016 - 104
Tom Leggett, 2024 - 91
Most goals career:
1. Ben Phillips (1971-74) - 339
2. Grant Snyder (2019-22) - 283
3. Brian Pendergast (1993-96) 234
4. Bobby Geiger (2007-10) 214
5. Daney Chaney (1988-91) 211
6. Tom Leggett (2023-24) - 186
Up next: Air Force is off from competition next weekend. The Falcons return to action hosting Pepperdine on Oct. 20 in its WCC opener.
Miscellanous Team Notes:
Air Force is in its 54th season of men's water polo ... The Falcons are in their second season at members of the West Coast Conference ... The Falcons were previously members of the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) from 1987-2022 ... sophomore UT Tom Leggett ranked second in the nation in goals (114) and fourth in points (143) as a freshman, earning ACWPC All-American Honorable Mention honors ... Leggett led the WCC in goals and points in 2023 ... freshman Brady Kopperud is the second member of his family to play Air Force water polo. His brother, Cole, was a four-year letterwinner and 2024 USAFA graduate.
Troyer Invite Schedule for Air Force
Friday, Oct. 4 - #6 UC Irvine @ Haldeman Pool/Claremont - 12:20 pm PT
Friday, Oct. 4 - Claremont-Mudd-Scripps @ Axelrood Pool/Claremont - 7:00 pm PT
Saturday, Oct. 5 - vs. La Verne @ La Verne Aquatic Center/La Verne - 9 am PT
Saturday, Oct. 5 - vs. Mount St. Mary's @ La Verne Aquatic Center/La Verne - 1 pm PT
Livestats: Fosh for all four games.
Video Stream: Flo Swimming (fee required) for CMS, La Verne and Mount St. Mary's games (none for UCI game).
#13 UCSD Game
Sunday, Oct. 6 - Canyonview Aquatic Center/La Jolla - 12 pm PT
Watch: ESPN+
Livestats: Fosh
Series History vs. Opponents
vs. UC Irvine - Air Force trails 1-18. Last meeting, 14-7 loss on 10/23/22
vs. CMS - Air Force leads 39-8. Last meeting, a 10-8 loss on 9/22/23 at Titan Invite
vs. La Verne - Air Force leads 20-1. Last meeting, 20-13 win on 9/18/22 at Rare Air Challenge
vs. Mount St. Mary's - Air Force leads 1-0. Last meeting, a 20-8 win on 9/30/23 at Troyer Tournament
vs. UCSD - Air Force trails 17-73. Last meeting, 12-7 loss on 10/21/22 in a WWPA game.
Recapping Last Week: Air Force went 1-2 last weekend. The Falcons lost 20-6 at #9 Long Beach State on Friday. On Saturday, the Falcons lost 21-10 at #1 UCLA and then won at Chapman 14-9.
NCAA Rankings (As of 10/02/24)
Goals - Tom Leggett - 1st/72
Points - Tom Leggett - 1st/91
Points - Jack Richards - 8th/53
Points - Jacob Yi - 8th/53
Assists - Jacob Yi - 1st/36
Sprint Wins - Jacob Yi - 7th/13
Steals - Jacob Yi - 1st/34
Steals - Luca Smith - 2nd/27
Saves - Luca Smith - 1st/132
Recapping 2023: Air Force went 17-16 last year and 1-5 in the first year as member of the West Coast Conference. Freshman Tom Leggett led the team with 114 goals and 143 points.
Who's Back: Air Force returns 15 letterwinners, including 9 of its 10 top scorers from 2023. The Falcons return UT Tom Leggett, who led the WCC and ranked second in the nation with 114 goals as a freshman. He also ranked fourth in the nation with 143 points. Sophomore Jack Richards was second on the team with 59 goals last season. Junior Luca Smith started 17 games in goal for the Falcons last season, recording 125 saves.
Who's Gone: Air Force lost four seniors to graduation. Ian Christie was the second-leading scorer for the Falcons with 92 points and a team-leading 59 assists. He graduates as Air Force's all-time assists leader with 214. The Falcons also graduated Sam De La Cruz, Cole Kopperud and Joey Schell.
Who's New: Air Force welcomes 10 freshmen from the class of 2028. The freshmen come from four different states, with six from California and two from Washington.
Aiden Blatt - AT - Bellevue, WA/Newport HS
Gavin Carter - AT - Broomfield, CA/Stargate Charter HS
Brady Kopperud - UT - Rancho Cucamonga, CA/Damien HS
Gavin Honken - C - Elmhurst, IL/York Community
Luke Logan - C - Seattle, WA/Kennedy Catholic HS
Alexander Lyukmanov - AT - Santa Monica, CA/Redondo Beach HS
Dante Nocetti - AT - Sacramento, CA/Jesuit
Jay Pyle - GK - Huntington Beach, CA/Huntington Beach HS
Owen Steckmest - AT - San Jose, CA/Valley Christian HS
Benny Swanson - C - Detroit, MI/Walled Lake Central HS
2024 Honors:
So. UT Tom Leggett
- 2024 WCC Preseason All-Conference Team
- Air Force Athletics Athlete of the Week (Sept. 9)
- WCC Player of the Week (Sept. 24)
Air Force Record Book Watch:
Most goals in a season:
1. Grant Snyder, 2022 - 123
2. Ben Phillips, 1972 - 120
3. Tom Leggett, 2023 - 114
4. Grant Snyder, 2021 - 87
5. Bobby Geiger, 2009 - 77
6. Ben Phillips, 1971 - 74
7. Ben Phillips, 1973 - 73
8. Bill Monroe, 1974 - 73
9. Tom Leggett, 2024 - 72
Most points in a season:
1. Grant Snyder, 2022 - 181
2. Ian Christie, 2022 - 170
3. Ben Phillips, 1972 - 145
4. Tom Leggett, 2023 - 143
5. David Chaney, 1991 - 121
6. Scott Butler, 2003 - 117
7. Grant Snyder, 2021 - 111
8. Ben Phillips, 1974 - 109
9. David Chaney, 1990 - 106
10. Riley Thomas, 2016 - 104
Tom Leggett, 2024 - 91
Most goals career:
1. Ben Phillips (1971-74) - 339
2. Grant Snyder (2019-22) - 283
3. Brian Pendergast (1993-96) 234
4. Bobby Geiger (2007-10) 214
5. Daney Chaney (1988-91) 211
6. Tom Leggett (2023-24) - 186
Up next: Air Force is off from competition next weekend. The Falcons return to action hosting Pepperdine on Oct. 20 in its WCC opener.
Miscellanous Team Notes:
Air Force is in its 54th season of men's water polo ... The Falcons are in their second season at members of the West Coast Conference ... The Falcons were previously members of the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) from 1987-2022 ... sophomore UT Tom Leggett ranked second in the nation in goals (114) and fourth in points (143) as a freshman, earning ACWPC All-American Honorable Mention honors ... Leggett led the WCC in goals and points in 2023 ... freshman Brady Kopperud is the second member of his family to play Air Force water polo. His brother, Cole, was a four-year letterwinner and 2024 USAFA graduate.
Players Mentioned
AT
/ Men's Water Polo
AT
/ Men's Water Polo
AT
/ Men's Water Polo
C/D
/ Men's Water Polo
C
/ Men's Water Polo
UT
/ Men's Water Polo
UT
/ Men's Water Polo
UT
/ Men's Water Polo
C
/ Men's Water Polo
AT
/ Men's Water Polo
AT
/ Men's Water Polo
AT
/ Men's Water Polo
AT
/ Men's Water Polo
G
/ Men's Water Polo
AT
/ Men's Water Polo
C
/ Men's Water Polo
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