Friday, November 1
USAFA, CO - Cadet Natatorium
2:00 pm MT
Air Force Academy
vs
#15 Cal Baptist
Photo by Sophie Kent
Air Force Hosts #15 Cal Baptist and #6 Pacific
10/31/2024 9:28:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
This Week: Air Force hosts a pair of West Coast Conference men's water polo matches this weekend at the Cadet Natatorium. The Falcons host #15 Cal Baptist on Friday, Nov. 1 at 2 pm MT and #6 Pacific on Sunday, Nov. 3 at noon.
Watch: ESPN+ for both games (CBU game link) (UOP game link)
Livestats: Fosh for both games (CBU game link) (UOP game link)
Notable for CBU game: Air Force to honor its senior class as part of senior day.
Series History vs. Opponents
vs. CBU - Air Force leads 25-19. Last meeting, 15-14 loss on 11/5/2023
vs. Pacific - Air Force trails 7-32. Last meeting, a 14-12 loss on 11/3/23
Air Force head coach Ryan Brown-Pacific ties: Air Force head coach Ryan Brown is a 2000 graduate of Pacific. He was a two-year starter at goalkeeper for the Tigers. Brown was also the Pacific women's water polo head coach for four seasons (2002-05), leading the team to its most wins as a program in 2005.
Recapping Last Week: Air Force dropped a road game at #3 Stanford and went 1-2 at the Julian Fraser Memorial Tournament on Saturday and Sunday. The Falcons defeated Fresno Pacific, and dropped matches to Pomona-Pitzer and #5 Fordham. Sophomore Tom Leggett led the Falcons with 29 points on the weekend, tallying 22 goals and seven assists. He scored nine points against all three opponents at Fraser Memorial.
NCAA Rankings (As of 10/30/24)
Goals - Tom Leggett - 1st/114
Points - Tom Leggett - 1st/157
Assists - Jacob Yi - 2nd/57
Sprint Wins - Jacob Yi - 5th/23
Steals - Jacob Yi - 1st/51
Saves - Luca Smith - 2nd/199
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)
- Air Force Athletics Athlete of the Week (Oct. 28)
- WCC Player of the Week (Sept. 24)
- WCC Player of the Week (Oct. 8)
Air Force Record Book Watch:
Most goals in a season:
1. Grant Snyder, 2022 - 123
2. Tom Leggett, 2024 - 121
3. Ben Phillips, 1972 - 120
4. Tom Leggett, 2023 - 114
Most points in a season:
1. Grant Snyder, 2022 - 181
2. Ian Christie, 2022 - 170
3. Tom Leggett, 2024 - 157
4. Ben Phillips, 1972 - 145
5. Tom Leggett, 2023 - 143
Most assists in a season:
1. Ian Christie, 2022 - 99
2. Rob Mattivi,1985 - 85
3. Ian Christie, 2023 - 59
4. Grand Snyder, 2022 - 58
5. Jacob Yi, 2024 - 57
Most goals career:
1. Ben Phillips (1971-74) - 339
2. Grant Snyder (2019-22) - 283
3. Tom Leggett (2023-24) - 235
Most assists career:
1. Ian Christie (2020-23) - 214
2. David Chaney (1988-91) - 136
3. Jacob Yi (2021-24) - 132
Up next: Air Force hosts its final home game of the season on Thursday, Nov. 7 against Loyola Marymount. The game begins at 6 pm MT.
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.
Watch: ESPN+ for both games (CBU game link) (UOP game link)
Livestats: Fosh for both games (CBU game link) (UOP game link)
Notable for CBU game: Air Force to honor its senior class as part of senior day.
Series History vs. Opponents
vs. CBU - Air Force leads 25-19. Last meeting, 15-14 loss on 11/5/2023
vs. Pacific - Air Force trails 7-32. Last meeting, a 14-12 loss on 11/3/23
Air Force head coach Ryan Brown-Pacific ties: Air Force head coach Ryan Brown is a 2000 graduate of Pacific. He was a two-year starter at goalkeeper for the Tigers. Brown was also the Pacific women's water polo head coach for four seasons (2002-05), leading the team to its most wins as a program in 2005.
Recapping Last Week: Air Force dropped a road game at #3 Stanford and went 1-2 at the Julian Fraser Memorial Tournament on Saturday and Sunday. The Falcons defeated Fresno Pacific, and dropped matches to Pomona-Pitzer and #5 Fordham. Sophomore Tom Leggett led the Falcons with 29 points on the weekend, tallying 22 goals and seven assists. He scored nine points against all three opponents at Fraser Memorial.
NCAA Rankings (As of 10/30/24)
Goals - Tom Leggett - 1st/114
Points - Tom Leggett - 1st/157
Assists - Jacob Yi - 2nd/57
Sprint Wins - Jacob Yi - 5th/23
Steals - Jacob Yi - 1st/51
Saves - Luca Smith - 2nd/199
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)
- Air Force Athletics Athlete of the Week (Oct. 28)
- WCC Player of the Week (Sept. 24)
- WCC Player of the Week (Oct. 8)
Air Force Record Book Watch:
Most goals in a season:
1. Grant Snyder, 2022 - 123
2. Tom Leggett, 2024 - 121
3. Ben Phillips, 1972 - 120
4. Tom Leggett, 2023 - 114
Most points in a season:
1. Grant Snyder, 2022 - 181
2. Ian Christie, 2022 - 170
3. Tom Leggett, 2024 - 157
4. Ben Phillips, 1972 - 145
5. Tom Leggett, 2023 - 143
Most assists in a season:
1. Ian Christie, 2022 - 99
2. Rob Mattivi,1985 - 85
3. Ian Christie, 2023 - 59
4. Grand Snyder, 2022 - 58
5. Jacob Yi, 2024 - 57
Most goals career:
1. Ben Phillips (1971-74) - 339
2. Grant Snyder (2019-22) - 283
3. Tom Leggett (2023-24) - 235
Most assists career:
1. Ian Christie (2020-23) - 214
2. David Chaney (1988-91) - 136
3. Jacob Yi (2021-24) - 132
Up next: Air Force hosts its final home game of the season on Thursday, Nov. 7 against Loyola Marymount. The game begins at 6 pm MT.
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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