Thursday, November 7
USAFA, CO - Cadet Natatorium
6:00 pm MT
Air Force Academy
vs
#18 LMU
Photo by: Justin Pacheco
Air Force Hosts #18 LMU In Home Finale
11/6/2024 12:03:00 PM | Men's Water Polo
This Week: Air Force men's water polo has its final home game Thursday, hosting #18 Loyola Marymount on Thursday, Nov. 7 at the Cadet Natatorium. The game tips at 6 pm MT. Live video and stats will be available for the game.
Watch: ESPN+
Livestats: Fosh
Series History
vs. LMU - Air Force trails 29-41. Last meeting, a 15-11 loss to get eliminated from WCC tournament on Nov. 17, 2023.
Recapping Last Week: Air Force dropped a pair of WCC home games last week. The Falcons fell to #15 Cal Baptist, 21-13 and #6 Pacific 22-12 last week.
NCAA Rankings (As of 11/6/24)
Goals - Tom Leggett - 1st/134
Points - Tom Leggett - 1st/171
Assists - Jacob Yi - 2nd/60
Sprint Wins - Jacob Yi - 5th/25
Steals - Jacob Yi - 1st/51
Saves - Luca Smith - 2nd/206
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. Tom Leggett, 2024 - 134
2. Grant Snyder, 2022 - 123
3. Ben Phillips, 1972 - 120
4. Tom Leggett, 2023 - 114
Most points in a season:
1. Grant Snyder, 2022 - 181
2. Tom Leggett, 2024 - 171
3. Ian Christie, 2022 - 170
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. Jacob Yi, 2024 - 60
Most goals career:
1. Ben Phillips (1971-74) - 339
2. Grant Snyder (2019-22) - 283
3. Tom Leggett (2023-24) - 248
Most assists career:
1. Ian Christie (2020-23) - 214
2. David Chaney (1988-91) - 136
3. Jacob Yi (2021-24) - 135
Up next: Air Force wraps up the regular season with a pair of WCC road games next weekend. The Falcons travel to Santa Clara on Nov. 15 and San Jose State on Nov. 17.
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+
Livestats: Fosh
Series History
vs. LMU - Air Force trails 29-41. Last meeting, a 15-11 loss to get eliminated from WCC tournament on Nov. 17, 2023.
Recapping Last Week: Air Force dropped a pair of WCC home games last week. The Falcons fell to #15 Cal Baptist, 21-13 and #6 Pacific 22-12 last week.
NCAA Rankings (As of 11/6/24)
Goals - Tom Leggett - 1st/134
Points - Tom Leggett - 1st/171
Assists - Jacob Yi - 2nd/60
Sprint Wins - Jacob Yi - 5th/25
Steals - Jacob Yi - 1st/51
Saves - Luca Smith - 2nd/206
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. Tom Leggett, 2024 - 134
2. Grant Snyder, 2022 - 123
3. Ben Phillips, 1972 - 120
4. Tom Leggett, 2023 - 114
Most points in a season:
1. Grant Snyder, 2022 - 181
2. Tom Leggett, 2024 - 171
3. Ian Christie, 2022 - 170
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. Jacob Yi, 2024 - 60
Most goals career:
1. Ben Phillips (1971-74) - 339
2. Grant Snyder (2019-22) - 283
3. Tom Leggett (2023-24) - 248
Most assists career:
1. Ian Christie (2020-23) - 214
2. David Chaney (1988-91) - 136
3. Jacob Yi (2021-24) - 135
Up next: Air Force wraps up the regular season with a pair of WCC road games next weekend. The Falcons travel to Santa Clara on Nov. 15 and San Jose State on Nov. 17.
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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