Air Force recognizes Top 6 Award winners, MVPs

Air Force athletics recognized several cadet-athletes for their accomplishments during the 2023-24 season today during the Graduation Awards Ceremony in Clune Arena. Graduate Trey Taylor of football and senior Peninah D'Souza of rifle earned male and female most valuable player honors. Senior baseball standout Sam Kulasingam earned the athletic leadership award while senior women's soccer player Grace Sublette earned the scholar-athlete award winner. Senior wrestler Wyatt Hendrickson earned the Athletic Excellence Award and junior gymnast Patrick Hoopes won the Outstanding Athletic Achievement award.

A complete rundown of the award winners recognized during the ceremony follows.

Top 6 Awards
Male Most Valuable Player
Senior football safety Trey Taylor won the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award as the nation's top defensive back this season, becoming only the second player to win one of college football's major awards, joining Chad Hennings, who won the 1987 Outland Trophy. Taylor also won the Defender of the Nation Award for his efforts on and off the field. He was a first-team All-American by AFCA, the first Falcon since 2010 to earn first-team honors, and a third-team All-America by Associated Press, the first Falcon to earn AP honors since 2016. Taylor was drafted in the seventh round of the National Football League Draft by the Las Vegas Raiders.

Female Most Valuable Player
Senior rifle standout Peninah D'Souza capped her career as a three-time first-team All-American in air rifle. She made it to the finals of the NCAA championships and finished eighth while helping Air Force finish fifth as a team. D'Souza finished sixth in air rifle at the Olympic tryouts where only two athletes make the team. In addition, she represented the Academy at the Cairo World Championships, finishing 33rd, at the Changwon Junior Worlds where she was 21st and at the Rio World Cup, finishing 30th.

Athletic Leadership
Senior baseball standout Sam Kulasingam is a multiple All-American over the last two seasons. He was named team most valuable player in 2023 while earning All-America honors by Collegiate Baseball and the American Baseball Coaches Association. Kulasingam is a two-time winner of the Tony Gwynn Mountain West Player of the Year award, one of three in conference history. He is active in the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee at the Academy and is a regular on the dean's list with a 3.7 grade point average.

Scholar-Athlete
Senior women's soccer player Grace Sublette has a 3.92 grade point average and ranks in the top three percent of her graduating class. She is an Omega Rho International Honor Society member and was a finalist for a Rhodes Scholarship. A team captain, she was also a Captains of Captains for Air Force this season, an honor voted on by other team captains at the Academy where she was responsible for representing athletics in cadet leadership meetings. Sublette is a four-time academic all-Mountain West selection and a four-time conference scholar-athlete.

Athletic Excellence
Air Force senior wrestler Wyatt Hendrickson is a two-time All-American and Big 12 heavyweight champion. He earned the NCAA's Most Dominant Wrester Award in 2023 and won the U23 World Championship. Hendrickson recorded third place finishes at the NCAA championships in 2023 and 2024. He is just the third multiple All-American in program history and has the most pins in Air Force history.

Outstanding Athletic Achievement
Junior men's gymnast Patrick Hoopes won the program's first national championship in 2024, taking the title in the pommel horse. Hoopes is just the 10th Air Force cadet to win a Division I individual national title in history. He also won the USA Gymnastics Winter Championships in the pommel horse to earn a spot on the national team. He finished sixth in the world at the Azerbaijan world championships.

Fall Sports
Football Most Valuable Offensive Player: Senior John Lee Eldridge III finished third on the team in rushing with 599 yards and was second in rushing touchdowns with six. Eldridge III averaged 7.1 yards per carry on the season to finish as the program's career leader in yards per carry with a 7.5 average. Eldridge finished his career ranked 40th in Air Force history with 1,386 yards.

Football Most Valuable Defensive Player: Senior Bo Richter was a first-team all-Mountain West selection. He led the Mountain West in tackles for loss with 19.5 for 116 yards and was third in sacks with 10.0 for 95 yards. Richter recorded five tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss for 33 yards and 3.0 sacks for 31 yards vs. James Madison in the Armed Forces Bowl. His 4.5 TFL set a program record for a bowl game while his 3.0 sacks tied a program record for a bowl game. He was named to the Associated Press All-Bowl team.

Football Most Valuable Player: Senior Trey Taylor won the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award as the nation's top defensive back this season, becoming only the second player to win one of college football's major awards, joining Chad Hennings, who won the 1987 Outland Trophy. Taylor also won the Defender of the Nation Award for his efforts on and off the field. He was a first-team All-American by AFCA, the first Falcon since 2010 to earn first-team honors, and a third-team All-America by Associated Press, the first Falcon to earn AP honors since 2016. Taylor was drafted in the seventh round of the National Football League Draft by the Las Vegas Raiders.

Football Most Valuable Lineman/Special Teams: Senior Thor Paglialong was a first-team all-Mountain West selection. He led the offensive line that helped Air Force finish second in the nation in rushing with a 281.5 average. Air Force led the conference and finished sixth in the nation in sacks against with an .85 average and fifth in time of possession with a 33:18 mark. The offensive line was on the Joe Moore Award midseason honor roll as one of the nation's top units.

Men's Cross Country: Senior Sean Maison, last year's conference champion, led the Falcons in two meets this season, while garnering first-team all-conference and all-region honors. Maison, whose 15th-place finish in the 238-runner Virginia Invitational vaulted the men to No. 8 in the national rankings, added a top-50 finish (49th) in the 280-runner Nuttycombe Invitational during the regular season, before finishing sixth at the Mountain West Championships, 23rd at the NCAA Mountain Regional, and 64th at the NCAA Championships.

Women's Cross Country: Junior Halle Hamilton had another strong campaign on the cross country course, claiming all-conference and all-region honors for the second-straight year, while earning an individual bid to the NCAA Championship meet for the second time in as many years. Hamilton, who finished third at the Mountain West Championships (the second-highest placement in Academy history) and 21st at the NCAA Mountain Regional, was a key member of the Falcons' scoring lineup in every competition.

Men's Soccer: Federico Mion was tabbed men's soccer MVP. A team captain who started in every appearance, Mion is lauded for his leadership not just on the midfield and soccer pitch, but off the field as well and in the classroom. Under Mion's leadership, Air Force earned the 2022 regular season WAC Championship title. In 2023, his unwavering leadership led Air Force through one of its toughest seasons to date.

Women's Soccer: Senior Grace Sublette served as team captain for the Falcons in her final campaign on the pitch, playing a vital role beyond her midfield duties. Sublette started each of the Falcons' 18 matches this fall, compiling a team-high 1512 minutes. Sublette scored her first-career goal on September 21, a penalty kick that led the Falcons to a 1-0 victory over Utah State. She ranked second out of all Mountain West players in pass completion rate, a critical role of a midfielder. Keeping her streak intact, Sublette was named a Mountain West Scholar Athlete and was selected to the conference's All-Academic Team for the fourth-consecutive season.
Water Polo: Freshman Tom Leggett had arguably the best freshman season ever for Air Force men's water polo. Leggett finished second in the nation in scoring with 114 goals and third with 143 points. Both totals led the West Coast Conference and are Air Force freshman records. Leggett earned ACWPC All-America Honorable Mention and All-West Coast Conference first-team honors.

Volleyball: Backed by a league-leading 61-assist performance against perennial power Colorado State, senior Caroline Reinkensmeyer was one of just three conference setters to average over 10 assists per set, as she finished the MW campaign with a team-leading 10.04 per-set mark. Reinkensmeyer, an honorable mention all-MW selection, who produced double-doubles (assists/digs) during seven MW matches, became a six-rotation threat for Air Force during league play and finished the MW season ranked first on the team in aces (0.33), second in digs (2.27), third in hitting (.252) and fourth in blocks (0.34).

Winter Sports
Rifle: Senior Morgan Kreb earned three All-America honors this season. She was named second team in smallbore, third team in aggregate and honorable mention in air rifle. Her aggregate season average of 1179.667 ranked 19^th in the nation. At the NCAA Championships, she placed 12^th in smallbore with a score of 585. She earned All-America selections every season and earned seven All-America honors in her career.

Hockey: Senior Will Gavin was named first-team all-Atlantic Hockey as he led the team in goals (19) and was second in points (36). His 19 goals led the AHA, were 19th in the nation and were the most by a Falcon since 2016-17. Gavin's 11 power-play goals led the AHA, were fourth in the nation and the most by a Falcon since 2010-11. He also recorded two hat tricks, the second most in the nation during the 2023-24 season.

Men's Basketball: Junior guard Ethan Taylor earned Air Force men's basketball MVP honors. Taylor led the Mountain West in three's per game (2.77) and minutes per game (36.9). His 36.9 minutes per game ranked 10^th in the nation. Taylor made 84 three-point baskets for the Falcons, which is the second-most in a season in program history. Taylor ranked third on the team in scoring, averaging 13.5 points per game. He was also named the Air Force Classic MVP after leading the Falcons to a 3-0 record and tournament title.

Women's Basketball: Sophomore Milahnie Perry recorded 535 career points in 2023-24 which marks the highest scoring single-season individual performance in Air Force Division I history and is third all time. Playing in a non-traditional point guard role in 2023-24, Perry led Air Force in assists (84), averaging 3.5 per game in conference play, the sixth-best figure in the Mountain West. In Mountain West play, Perry finished third in scoring average (18.22), seventh in field goal percentage (.418), sixth in assists (3.50), second in free throw percentage (.826), 10th in steals (1.44) and sixth in assist/turnover ratio (1.58). With 672 career points under her belt in two seasons, Perry is currently on pace to become Air Force's 19th all-time career 1,000-point scorer.

Wrestling: Wyatt Hendrickson was tabbed MVP for his third-straight season in 2024. One of United States Air Force Academy's most decorated wrestlers of all time, Hendrickson concluded his Air Force wrestling career a 2023 U23 men's freestyle world champion, a two-time NCAA All-American, a two-time Big 12 Champion, a four-time NCAA qualifier, a four-time Big 12 placer, and amassed a total of 104 career wins. Hendrickson is one of just five all-time Falcons to earn four-time NCAA qualifier status and the only Falcon to become a four-time Big 12 Championship placer. . A two-time team captain, Hendrickson was tabbed the NCAA's Most Dominant Wrestler in 2022 and 2023. He won the NCAA Most Pins Award for three seasons, 2022, 2023, and 2024.

Men's Gymnastics: Oliver Zavel is a three-time NCAA Championship finalist, Zavel boasts the Air Force Academy record on the floor exercise. He has helped Air Force compete at its highest levels in program history including the team's highest ever NCAA finish in 2023. Zavel claimed three All-MPSF honors in his senior campaign, and seven all-conference honors over the course of his career. Zavel helped the Falcons wrangle in a 2024 USA Gymnastics Collegiate Nationals team title and boasts two USAG Collegiate National Individual titles and seven USA Gymnastics All-America honors.

Women's Gymnastics: Air Force closed its 2024 season with a 195.450 finish at the first-ever Mountain West Championships, with freshman Maggie Slife earning all-around conference championship status. Slife, selected to represent the Academy at the 2024 NCAA Berkeley Regional, finished with a seventh place with a score of 38.525. Closing the season at the USAG Collegiate Nationals in West Chester, Pa., Air Force left its mark, finishing team finals in third with a 194.850. Slife was tabbed as USAG national champion in the all-around, marking back-to-back seasons Air Force has earned all-around national champ status.

Men's Fencing: Sophomore Jack Griffith was named Air Force men's fencing MVP. Griffith posted a 66-35 record in men's foil, leading the team in bout victories. He was the NCAA West Regional men's foil champion and the MPSF men's foil champion for the second-consecutive season, earning MPSF Men's Fencer of the Year and first-team all-MPSF men's foil. Griffith qualified for the NCAA Championships, where he finished ninth in men's foil to earn All-American Honorable Mention honors.

Women's Fencing: Senior Josie Ratzlaff was named Air Force women's fencing MVP, earning her third-consecutive team MVP honor. Ratzlaff posted a 67-34 record in women's epee. She qualified for the NCAA Championship for the fourth straight season, finishing 14^th with 11 bout victories. Ratzlaff placed third in women's epee at the NCAA West Regional and was the runner-up at the MPSF Championships. Ratzlaff earned All-MPSF first-team honors.

Men's Boxing: Senior Victor Benitez captured his third-straight national heavyweight title at the National Collegiate Boxing Association (NCBA) Championships on April 13, after forcing the referee to call his bout over a Navy contender in the second round. Named Outstanding Boxer of the NCBA championships, Benitez finished his career with three national titles, three NCBA All-America honors, three NCBA Regional titles and three Wing Open titles.

Women's Boxing: Following her first national title, senior Mack Lucas was named the Outstanding Boxer of the National Collegiate Boxing Association (NCBA) Championship. Winning the 147-point title over her counterpart from Army West Point, Lucas became the third national champion for the women's team, as she helped Air Force to a program-best runner-up finish in the team standings. For her career, Lucas was a two-time NCBA All-American, two-time regional champion, and three-time Wing Open champion.

Men's Swimming: Junior Tommy Nagle led by example for Air Force, as the junior earned two bronze finishes at the 2024 WAC Championships. Nagle initially placed third in the 100 breaststroke, compiling a time of 53.58 to notch podium placement in the swim. The time stands as the fourth-quickest in program history in the event. In the final day of competition, Nagle again swam to a third-overall finish in the 200 breaststroke, posting a 1:56.59. His work in the 200 breaststroke is the third-best time in school history. Nagle recently earned Olympic Trial qualification at the ST TXLA Longhorn Elite event, managing a time of 1:02.02 in the 100-meter breaststroke.
Women's Swimming: Junior Alex Clark was one of the Falcons' most consistent performers during the 2023-24 season and capped her final performance at the 2024 Mountain West Championships with aplomb. Clark not only contributed to Air Force's record-breaking 400 freestyle relay time of 3:21.69 at the conference championships, but she also set the new school record in the 200 butterfly as the result of her 1:59.85, breaking Maria Schroeder's record set in 2015. Clark's 1:48.90 in the 200 Freestyle now stands as the third-best time in school history as well. The junior's 55 points scored at the 2024 Mountain West Championships was a team high.
Men's Diving: Junior Alex Kenyon was Air Force's most prolific diver during the 2023-24 season. In a dual meet against Wyoming on October 21, Kenyon was victorious in both the 1-meter and 3-meter dives before sweeping both dives in a dual meet with Grand Canyon his next time out. At the 2024 WAC Championships, Kenyon scored 29 team points, finishing as high as sixth in the 3-meter Dive with a score of 318.20.
Women's Diving: Senior Kinzie Etezlmiller ended her Air Force career in style, as the senior impacted the Falcons record book in her final collegiate season. On November 19, in the final day of competition at the Liberty Invitational, Etzelmiller crafted a 3-Meter score of 313.65, setting the new school record in the event. The dive was enough to earn an NCAA "B" cut position. The senior eventually scored 29 team points at the 2024 Mountain West Championships, placing as high as 12^th in the 1-Meter dive and 13^th in the 3-Meter Dive.
Spring Sports
Golf: Sophomore Alvaro Fonseca led the team with a season stroke average of 74.23 and had a team-high eight rounds at par or better this season. He was the team's highest finisher in five of the 10 tournaments this season. At the Mountain West Championships, he placed 12^th with a 54-hole score of 215 (-1). His place and score are the best by a Falcon at the conference championship since 2017.

Men's Tennis: Junior Arjun Kersten is Air Force men's tennis MVP. Kersten earned All-Mountain West singles and doubles honors for the second-straight season. Kersten posted 28 wins and led the team with nine dual singles wins and 14 doubles wins. Kersten went 5-1 in singles in Mountain West competition, including a 3-1 mark at No. 1 singles.

Women's Tennis: Playing on the top court for Air Force, Van Houweling earned four singles wins and, splitting doubles competition with partners Isabella Flodin and Nadia Kojonroj, accounted for the bulk of the Falcons' doubles victories with five total.

Lacrosse: Senior team captain Chris Bardak was tabbed MVP for the 2024 campaign. An honorable mention All-American, Bardak was a linchpin defender for the Falcons who led the squad with 20 caused turnovers and scooped up 48 ground balls for the most by any non-face off player on the team. A first team All-ASUN defender, Bardak's 1.33 caused turnovers per game is fifth-best in the league and his 3.20 ground balls per game is 10th best in the ASUN. His efforts helped the Falcon defense to finish top 10 in man down defense and scoring defense. He put his midfield transition utility on display scoring four goals and dishing seven assists in his senior campaign.

Baseball: Senior Seungmin Shim earned Pitcher of the Year honors in the Mountain West after leading the conference with a 3.31 ERA in 14 regular season starts. The left-hander's 81 strikeouts prior to postseason play were third-most in the conference, as Shim set the standard within the Air Force pitching staff. Of his 15 total starts, Shim managed at least 5.0 innings in 13 starts while tossing at least 7.0 innings in nine games. His 87 total strikeouts are seventh-most in a single season in program history, and became just the 11th pitcher in Air Force history to record at least eight wins in one spring.

Men's Track and Field MVP: Texas Tanner had a stellar sophomore campaign that resulted in three Air Force records, two Mountain West championships, and five USAFA sophomore class records – while also being one of just three throwers in the NCAA to qualify to the outdoor championships in three different events. Tanner broke the Air Force, Mountain West, and All-Academy Record in the hammer throw, with a personal-best throw of 237'5". He also became just the second Air Force thrower to surpass the 60-foot mark in the indoor shot put (record, 60'8¾"), while breaking the program's weight throw standard with a throw of 68'10" and accounting for the No. 2 marks in the outdoor shot put (60'5¼") and discus throw (194'8" – a mark just one inch off the program record).

Women's Track and Field MVP: Another stellar season secured the second-straight MVP honor for Taylor Rioux in 2024. The junior accounted for three individual Academy records during the season (indoor 200-meter dash: 24.57; indoor 400-meter dash: 54.14; outdoor 200-meter dash: 24.04), while also running the Academy's third-fastest time ever in the outdoor 400-meter dash (54.35). She also became a vital member of three record-setting relays, leading off the 4x400-meter relays that set indoor and outdoor records during both the indoor (3:52.84) and outdoor(3:41.09) seasons, while running the second leg of the 4x100-meter relay that clocked an Academy Record time of 46.82.

Men's Track and Field Outstanding Competitor: Despite battling a hamstring strain throughout the year, Jalan Rivers still accounted for a pair of Mountain West titles in the high jump and qualifying to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in his signature event. The junior successfully defended both of his conference titles at the indoor (6'11") and outdoor (6'11½") championships, becoming the first conference athlete to go back-to-back at the championship meets since 2015. In addition to his conference titles, Rivers finished first at the Potts Invitational and Ralph Lindeman Classic.

Women's Track and Field Outstanding Competitor: Senior Ava Gilliana anchored three record-setting relays and claimed all-conference honors in another during 2024, while finishing her Academy career ranked among the program's Top 20 in both the indoor and outdoor 800-meter standings. As the relay anchor, Gilliana guaranteed that both the 4x400-meter and 4x800-meter squads took down 40-year-old Air Force records during the outdoor season – with the 3:41.09 finish from the 4x4 serving as the fastest time ever among the three service academies. She also helped the women to an all-MW finish in the distance medley relay and a program-record – and scoring – performance in the indoor 4x400-meter relay at the conference championship meet.

Physical Education Average Award/Outstanding Cadet in Physical Education: Senior wrestler Garrett Kuchan of cadet squadron 27 has won both the Physical Education Average Award and the Outstanding Cadet in Physical Education. Kuchan was an intercollegiate wrestler who posted the highest cumulative Physical Education Average in his class with an impressive 3.88 average on a scale of 4.00. He also garnered the highest physical education grade point average in qualifying PE courses. Kuchan is a distinguished athlete, mastering the aquatics curriculum, maxed the robust physical fitness test and ran the 1.5-mile aerobic fitness test in sub-nine minutes every year.

Air Force recognizes Top 6 Award winners, MVPs

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