Saturday, September 7
Providence, RI - Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center
8:15 am MT
Air Force Academy
vs
LIU
Air Force Water Polo (RV) Opens Season at Bruno Classic
9/5/2024 1:00:00 PM | Men's Water Polo
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Link
This Week: Air Force men's water polo (RV) opens the 2024 season at the Bruno Classic, hosted by Brown University in Providence, RI, this Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 7-8. All four Falcon games take place at Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center on the Brown campus.
Saturday, Sept. 7 (All times Eastern)
10:15 am - vs. LIU
3:00 pm - vs. MIT
Saturday, Sept. 8
10:30 am - vs. Wagner
4:00 pm - vs. #20 Brown
Video Stream: All matches streamed via ESPN+. Link
Series History vs. Bruno Classic Opponents
vs. LIU - Air Force leads 2-0. Last meeting, 17-8 win on 9/17/2023 at Bucknell Invite.
vs. MIT - Air Force leads 3-0. Last meeting, 19-14 win on 9/4/22.
vs. Wagner - Air Force leads 2-1. Last meeting, 16-8 win on 9/16/23 at Bucknell Invite.
vs. Brown - Air Force trails 12-16. Last meeting, 14-11 loss on 10/21/23 at Julian Fraser Memorial Tournament...Brown has won two in a row...last win over Brown was in 2021.
Recapping 2023: Air Force went 23-12 last season and 4-4 in WWPA action. The 23 wins was the second-most wins in a season in program history. The Falcons had the nations' leading points and assists scorers. Grant Snyder, who earned his third All-American honors, led the nation with a school-record 181 points and Ian Christie led the nation with a school-record 99 assists.
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 - Elmburst, 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
Up next: Air Force travels to the Titan Invitational, Sept. 13-14, hosted by Cal State Fullerton. The Falcons take on Concordia (Irvine) and CSUF on the 13th and Chapman and Cal Lutheran on the 14th.
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.
This Week: Air Force men's water polo (RV) opens the 2024 season at the Bruno Classic, hosted by Brown University in Providence, RI, this Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 7-8. All four Falcon games take place at Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center on the Brown campus.
Saturday, Sept. 7 (All times Eastern)
10:15 am - vs. LIU
3:00 pm - vs. MIT
Saturday, Sept. 8
10:30 am - vs. Wagner
4:00 pm - vs. #20 Brown
Video Stream: All matches streamed via ESPN+. Link
Series History vs. Bruno Classic Opponents
vs. LIU - Air Force leads 2-0. Last meeting, 17-8 win on 9/17/2023 at Bucknell Invite.
vs. MIT - Air Force leads 3-0. Last meeting, 19-14 win on 9/4/22.
vs. Wagner - Air Force leads 2-1. Last meeting, 16-8 win on 9/16/23 at Bucknell Invite.
vs. Brown - Air Force trails 12-16. Last meeting, 14-11 loss on 10/21/23 at Julian Fraser Memorial Tournament...Brown has won two in a row...last win over Brown was in 2021.
Recapping 2023: Air Force went 23-12 last season and 4-4 in WWPA action. The 23 wins was the second-most wins in a season in program history. The Falcons had the nations' leading points and assists scorers. Grant Snyder, who earned his third All-American honors, led the nation with a school-record 181 points and Ian Christie led the nation with a school-record 99 assists.
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 - Elmburst, 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
Up next: Air Force travels to the Titan Invitational, Sept. 13-14, hosted by Cal State Fullerton. The Falcons take on Concordia (Irvine) and CSUF on the 13th and Chapman and Cal Lutheran on the 14th.
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
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