Air Force Women’s Soccer Earns MW Coach of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, and Multiple All-Conference Honors
11/3/2025 12:56:00 PM | Women's Soccer
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Air Force women's soccer receives numerous Mountain West accolades including the MW Coach of the Year, MW Offensive Player of the Year, three First Team All-Conference selections, as well as a trio of All-Newcomer team honorees, as released by conference officials on Monday morning. The seven honorees mark the most conference awards for the Falcons in a single season.
Mountain West Coach of the Year
Head coach Laura Busby earned her first Mountain West Coach of the Year honor, becoming the first Air Force women's soccer coach to receive the award since the program's inception in 1992. Busby guided the Falcons to an 8-6-4 overall record, the team's most wins since 2019, and a 6-2-2 conference record, marking Air Force's best regular-season finish since 1995. Under her leadership, the Falcons secured the No. 2 seed in the 2025 Mountain West Championship, their highest seeding in program history and first tournament berth since 2017.
"I appreciate the recognition from my fellow Mountain West coaches after a very challenging and rewarding season," expressed Coach Busby. "Our team has persevered through a government shutdown and many other hurdles, but our work is not done yet. I would like to thank the Superintendent and all the athletic directors who believed in our staff over the past four seasons. Finally, I would like to thank my incredible assistant coaches, Kaylyn Farrell and Alex Schultz, for their relentless work and pursuit of excellence."
Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year
Annika Jost capped off a standout season for the Falcons, becoming the first Air Force player since 2019, and just the second in program history, to earn Mountain West Player of the Year honors. She also joins an elite group as only the tenth women's athlete in Academy history to earn a conference player of the year award. In addition to her top honor, Jost was named to the Mountain West All-Conference First Team after leading the league in points (25) and points per game (1.39), both career highs. Her impressive numbers place her eighth all-time at Air Force and 48th nationally. The sophomore from Temecula, Calif., tallied 10 goals and four assists, ranking second in the Mountain West for goals (0.56 per game) and tying for sixth in the Falcons' record book. She also recorded the program's first hat trick since 2021, scoring three times against San Jose State. In conference play alone, Jost totaled eight goals and four assists for 20 points.
Mountain West All-Conference First Team
The Falcon duo of Jordan Dillingham and Peyton Ferrell were selected to the Mountain West All-Conference First Team for their performances during the 2025 season.
Defender Dillingham started every match at left center back, leading Air Force in minutes played with 1,410 on the pitch. The sophomore anchored the Falcons' back line, excelling in defensive and aerial duels, and notched her first career goal with a header against Northern Colorado. This marks her second Mountain West honor, following her selection to the 2024 Mountain West All-Newcomer Team.
Midfielder Peyton Ferrell earned her first career conference honor following a strong senior campaign. The Austin, Texas, native started every match this season, logging 1,337 minutes on the pitch. Ferrell scored two goals against Colorado and UNLV, matching her career high of four points in a single season.
Mountain West All-Newcomer Team
The freshman trio of Zahra Friess, AJ Heap, and Trishelle Lopez were named to the Mountain West All-Newcomer team.
Forward, Friess, saw 542 minutes of play this season, with one start, and recorded the most goals from a freshman this season, with four and one assist for nine points.
Freshman AJ Heap recorded the most starts by a Falcon rookie in 2025, earning 15 starts and appearing in every match of the season. The North Ogden, Utah, native totaled four points on one goal and two assists, making an immediate impact in her debut campaign.
Goalkeeper Lopez earned the starting role in 15 matches for Air Force, leading all Falcon freshmen with 1,260 minutes in goal. The Cape Coral, Fla., native recorded 55 saves for a .724 save percentage, ranking sixth in the Mountain West with 3.67 saves per game. Lopez also tallied her first two career shutouts against Wyoming and Rutgers.
Coach Busby exclaimed, "It is time to get to work in Boise!"
Air Force will make their first postseason appearance in seven years in the semifinal round of the Mountain West Conference Championship tournament on Wednesday November 5. The Falcons will face Utah State, the No. 3 seed, at 4 p.m. MT at the Boas Soccer Complex in Boise, Idaho.
Mountain West Coach of the Year
Head coach Laura Busby earned her first Mountain West Coach of the Year honor, becoming the first Air Force women's soccer coach to receive the award since the program's inception in 1992. Busby guided the Falcons to an 8-6-4 overall record, the team's most wins since 2019, and a 6-2-2 conference record, marking Air Force's best regular-season finish since 1995. Under her leadership, the Falcons secured the No. 2 seed in the 2025 Mountain West Championship, their highest seeding in program history and first tournament berth since 2017.
"I appreciate the recognition from my fellow Mountain West coaches after a very challenging and rewarding season," expressed Coach Busby. "Our team has persevered through a government shutdown and many other hurdles, but our work is not done yet. I would like to thank the Superintendent and all the athletic directors who believed in our staff over the past four seasons. Finally, I would like to thank my incredible assistant coaches, Kaylyn Farrell and Alex Schultz, for their relentless work and pursuit of excellence."
Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year
Annika Jost capped off a standout season for the Falcons, becoming the first Air Force player since 2019, and just the second in program history, to earn Mountain West Player of the Year honors. She also joins an elite group as only the tenth women's athlete in Academy history to earn a conference player of the year award. In addition to her top honor, Jost was named to the Mountain West All-Conference First Team after leading the league in points (25) and points per game (1.39), both career highs. Her impressive numbers place her eighth all-time at Air Force and 48th nationally. The sophomore from Temecula, Calif., tallied 10 goals and four assists, ranking second in the Mountain West for goals (0.56 per game) and tying for sixth in the Falcons' record book. She also recorded the program's first hat trick since 2021, scoring three times against San Jose State. In conference play alone, Jost totaled eight goals and four assists for 20 points.
Mountain West All-Conference First Team
The Falcon duo of Jordan Dillingham and Peyton Ferrell were selected to the Mountain West All-Conference First Team for their performances during the 2025 season.
Defender Dillingham started every match at left center back, leading Air Force in minutes played with 1,410 on the pitch. The sophomore anchored the Falcons' back line, excelling in defensive and aerial duels, and notched her first career goal with a header against Northern Colorado. This marks her second Mountain West honor, following her selection to the 2024 Mountain West All-Newcomer Team.
Midfielder Peyton Ferrell earned her first career conference honor following a strong senior campaign. The Austin, Texas, native started every match this season, logging 1,337 minutes on the pitch. Ferrell scored two goals against Colorado and UNLV, matching her career high of four points in a single season.
Mountain West All-Newcomer Team
The freshman trio of Zahra Friess, AJ Heap, and Trishelle Lopez were named to the Mountain West All-Newcomer team.
Forward, Friess, saw 542 minutes of play this season, with one start, and recorded the most goals from a freshman this season, with four and one assist for nine points.
Freshman AJ Heap recorded the most starts by a Falcon rookie in 2025, earning 15 starts and appearing in every match of the season. The North Ogden, Utah, native totaled four points on one goal and two assists, making an immediate impact in her debut campaign.
Goalkeeper Lopez earned the starting role in 15 matches for Air Force, leading all Falcon freshmen with 1,260 minutes in goal. The Cape Coral, Fla., native recorded 55 saves for a .724 save percentage, ranking sixth in the Mountain West with 3.67 saves per game. Lopez also tallied her first two career shutouts against Wyoming and Rutgers.
Coach Busby exclaimed, "It is time to get to work in Boise!"
Air Force will make their first postseason appearance in seven years in the semifinal round of the Mountain West Conference Championship tournament on Wednesday November 5. The Falcons will face Utah State, the No. 3 seed, at 4 p.m. MT at the Boas Soccer Complex in Boise, Idaho.
Players Mentioned
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