Friday, February 21
USAFA
4:30 pm MT
Air Force Academy
vs
Wing Open Semifinals
Photo by: Laura Domingue
Falcons Finalize Wing Open Lineup, Name First Three Champions
2/21/2025 9:44:00 PM | Boxing
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – The first three winners of the 2025 Wing Open Tournament were determined this evening (Feb. 21), while 10 other members of the Air Force boxing team punched their ticket to Clune Arena during a hard-hitting night of semifinal action in the Cadet Gym Boxing Room.
Sophomore Naomi Brabham wasted no time in securing her second Wing Open title in the 112-pound weight division, as she came out strong and quickly forced the referee to stop her bout with newcomer Sienna Dace. Sophomore Noah Gilley also didn't wait for the final bell to claim his title, as he earned a third-round victory over Nathan Delarosa at 156 pounds. In a hard-hitting battle of newcomers, Christian Hughes earned the 195-pound title after claiming a unanimous win over Mason Hendricks.
Sophomore Naomi Brabham wasted no time in securing her second Wing Open title in the 112-pound weight division, as she came out strong and quickly forced the referee to stop her bout with newcomer Sienna Dace. Sophomore Noah Gilley also didn't wait for the final bell to claim his title, as he earned a third-round victory over Nathan Delarosa at 156 pounds. In a hard-hitting battle of newcomers, Christian Hughes earned the 195-pound title after claiming a unanimous win over Mason Hendricks.
CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
112-lbs. (w): Naomi Brabham (CS-39) RSC-2 Sienne Dace (CS-37)
156-lbs.: Noah Gilley (CS-38) RSC-3 Nathan Delarosa (CS-18)
195-lbs.: Christian Hughes (CS-27) dec. Mason Hendricks (CS-16)
The remaining 10 bouts were semifinal fights – with a spot in the championships on the line.
The winners on both sides of the 147- and 165-pound brackets made their cases early, with senior Luke Kohout and sophomore Ellison Taylor not even waiting until the end of the first round to claim victory. Kohout, the two-time reigning NCBA national champion at 147 pounds, advanced to his fourth-straight Wing Open final after earning a first-round win over newcomer Hayden Boone, while Taylor secured his first bid to the championship round after the referee ended his 156-pound bout with newcomer Robert Miller during the opening round. Freshman Jayden Douglas dispatched classmate Sam Banduah in the third frame of the other 147-pound bout, while fellow freshman Djibril Curley forced a second-round stoppage in his 156-pound bout with newcomer Noah Kjos.
The full bracket was also finalized in the women's 119-pound and men's 125-pound weight divisions. Senior Cass Rosa and sophomore Samantha Villa advanced to the finals at 119 pounds, as Rosa unanimously won her bout with freshman Naomi Nunez and Villa edged out junior Charlotte McPhee-Gillum by split decision. On the men's side, junior Duong Tran and freshman Juneau Kim earned their spots in the 125-pound final after Tran earned a split decision over sophomore James Burnias and Kim unanimously claimed the judges votes in his first with sophomore Freddy Ceciliano Jr.
Elsewhere, freshman Russell Klug completed the bracket at 139 pounds with his unanimous win over classmate Davin McArty and – in a battle of newcomers – Thomas Kensinger earned a unanimous decision over Isaac Hubert in the heavyweight semifinal.
The winners on both sides of the 147- and 165-pound brackets made their cases early, with senior Luke Kohout and sophomore Ellison Taylor not even waiting until the end of the first round to claim victory. Kohout, the two-time reigning NCBA national champion at 147 pounds, advanced to his fourth-straight Wing Open final after earning a first-round win over newcomer Hayden Boone, while Taylor secured his first bid to the championship round after the referee ended his 156-pound bout with newcomer Robert Miller during the opening round. Freshman Jayden Douglas dispatched classmate Sam Banduah in the third frame of the other 147-pound bout, while fellow freshman Djibril Curley forced a second-round stoppage in his 156-pound bout with newcomer Noah Kjos.
The full bracket was also finalized in the women's 119-pound and men's 125-pound weight divisions. Senior Cass Rosa and sophomore Samantha Villa advanced to the finals at 119 pounds, as Rosa unanimously won her bout with freshman Naomi Nunez and Villa edged out junior Charlotte McPhee-Gillum by split decision. On the men's side, junior Duong Tran and freshman Juneau Kim earned their spots in the 125-pound final after Tran earned a split decision over sophomore James Burnias and Kim unanimously claimed the judges votes in his first with sophomore Freddy Ceciliano Jr.
Elsewhere, freshman Russell Klug completed the bracket at 139 pounds with his unanimous win over classmate Davin McArty and – in a battle of newcomers – Thomas Kensinger earned a unanimous decision over Isaac Hubert in the heavyweight semifinal.
SEMIFINAL RESULTS
119-lbs. (w): Cass Rosa (CS-19) dec. Naomi Nunez (CS-19)
119-lbs. (w): Samantha Villa (CS-05) dec. Charlotte McPhee-Gillum (CS-38)
125-lbs.: Duong Tran (CS-35) dec. James Burnias (CS-28)
125-lbs.: Juneau Kim (CS-30) dec. Freddy Ceciliano Jr. (CS-05)
139-lbs.: Russel Klug (CS-31) dec. Davin McArty (CS-12) UNAN
147-lbs.: Luke Kohout (CS-05) RSC-1 Hayden Boone (CS-38)
147-lbs.: Jayden Douglas (CS-12) RSC-3 Sam Banduah (CS-32)
165-lbs.: Ellison Taylor (CS-34) RSC-1 Robert Miller (CS-15)
165-lbs.: Djibril Curley (CS-30) RSC-2 Noah Kjos (CS-22)
HYWT: Thomas Kensinger (CS-17) dec. Isaac Hubert (CS-21)
The boxers will now head under the lights of Clune Arena next Friday (Feb. 28) for the 2025 Wing Open Championships. The Falcons will honor their seniors and recognize the first class of inductees to the program's Ring of Honor at 5:40 p.m., while the first fight will get underway at 6:00 p.m. (MT). Tickets can be purchased at AFTickets.
Players Mentioned
165 lbs.
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112 lbs.
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132 lbs.
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125 lbs.
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156 lbs.
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156 lbs.
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195 lbs.
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119 lbs.
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132 lbs.
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156 lbs.
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139 lbs.
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112 lbs.
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119 lbs.
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125 lbs.
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175 lbs.
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139 lbs.
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119 lbs.
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