Friday, March 7
USAFA
1:00 pm MT
Air Force Academy
vs
Regional Semifinals
Photo by: Ray Bahner
Falcons Advance Eight to Regional Finals
3/7/2025 6:37:00 PM | Boxing
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. -- Headlined by a perfect 6-0 run through the evening session of the National Collegiate Boxing Association's Western Regional, eight members of the Air Force boxing team secured their spot in the regional final, as postseason action continued at the Academy on March 7.
Senior Luke Kohout and sophomore Julianna Morris secured their spots in the regional finals during the afternoon session, while the Falcons rolled through the evening session to advance into Saturday's championship round. Kohout claimed a unanimous decision over Ariona State's Mario Henniquez to advance to his third-straight regional final in the 147-pound weight class. Morris quickly advanced to her second appearance in the regional final at 125 pounds, as she forced the referee to stop her bout with Utah's Olivia Pax in the opening round.
Junior Elise Bell opened the second session with a unanimous decision over USC's Claine Dong in her 132-pound semifinal, while freshman Maya Lee earned the decision in her 147-pound bout with Sacramento State's Ayahna Gonzales to give the Air Force women a perfect 3-0 record on the day.
On the men's side, sophomore Ellison Taylor swept the judges' decision in his 165-pound contest with Stanford's Diego Maglione, while junior Neo Takazawa picked up his second win in as many days with a decision over UC Davis' Alejandro Silva at 175 pounds. In the final two bouts of the night, sophomore Justin Bonilla and junior Christian Hughes clinched their spots in the final before the start of the third round. Bonilla came out swinging in the 185-pound semifinal to force the referee to stop his bout with Nevada's Leif Noren in the second round, while a dominating start by Hughes in the 195-pound semifinal caused San Jose State's Jason Dang to abandon their bout before the start of the third round.
Three other Falcons also competed on Friday, with two – freshmen Juneau Kim and Russell Klug – df earning spots in Saturday's third-place, at-large bouts. Kim dropped his 119-pound decision to Utah's Aspan Kossanov, while Klug lost the decision in his 139-pound contest with Brendan Johnson Corrington of USC. Elsewhere, junior Duong Tran concluded his regional experience with a 125-pound loss to Alex Leon of UCLA, as there is not an at-large bout in that weight class.
After two nights of competition, Air Force leads the team standings on both the men's and women's sides. With 19 points, the men hold a seven-point lead over USC (11), while California and Sacramento State are tied for third with 10 points apiece. On the women's side, the Falcons have 10 points, with Washington (7) and Santa Clara (4) rounding out the top three (full team scores below).
Tonight's winners, as well as Kim, Klug, and 156-pound finalist Sela Panuve, will return to the Academy tomorrow (March 8) for Championship Saturday of the NCBA Western Regionals. Action gets underway with the third-place, at-large bouts, which will take place at 1:00 p.m. (MT) in the Cadet Gym Boxing Room – an event that leads up to the regional finals at 5:00 p.m., at Clune Arena. Tickets ($10) can be purchased online at AFTickets.com.
Senior Luke Kohout and sophomore Julianna Morris secured their spots in the regional finals during the afternoon session, while the Falcons rolled through the evening session to advance into Saturday's championship round. Kohout claimed a unanimous decision over Ariona State's Mario Henniquez to advance to his third-straight regional final in the 147-pound weight class. Morris quickly advanced to her second appearance in the regional final at 125 pounds, as she forced the referee to stop her bout with Utah's Olivia Pax in the opening round.
Junior Elise Bell opened the second session with a unanimous decision over USC's Claine Dong in her 132-pound semifinal, while freshman Maya Lee earned the decision in her 147-pound bout with Sacramento State's Ayahna Gonzales to give the Air Force women a perfect 3-0 record on the day.
On the men's side, sophomore Ellison Taylor swept the judges' decision in his 165-pound contest with Stanford's Diego Maglione, while junior Neo Takazawa picked up his second win in as many days with a decision over UC Davis' Alejandro Silva at 175 pounds. In the final two bouts of the night, sophomore Justin Bonilla and junior Christian Hughes clinched their spots in the final before the start of the third round. Bonilla came out swinging in the 185-pound semifinal to force the referee to stop his bout with Nevada's Leif Noren in the second round, while a dominating start by Hughes in the 195-pound semifinal caused San Jose State's Jason Dang to abandon their bout before the start of the third round.
Three other Falcons also competed on Friday, with two – freshmen Juneau Kim and Russell Klug – df earning spots in Saturday's third-place, at-large bouts. Kim dropped his 119-pound decision to Utah's Aspan Kossanov, while Klug lost the decision in his 139-pound contest with Brendan Johnson Corrington of USC. Elsewhere, junior Duong Tran concluded his regional experience with a 125-pound loss to Alex Leon of UCLA, as there is not an at-large bout in that weight class.
After two nights of competition, Air Force leads the team standings on both the men's and women's sides. With 19 points, the men hold a seven-point lead over USC (11), while California and Sacramento State are tied for third with 10 points apiece. On the women's side, the Falcons have 10 points, with Washington (7) and Santa Clara (4) rounding out the top three (full team scores below).
Tonight's winners, as well as Kim, Klug, and 156-pound finalist Sela Panuve, will return to the Academy tomorrow (March 8) for Championship Saturday of the NCBA Western Regionals. Action gets underway with the third-place, at-large bouts, which will take place at 1:00 p.m. (MT) in the Cadet Gym Boxing Room – an event that leads up to the regional finals at 5:00 p.m., at Clune Arena. Tickets ($10) can be purchased online at AFTickets.com.
SEMIFINAL RESULTS, FIRST SESSION
119-lbs.: Aspan Kossanov (Utah) dec. Juneau Kim (Air Force)
119-lbs.: Matt El Rassi (USC) dec. Ethan Chung (Santa Clara)
125-lbs.: Alex Leon (UCLA) dec. Duong Tran (Air Force)
132-lbs.: Arturo Martinez (Santa Clara) dec. Parker Chang (USC) '
132-lbs.: Alejandro Rojas (California) dec. Jordan Torres (San Jose State)
139-lbs.: Kohki Shinohara (Washington) dec. Riggo Garcia (Santa Clara)
139-lbs.: Brendan Johnson Corrington (USC) dec. Russell Klug (Air Force)
125-lbs. (w): Sionet Nickerson (Washington) RSC-2 Aliya Hirzy (UC Davis)
125-lbs. (w): Julianna Morris (Air Force) RSC-1 Olivia Pax (Utah)
147-lbs.: Joey Azar (Nevada) dec. Marcos Vasquez (Sacramento State)
147-lbs.: Luke Kohout (Air Force) dec. Mario Henniquez (Arizona State)
SEMIFINAL RESULTS, SECOND SESSION
132-lbs. (w): Elise Bell (Air Force) dec. Claire Dong (USC)
132-lbs. (w): Jill Doucet (Washington) RET-2 Genna van der Wal (Utah)
156-lbs.: Rodrigo Madera (San Jose State) dec. Kai Arellano (Sacramento State)
156-lbs.: Nathan Nichols (Nevada) dec. Misael Renteria (UC Davis)
165-lbs.: Ellison Taylor (Air Force) dec. Diego Maglione (Stanford)
165-lbs.: Ethan Ryder (California) walkover Sena Short (Oregon State)
147-lbs. (w): Maya Lee (Air Force) dec. Ayahna Gonzales (Sacramento State)
175-lbs.: Neo Takazawa (Air Force) dec. Alejandro Silva (UC Davis)
175-lbs.: Joseph Lovett (Sacramento State) dec. Jarek Escobar (California)
185-lbs.: Justin Bonilla (Air Force) RSC-2 Leif Noren (Nevada)
195-lbs.: Christian Hughes (Air Force) RET-3 Jason Dang (San Jose State)
MEN'S TEAM STANDINGS, AFTER DAY 2: AIR FORCE 19, USC 11, California 10, Sacramento State 10, San Jose State 9, Nevada 9, Santa Clara 5, Utah 4, Washington 4, UCLA 4, UC Daivs 3, Oregon State 2, Stanford 2, Arizona State 2; WOMEN'S TEAM STANDINGS, AFTER DAY 2: AIR FORCE 10, Washington 7, Santa Clara 4, Utah 1, Sacramento State 1, UC Davis 1
Players Mentioned
132 lbs.
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195 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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156 lbs.
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132 lbs.
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156 lbs.
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156 lbs.
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175 lbs.
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139 lbs.
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