Friday, April 18
Ann Arbor, MI
11:00 am MT
Air Force Academy
at
NCAA National Qualifier
Photo by: Ray Bahner
No. 8 Air Force Set for NCAA Championships
4/16/2025 6:17:00 PM | Men's Gymnastics
The eighth-ranked Air Force men's gymnastics team wraps up the collegiate season this weekend, when it travels to Ann Arbor, Mich., for the 2025 NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships. The two-day meet, held at Michigan's Crisler Center, begins with the National Qualifier on Friday, April 18, and concludes with the National Championships on Saturday, April 19.
MEET INFORMATION
Two national qualifying sessions (1:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m. ET) will be held on Friday, April 18, while the team and individual event finals will take place at 6:30 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, April 19. All-session tickets are $30 for adults and $25 for youth/students and can be purchased at MGoBlue.com, while single-session tickets are $15 (adults) and #12 (youth/students), The National Qualifiers will be streamed on ESPN+, while the championships will be broadcast live on ESPN2, with Bart Conner, Brody Malone, and Lauren Sisler on the call both days.
STARTING ROTATION
Air Force will begin Friday's National Qualifier on the high bar, before rotating through floor exercise, pommel horse, still rings, vault and parallel bars. Penn State will begin on the floor, while California will start on the pommel horse, William & Mary on the still rings, Oklahoma on the vault, and Nebraska on the parallel bars during the afternoon session.
SCOUTING THE SESSION
Oklahoma enters the first session of the National Qualifier ranked first in the NCAA with a National Qualifying Average of 327.700. Nebraska is ranked fourth (324.538), while Penn State is fifth (322.700), Air Force is eighth (312.863), California is ninth (312.800) and William & Mary is 12th (309.875). Individually, the first session has the national leader in three events, including the floor exercise (Chase Mondl, Nebraska – 14.125), pommel horse (Patrick Hoopes, Air Force – 14,938) and all-around (Erich Upton, Air Force – 78.725).
AIR FORCE IN THE RANKINGS
Backed by NCAA-leading marks from Patrick Hoopes and Erich Upton, Air Force boasts three gymnasts ranked among the nation's top 8 in the latest NCAA standings. Hoopes leads the NCAA on the pommel horse with a 14.938 National Qualifying Average, while Upton has the top NQA in the all-around with a mark of 78.725. With Jack Matlock ranked seventh behind a mark of 14.013, the Falcons are listed third on the pommel horse with a team NQA of 54.094.
LOOKING BACK AT LAST YEAR
Patrick Hoopes secured his place in Air Force Academy history at last year's national championship meet, when he became the Academy's first-ever NCAA champion after winning the pommel horse with a score of 15.300.
HISTORY 101
A total of 14 Falcons have claimed All-America status at the NCAA Championships, including Denis Aurelius (2016 still rings), Garrett Braunton (2022 high bar). Tim Hess (1993 floor exercise), Terry Higgins (1966 parallel bars), Patrick Hoopes (2023 pommel horse, 2024 pommel horse), Joel Miller (1992 still rings), Doug Reynolds (1964 tumbling), Bill Ritter (1972 floor exercise), Greg Stine (2008 still rings, 2008 all-around), Lukas Texeria (2019 high bar), John Tomich (1973 vault), Arinn Wade (2016 pommel horse), Tim Wang (2014 pommel horse, 2016 pommel horse, 2017 parallel bars, 2017 all-around), and Jim Weaver (1962 trampoline).
HISTORY 201
Air Force has made 18 team appearances to the final site of the NCAA Gymnastics Championships (1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1970, 1972, 1973, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2023, 2024), with its highest finish (sixth) coming at the 1972 championship meet. The Falcons made a program-record eight-straight team appearances to the NCAA Qualifier from 2011-18 and have posted Top 10 finishes in each of the last three seasons, including a the program's highest finish (eighth) in 51 years.
A HISTORIC NIGHT AT CADET WEST GYM
The Falcons captured a pair of MPSF titles on April 5, marking the first time in program history that Air Force claimed multiple championships in the same meet. With a career-best 80.100, Erich Upton became the program's first MPSF all-around champion – the first to do so in any conference since Jim Miller won the WAC in 1992. Patick Hoopes collected his first MPSF championship after scoring a 14.900 to win the pommel horse by 0.450 points.
AIR FORCE'S MPSF CHAMPIONS
With the 2025 titles from Patrick Hoopes (pommel horse) and Erich Upton (all-around), six Falcons have captured conference championships from the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. The pair joined Arrin Wade (pommel horse, 2016), Tim Wang (pommel horse, 2017), Lukas Texiera (high bar, 2019), Garrett Braunton (high bar, 2023).
DID YOU KNOW?
There have been just four 15-point performances in the NCAA this season – and Patrick Hoopes has accounted for the top two. In fact, Hoopes has accounted for five of the top 10 pommel horse scores in the nation this season
WHAT'S AHEAD FOR THE FALCONS
Although the collegiate season concludes this week, Patrick Hoopes will be back in action on April 25-28, when he travels to Cairo, Egypt, to represent Team USA in the final FIG World Cup event of the 2025 season.
MEET INFORMATION
Two national qualifying sessions (1:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m. ET) will be held on Friday, April 18, while the team and individual event finals will take place at 6:30 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, April 19. All-session tickets are $30 for adults and $25 for youth/students and can be purchased at MGoBlue.com, while single-session tickets are $15 (adults) and #12 (youth/students), The National Qualifiers will be streamed on ESPN+, while the championships will be broadcast live on ESPN2, with Bart Conner, Brody Malone, and Lauren Sisler on the call both days.
| Qualifying Session 1 | Friday, April 18 | 1:00 p.m. |
| No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 4 Nebraska, No. 5 Penn State NO. 8 AIR FORCE, No. 9 California, No. 12 William & Mary Individuals: Springfield |
| Air Force Meet Notes | Watch (ESPN+) |
| Qualifying Session 2 | Friday, April 18 | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Stanford, No. 6 Illinois No. 7 Ohio State, No. 10 Navy, No. 11 Army West Point Individuals: Greenville, Simpson |
| National Championships | Saturday, April 19 | 6:30 p.m. ET |
| Top-three teams from each qualifying session; Top-three all-arounders from each session, not on an advancing team; Top-three individuals on each event, not already qualified on a team or as an all-arounder |
| Watch (ESPN2) |
STARTING ROTATION
Air Force will begin Friday's National Qualifier on the high bar, before rotating through floor exercise, pommel horse, still rings, vault and parallel bars. Penn State will begin on the floor, while California will start on the pommel horse, William & Mary on the still rings, Oklahoma on the vault, and Nebraska on the parallel bars during the afternoon session.
SCOUTING THE SESSION
Oklahoma enters the first session of the National Qualifier ranked first in the NCAA with a National Qualifying Average of 327.700. Nebraska is ranked fourth (324.538), while Penn State is fifth (322.700), Air Force is eighth (312.863), California is ninth (312.800) and William & Mary is 12th (309.875). Individually, the first session has the national leader in three events, including the floor exercise (Chase Mondl, Nebraska – 14.125), pommel horse (Patrick Hoopes, Air Force – 14,938) and all-around (Erich Upton, Air Force – 78.725).
AIR FORCE IN THE RANKINGS
Backed by NCAA-leading marks from Patrick Hoopes and Erich Upton, Air Force boasts three gymnasts ranked among the nation's top 8 in the latest NCAA standings. Hoopes leads the NCAA on the pommel horse with a 14.938 National Qualifying Average, while Upton has the top NQA in the all-around with a mark of 78.725. With Jack Matlock ranked seventh behind a mark of 14.013, the Falcons are listed third on the pommel horse with a team NQA of 54.094.
LOOKING BACK AT LAST YEAR
Patrick Hoopes secured his place in Air Force Academy history at last year's national championship meet, when he became the Academy's first-ever NCAA champion after winning the pommel horse with a score of 15.300.
HISTORY 101
A total of 14 Falcons have claimed All-America status at the NCAA Championships, including Denis Aurelius (2016 still rings), Garrett Braunton (2022 high bar). Tim Hess (1993 floor exercise), Terry Higgins (1966 parallel bars), Patrick Hoopes (2023 pommel horse, 2024 pommel horse), Joel Miller (1992 still rings), Doug Reynolds (1964 tumbling), Bill Ritter (1972 floor exercise), Greg Stine (2008 still rings, 2008 all-around), Lukas Texeria (2019 high bar), John Tomich (1973 vault), Arinn Wade (2016 pommel horse), Tim Wang (2014 pommel horse, 2016 pommel horse, 2017 parallel bars, 2017 all-around), and Jim Weaver (1962 trampoline).
HISTORY 201
Air Force has made 18 team appearances to the final site of the NCAA Gymnastics Championships (1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1970, 1972, 1973, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2023, 2024), with its highest finish (sixth) coming at the 1972 championship meet. The Falcons made a program-record eight-straight team appearances to the NCAA Qualifier from 2011-18 and have posted Top 10 finishes in each of the last three seasons, including a the program's highest finish (eighth) in 51 years.
A HISTORIC NIGHT AT CADET WEST GYM
The Falcons captured a pair of MPSF titles on April 5, marking the first time in program history that Air Force claimed multiple championships in the same meet. With a career-best 80.100, Erich Upton became the program's first MPSF all-around champion – the first to do so in any conference since Jim Miller won the WAC in 1992. Patick Hoopes collected his first MPSF championship after scoring a 14.900 to win the pommel horse by 0.450 points.
AIR FORCE'S MPSF CHAMPIONS
With the 2025 titles from Patrick Hoopes (pommel horse) and Erich Upton (all-around), six Falcons have captured conference championships from the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. The pair joined Arrin Wade (pommel horse, 2016), Tim Wang (pommel horse, 2017), Lukas Texiera (high bar, 2019), Garrett Braunton (high bar, 2023).
DID YOU KNOW?
There have been just four 15-point performances in the NCAA this season – and Patrick Hoopes has accounted for the top two. In fact, Hoopes has accounted for five of the top 10 pommel horse scores in the nation this season
WHAT'S AHEAD FOR THE FALCONS
Although the collegiate season concludes this week, Patrick Hoopes will be back in action on April 25-28, when he travels to Cairo, Egypt, to represent Team USA in the final FIG World Cup event of the 2025 season.
Players Mentioned
FX, PH, SR, V, PB, HB
/ Men's Gymnastics
PH, PB
/ Men's Gymnastics
PH
/ Men's Gymnastics
FX, PH, SR, V, PB, HB
/ Men's GymnasticsPatrick Hoopes Bronze Medal World University Games 2025
Monday, July 28
Patrick Hoopes Interview April 30, 2025
Wednesday, April 30
Erich Upton Interview April 22, 2025
Tuesday, April 22
Josh Loeser Interview April 22, 2025
Tuesday, April 22
