Falcons Advance Five to NCAA Gymnastics Championships

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Air Force seniors Patrick Hoopes and Erich Upton posted meet-high scores on Friday (April 18) afternoon, as the eighth-ranked Air Force men's gymnastics team wrapped up action at the NCAA National Qualifier in Ann Arbor. The pair, who helped the Falcons to a fifth-place team finish, are part of a five-man Air Force lineup that advanced into tomorrow's national championship meet.

Hoopes broke the 15-point plateau for the third time this season, as he garnered a 15.033 to win the qualifying session by 0.600 points and advance to the national finals for the third-straight year. Upton also captured a first-place finish on Friday, as he picked up his fifth all-around title of the year with a 78.230.

Hoopes and Upton will be joined in the NCAA Championships by a trio of juniors, as Jack Matlock, Denis Irimiea, and Tai Gopaul all accounted for advancing finishes during today's qualifier. With a score of 13.900, Matlock finished fourth on the pommel horse to give Air Force two of the top four performers in the 29-gymnast field on that event. Irimiea registered the highest still rings score of the individual qualifiers from the afternoon session after garnering a career-best, ninth-place score of 13.300, and Gopaul advanced on the high bar after posting a team-leading score of 12.800 to tie for 15th.

In addition to his winning mark in the all-around, Upton accounted for the team's highest scores on the parallel bars and vault. The senior scored a career-high 13.868 to finish third on the parallel bars, while adding a 13.933 for a 10th-place finish on the vault. Freshman Jared Fry rounded out the Falcons' list of event leaders, as he scored a 13.400 to finish 13th on the floor exercise.

As a team, Air Force accounted for its second-highest score of the season – a 313.526 – to finish fifth in the afternoon qualifier of the NCAA Championships. Nebraska (324.894), Oklahoma (323.460), and Penn State (321.992) advanced out of the session, while California (319.091) and William & Mary (307.691) bookended the Falcons by finishing fourth and sixth, respectively.

Air Force returns to Crisler Center tomorrow (April 19) for the finals of the NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships. Action is slated to begin at 6:30 p.m. (ET) and will be broadcast on ESPN2.

UPDATE: At the conclusion of the two National Qualifying sessions, Air Force finished ninth in overall field, posting the best finish of the three service academies (Army West Point, 10th at 311.091; Navy 11th at 308.056) and marked the fourth-straight year that Air Force has posted a top-10 finish at the national meet.

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