Saturday, September 6
USAFA, CO - Cadet Natatorium
12:00 pm MT
Air Force Academy
vs
McKendree
Air Force Water Polo Hosts Rare Air Invitational In Week Two
9/3/2025 10:26:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
This Week: Air Force men's water polo hosts the 2025 Rare Air Invitational, running Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 6-7 at the Cadet Natatorium on the campus of the U.S. Air Force Academy. The Falcons are slated to play five games across the two days of competition in the six-team field.
Rare Air Invitational Schedule
- Home team wears dark caps and listed first
- Live stats for all games via fosh.net
- Video stream via the Air Force youtube channel for every game. Link: https://www.youtube.com/@AF_Falcons
- All times MTN standard.
Saturday, Sept. 6
9 am MT - Whittier vs. UC Merced
10:30 am - Cal State Fullerton vs. Augustana
12 pm - Air Force vs. McKendree
2:30 pm - Whittier vs. Augustana
4 pm - UC Merced vs. McKendree
5:30 pm - Air Force vs. Cal State Fullerton
Sunday, Sept. 7
8:30 am - Air Force vs. Augustana
9:50 am - Whittier vs. McKendree
11:10 am - Cal State Fullerton vs. UC Merced
1 pm - Air Force vs. Whittier
2:20 pm - Cal State Fullerton vs. McKendree
3:40 pm - Air Force vs. UC Merced
BASE ACCESS, PARKING & TRAFFIC
Anyone without a DoD ID card must obtain a visitor pass to enter the Air Force Academy for athletic events. Please click HERE for more information and to apply for a visitors pass.
Series History vs. Rare Air Invite Opponents
vs. McKendree - Air Force leads 2-0. Air Force won 19-11 on Sept. 29, 2023 at the Gary Troyer Tournament.
vs. Cal State Fullerton - Air Force leads 5-4. Air Force won 12-8 on Sept. 13 at the Titan Invitational in Fullerton.
vs. Augustana - Air Force leads 2-0. Air Force won 16-9 on Sept. 22, 2024 at the Rare Air Challenge.
vs. Whittier - Air Force leads 18-2. Air Force won 22-10 on Sept. 9, 2023 at the Inland Empire Classic.
vs. UC Merced - Air Force leads 1-0. First meeting was Nov. 4, 2023, a 18-6 win in Merced.
Recapping Last Week
Air Force went 5-1 hosting the Rare Air Challenge. The Falcons opened Friday with a 18-13 win over Redlands and 24-14 over Mount St. Mary's. On Saturday, the Falcons defeated Salem University 22-15 and fell to #3 Cal 25-10. On Sunday, the Falcons rallied back from a 8-3 deficit to defeat Biola, 18-13 and then went on to defeat Ottawa Arizona 18-10.
Slow Starts, Stronger Finishes
Air Force has started out slow in games so far this season, getting out-scored 28-23 in the first quarter of play. The Falcons have out-scored their opponents in each of the following three quarters though (30-22 in second, 33-20 in third, and 26-20 in fourth).
Leggett Eams WCC Player of the Week
Tom Leggett was named the West Coast Conference Men's Water Polo Player of the Week for games played the week of Aug. 25-31, announced today by the conference office. This is his fourth-career conference player of the week honor.
Leggett (Santa Barbara, Calif,) had a monster opening weekend, tallying 32 goals and 37 points in five games, as Air Force went 5-1 at the Rare Air Challenge. Leggett leads the nation in both goals and assists.
The utility led the Falcons in scoring in all five games he played in. In the win over Mount St. Mary's, Leggett set career-high's with 10 goals and 13 points. He followed in the next game with 10 goals in the win over Salem University. Over the weekend, he also moved into second place all-time in career goals (289) and third-place in career points (363) at Air Force.
Recapping 2024: Air Force went 13-20 last season and 1-5 in WCC action. The Falcons faced a ranked opponent 16 times, including the final seven games to cap the season. Air Force's signature win came over #18 LMU in a 19-18 win at home in WCC play. Sophomore UT Tom Leggett led the nation with 143 goals and 183 points, which were both school records. Leggett earned ACWPC All-America third team honors.
Who's Back: Air Force returns 18 letterwinners, including its top two scorers from 2024. The Falcons return Leggett and second-leading scorer, Jack Richards, who scored 75 goals and 109 points as a sophomore. Air Force returns senior goalkeeper Luca Smith, who recorded 243 saves last season.
Who's Gone: Air Force lost three seniors to graduation. Jacob Yi led the Falcons last year with 68 assists and Kaito Ham was fourth on the team with 68 points. The Falcons also lost David Brown, who tallied 37 assists.
Who's New: Air Force welcomes eight freshmen from the class of 2029. Seven of the eight freshmen hail from California, with one from Illinois.
Shane Borunda - AT- Coronado, CA/Francis Parker HS
Max Ellis - C - Irvine, CA/Santa Margarita HS
Bode Farren - GK - Penryn, CA/Del Oro HS/American River CC
Aidan Forehand - AT - Indian Wells, CA/Xavier College Prep
Blake Fuchslin - AT - Sacramento, CA/Davis Senior HS
Derek Hymer - AT - San Carlos, CA/Sequoia HS
Olin Kusevskis - C - Buffalo Grove, IL/Stevenson HS
Matt Oravetz - UT - Newport Beach, CA/Servite HS
Team Captains: Senior Colin Chase and junior Tom Leggett are the team captains for 2025.
Record Book Watch:
Most Career Goals
1. Ben Phillips (1971-74) 339
2. Tom Leggett (2022-25) 289
3. Grant Snyder (2019-22) 283
Most Points
1. Ben Phillips (1971-74) 442
2. Grant Snyder (2019-22) 399
3. Tom Leggett (2022-25) 365
Up next: Air Force travels to the Titan Invitational at Cal State Fullerton, running Fri.-Sat., Sept. 12-13. The Falcons take on Chapman and Brown on Friday and Cal State Fullerton and Concordia-Irvine on Saturday.
Miscellanous Team Notes:
Air Force is in its 55th season of men's water polo ... The Falcons are in their third season at members of the West Coast Conference ... The Falcons were previously members of the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) from 1987-2022 ... junior UT Tom Leggett led the nation in goals (143) and fourth in points (182) as a sophomore, earning ACWPC All-American Third Team honors ... Leggett lwas named to the Preseason All-WCC Men's Water Polo Team ... sophomore Brady Kopperud is the second member of his family to play Air Force water polo. His brother, Cole, was a four-year letterwinner and 2024 USAFA graduate ... former head coach Jeff Heidmous is slated to go into the Air Force Athletics Hall of Fame as part of the 2025 class.
Rare Air Invitational Schedule
- Home team wears dark caps and listed first
- Live stats for all games via fosh.net
- Video stream via the Air Force youtube channel for every game. Link: https://www.youtube.com/@AF_Falcons
- All times MTN standard.
Saturday, Sept. 6
9 am MT - Whittier vs. UC Merced
10:30 am - Cal State Fullerton vs. Augustana
12 pm - Air Force vs. McKendree
2:30 pm - Whittier vs. Augustana
4 pm - UC Merced vs. McKendree
5:30 pm - Air Force vs. Cal State Fullerton
Sunday, Sept. 7
8:30 am - Air Force vs. Augustana
9:50 am - Whittier vs. McKendree
11:10 am - Cal State Fullerton vs. UC Merced
1 pm - Air Force vs. Whittier
2:20 pm - Cal State Fullerton vs. McKendree
3:40 pm - Air Force vs. UC Merced
BASE ACCESS, PARKING & TRAFFIC
Anyone without a DoD ID card must obtain a visitor pass to enter the Air Force Academy for athletic events. Please click HERE for more information and to apply for a visitors pass.
Series History vs. Rare Air Invite Opponents
vs. McKendree - Air Force leads 2-0. Air Force won 19-11 on Sept. 29, 2023 at the Gary Troyer Tournament.
vs. Cal State Fullerton - Air Force leads 5-4. Air Force won 12-8 on Sept. 13 at the Titan Invitational in Fullerton.
vs. Augustana - Air Force leads 2-0. Air Force won 16-9 on Sept. 22, 2024 at the Rare Air Challenge.
vs. Whittier - Air Force leads 18-2. Air Force won 22-10 on Sept. 9, 2023 at the Inland Empire Classic.
vs. UC Merced - Air Force leads 1-0. First meeting was Nov. 4, 2023, a 18-6 win in Merced.
Recapping Last Week
Air Force went 5-1 hosting the Rare Air Challenge. The Falcons opened Friday with a 18-13 win over Redlands and 24-14 over Mount St. Mary's. On Saturday, the Falcons defeated Salem University 22-15 and fell to #3 Cal 25-10. On Sunday, the Falcons rallied back from a 8-3 deficit to defeat Biola, 18-13 and then went on to defeat Ottawa Arizona 18-10.
Slow Starts, Stronger Finishes
Air Force has started out slow in games so far this season, getting out-scored 28-23 in the first quarter of play. The Falcons have out-scored their opponents in each of the following three quarters though (30-22 in second, 33-20 in third, and 26-20 in fourth).
Leggett Eams WCC Player of the Week
Tom Leggett was named the West Coast Conference Men's Water Polo Player of the Week for games played the week of Aug. 25-31, announced today by the conference office. This is his fourth-career conference player of the week honor.
Leggett (Santa Barbara, Calif,) had a monster opening weekend, tallying 32 goals and 37 points in five games, as Air Force went 5-1 at the Rare Air Challenge. Leggett leads the nation in both goals and assists.
The utility led the Falcons in scoring in all five games he played in. In the win over Mount St. Mary's, Leggett set career-high's with 10 goals and 13 points. He followed in the next game with 10 goals in the win over Salem University. Over the weekend, he also moved into second place all-time in career goals (289) and third-place in career points (363) at Air Force.
Recapping 2024: Air Force went 13-20 last season and 1-5 in WCC action. The Falcons faced a ranked opponent 16 times, including the final seven games to cap the season. Air Force's signature win came over #18 LMU in a 19-18 win at home in WCC play. Sophomore UT Tom Leggett led the nation with 143 goals and 183 points, which were both school records. Leggett earned ACWPC All-America third team honors.
Who's Back: Air Force returns 18 letterwinners, including its top two scorers from 2024. The Falcons return Leggett and second-leading scorer, Jack Richards, who scored 75 goals and 109 points as a sophomore. Air Force returns senior goalkeeper Luca Smith, who recorded 243 saves last season.
Who's Gone: Air Force lost three seniors to graduation. Jacob Yi led the Falcons last year with 68 assists and Kaito Ham was fourth on the team with 68 points. The Falcons also lost David Brown, who tallied 37 assists.
Who's New: Air Force welcomes eight freshmen from the class of 2029. Seven of the eight freshmen hail from California, with one from Illinois.
Shane Borunda - AT- Coronado, CA/Francis Parker HS
Max Ellis - C - Irvine, CA/Santa Margarita HS
Bode Farren - GK - Penryn, CA/Del Oro HS/American River CC
Aidan Forehand - AT - Indian Wells, CA/Xavier College Prep
Blake Fuchslin - AT - Sacramento, CA/Davis Senior HS
Derek Hymer - AT - San Carlos, CA/Sequoia HS
Olin Kusevskis - C - Buffalo Grove, IL/Stevenson HS
Matt Oravetz - UT - Newport Beach, CA/Servite HS
Team Captains: Senior Colin Chase and junior Tom Leggett are the team captains for 2025.
Record Book Watch:
Most Career Goals
1. Ben Phillips (1971-74) 339
2. Tom Leggett (2022-25) 289
3. Grant Snyder (2019-22) 283
Most Points
1. Ben Phillips (1971-74) 442
2. Grant Snyder (2019-22) 399
3. Tom Leggett (2022-25) 365
Up next: Air Force travels to the Titan Invitational at Cal State Fullerton, running Fri.-Sat., Sept. 12-13. The Falcons take on Chapman and Brown on Friday and Cal State Fullerton and Concordia-Irvine on Saturday.
Miscellanous Team Notes:
Air Force is in its 55th season of men's water polo ... The Falcons are in their third season at members of the West Coast Conference ... The Falcons were previously members of the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) from 1987-2022 ... junior UT Tom Leggett led the nation in goals (143) and fourth in points (182) as a sophomore, earning ACWPC All-American Third Team honors ... Leggett lwas named to the Preseason All-WCC Men's Water Polo Team ... sophomore Brady Kopperud is the second member of his family to play Air Force water polo. His brother, Cole, was a four-year letterwinner and 2024 USAFA graduate ... former head coach Jeff Heidmous is slated to go into the Air Force Athletics Hall of Fame as part of the 2025 class.
Players Mentioned
AT
/ Men's Water Polo
UT
/ Men's Water Polo
C/UT
/ Men's Water Polo
G
/ Men's Water Polo
UT
/ Men's Water Polo
AT
/ Men's Water Polo
UT
/ Men's Water Polo
UT
/ Men's Water Polo
C
/ Men's Water Polo
UT
/ Men's Water Polo
UT
/ Men's Water Polo
AT
/ Men's Water Polo
G
/ Men's Water Polo
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Jeff Heidmous - AF Athletuics Hall of Fame Induction video
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