Air Force Duo Goes 1-2 on Pommel Horse in Regular Season Finale

STANFORD, Calif. -- Headlined by a 1-2 finish on the pommel horse from seniors Sam Brown and Jack Matlock, the 13th-ranked Air Force men's gymnastics team closed out the regular season with their second-highest total of the year and a third-place finish at Stanford's five-team meet on Saturday (March 14) night at Burnham Pavilion.

Brown picked up his second event title of the year this evening, as he scored a 13.700 to capture first-place honors on the pommel horse and lead the Falcons to a sweep of the top two scores on that event. Matlock added a runner-up score of 13.650, as the Academy seniors easily distanced themselves from the rest of the 24-gymanst field by a 0.350 margin.

Overall, the Falcons placed three in the top 10 of the pommel horse, as sophomore Ryan Jacobsen matched his career high of 12.650 to finish eighth.

With a PR-matching score of 13.600, senior Tai Gopaul placed second on the high bar to give the Falcons' Class of 2026 three podium finishes on the night. Sophomore Jared Fry joined Gopaul in the top 10 of the high bar, as he placed ninth out of 22 gymnasts with a score of 12.900. Air Force also accounted for multiple top-10 finishers on the parallel bars, as sophomore Jack Thomas Foltyn and senior Palmer Wright finished sixth (13.400) and ninth (13.150), respectively, in the overall field – finishes that were fifth and sixth, behind a quartet from Stanford, in the collegiate field.

Jacobsen and Fry accounted for multiple top-10 finishes on Saturday, as the pair accounted for ninth-place scores to lead the Falcons on the still rings (career-high 12.650) and vault (season-high 13.800), respectively. Freshman Isaac Koo rounded out Air Force's list of event leaders, with a 13.400 (15th) on the floor exercise.

The second-ranked Cardinal won their home meet with a 322.700, while No. 8 California finished second with a 311.550 and Air Force rounded out the collegiate field with a 308.100. The three teams from the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation bettered international squads from Team France and Team Quebec, who finished fourth (305.300) and fifth (289.150), respectively.

The Falcons return to the Academy next weekend, when they open the postseason hosting the USAG Collegiate Nationals at Cadet West Gym. The two-day meet, which will feature Air Force, Army West Point, Greenville, Navy, Simpson, Springfield, and William & Mary, begins with the team finals at 2:00 p.m. (MT) on Friday, March 20, and concludes with the individual event finals at 1:00 p.m., on Saturday, March 21.

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