Wednesday, April 1
Baton Rouge, La.
1:00 PM MT
Air Force Academy
vs
Nebraska
Women’s Gymnastics Set for NCAA Baton Rouge Regional
3/31/2026 10:42:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
Air Force Women's Gymnastics is one of 36 NCAA Division I gymnastics programs in the nation opening its bid for a national title, as the Falcons prepare for the first round of the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional. The Falcons will be taking on No. 44 Nebraska in the opening round of regional action at 1 p.m. MT on Wednesday, Apr. 1 inside LSU's Pete Maravich Assembly Center. The winner of Wednesday's dual will share a floor with No. 2 LSU, No. 15 Clemson and Auburn, Apr. 2-3 for a shot at the regional final.
Air Force's selection marks just its third ever and first since the 2002 season. The Falcons earned a regional bid in both the 2001 and 2002 seasons, finishing sixth and fifth respectively.
Follow Along:
Each round of the Baton Rouge Regional will be available on ESPN+ via subscription. Lice scoring will be provided through Virtius. Links to both can be found on the women's gymnastics' schedule page at goairforcefalcons.com.
Postseason Structure:
The first round will be in dual format with the winner advancing into round two (Apr. 2-3). The second round at each regional is comprised of eight teams (including the first-round winner) and individuals, and the regional final will consist of the final four advancing teams. The top two teams in each session in round two qualify for the final round, and the final two teams in the last round will advance the national championship in Fort Worth on Apr. 18. The top all-arounder and event specialist at each regional (who is not on an advancing team) qualifies to the national championship in their respective event(s).
Individuals will compete in the second round at regionals. Scores achieved in the second round will be used to determine advancing individuals once the regional final is finished (to account for individuals on teams that are eliminated in the regional final) and then the top all-arounder (not on an advancing team) and top specialist for each event (not on an advancing team) will advance to the national championship, in that event only. This method ensures four all-arounders and 16 specialists advance to the championship.
Flowers Earned:
Announced by the Mountain West Conference on March 20, an extensive list of end-of-year honors secured by the Falcons was highlighted by the selection of junior all arounder Maggie Slife as Mountain West Gymnast of the Year, and a conference Coach of the Year nod for program head Jennifer Green.
In addition to Slife earning her second-straight Gymnast of the Year honor, a full sweep of the Specialist of the Year awards and coach Green securing the program's first Coach of the Year award since 2018, Slife was named a WCGA First-Team All American on bars and as an all-arounder, becoming Air Force's first-ever to be named to the award and just the second in Mountain West history.
Slife, senior Kylee Greene and sophomore Alyssa Bigler totaled 11 All-Mountain West superlatives in 2026 – Tying the program record for a single season while scoring the most for Air Force of any program in the conference this year.
No Ceiling for the Falcons:
Four times in 2026 and five times in the last two seasons, Air Force has broken its all-time record score. Most recently, the Falcons scored a 197.150 on March 14 in Air Force's home finale, earning its highest-ever finish again and its first-ever 197-plus while setting a Mountain West record with the score.
Champ Status:
Defeating San Jose State on March 7 netted Air Force a share of the 2026 Mountain West regular season title – The first in program history.
Air Force in the Rankings:
Currently ranked 30th in the nation and third in the MW (195.590), Air Force falls in at 39th nationally on vault (48.840 – third in MW), 35th on bars (48.875 – second in MW), 31st on beam (48.880 – third in MW) and 33rd on floor (48.045 – second in MW).
A Senior Night for the Ages:
On March 14, Air Force scored a 197.150 win over the visiting Fisk Bulldogs. The score represents Air Force's first-ever 197-plus finish and a new Mountain West record for highest-ever team score – A fitting Senior Night for a cadre of soon-to-be graduates leading a squad who is rewriting the program record book in 2026.
Air Force opened on vault scoring an even 49.000 – The Falcons' second 49-plus this season on the apparatus. Slife paced Air Force, scoring 9.875. Greene earned a 9.825 to match a season-best score. Junior Olivia Raife, proving to be a strong foundational piece on vault for the Falcons this season, scored a 9.800 to earn her fifth 9.800 or better in her last seven showings. Bigler also earned a 9.800 to cap off a strong start to the evening for Air Force.
The Falcons posted their second-highest score ever on bars, finishing with a 49.350. Slife, the seventh-ranked bars gymnast in the nation, led the Falcons scoring a 9.950. Bigler followed up, earning her first career 9.900 on bars. Greene earned a 9.850, tying her career high. Senior Gabi Hartley and junior Chelsea Boyer both hit a pair of 9.825s to tie season/career bests.
The highlight of an historic evening for the Falcons took place on balance beam, as Air Force crushed its all-time score (49.525) to earn both Air Force and Mountain West records. The Falcons' 49.525 also tied the single-event MW record (Boise State – Floor - 3/23/24).
Four Falcons scored 9.900 or higher on beam. Slife earned a career best 9.975 to set both new Air Force/Mountain West benchmarks on beam. For the second time this season, Bigler scored a 9.925. Freshman Erin McDermott, who has been on the rise throughout her first season as a Falcon, earned a 9.900, a new career best. Green added another 9.900 to the tally, scoring her second in three meets to tie her career mark. Sophomore Anna Bacott ended an all-time showing on beam scoring a 9.825, which represents her fourth 9.800-or-higher score in Air Force's last five events.
Air Force capped an electric evening earning a 49.275 on floor, tying a season best. All-around trio Bigler, Greene and Slife ended their respective evenings each scoring a 9.875. Senior Gracie Willis tied her career high, scoring a 9.850. Bacott hit a 9.800 to close out her freshman season home finale on a career high finish.
Last Time Out:
On March 21, Air Force closed its 2026 regular season earning a fourth-place, 195.750 in the 2026 Credit Union 1 Mountain West Gymnastics Championships at ExtraMile Arena in Boise, Idaho.
The evening was highlighted by the selection of Alyssa Bigler as all-around champion, marking her first career Mountain West title. The sophomore earned a podium on both balance beam and vault, finishing in second and third place respectively on both events.
Air Force's selection marks just its third ever and first since the 2002 season. The Falcons earned a regional bid in both the 2001 and 2002 seasons, finishing sixth and fifth respectively.
Follow Along:
Each round of the Baton Rouge Regional will be available on ESPN+ via subscription. Lice scoring will be provided through Virtius. Links to both can be found on the women's gymnastics' schedule page at goairforcefalcons.com.
Postseason Structure:
The first round will be in dual format with the winner advancing into round two (Apr. 2-3). The second round at each regional is comprised of eight teams (including the first-round winner) and individuals, and the regional final will consist of the final four advancing teams. The top two teams in each session in round two qualify for the final round, and the final two teams in the last round will advance the national championship in Fort Worth on Apr. 18. The top all-arounder and event specialist at each regional (who is not on an advancing team) qualifies to the national championship in their respective event(s).
Individuals will compete in the second round at regionals. Scores achieved in the second round will be used to determine advancing individuals once the regional final is finished (to account for individuals on teams that are eliminated in the regional final) and then the top all-arounder (not on an advancing team) and top specialist for each event (not on an advancing team) will advance to the national championship, in that event only. This method ensures four all-arounders and 16 specialists advance to the championship.
Flowers Earned:
Announced by the Mountain West Conference on March 20, an extensive list of end-of-year honors secured by the Falcons was highlighted by the selection of junior all arounder Maggie Slife as Mountain West Gymnast of the Year, and a conference Coach of the Year nod for program head Jennifer Green.
In addition to Slife earning her second-straight Gymnast of the Year honor, a full sweep of the Specialist of the Year awards and coach Green securing the program's first Coach of the Year award since 2018, Slife was named a WCGA First-Team All American on bars and as an all-arounder, becoming Air Force's first-ever to be named to the award and just the second in Mountain West history.
Slife, senior Kylee Greene and sophomore Alyssa Bigler totaled 11 All-Mountain West superlatives in 2026 – Tying the program record for a single season while scoring the most for Air Force of any program in the conference this year.
No Ceiling for the Falcons:
Four times in 2026 and five times in the last two seasons, Air Force has broken its all-time record score. Most recently, the Falcons scored a 197.150 on March 14 in Air Force's home finale, earning its highest-ever finish again and its first-ever 197-plus while setting a Mountain West record with the score.
Champ Status:
Defeating San Jose State on March 7 netted Air Force a share of the 2026 Mountain West regular season title – The first in program history.
Air Force in the Rankings:
Currently ranked 30th in the nation and third in the MW (195.590), Air Force falls in at 39th nationally on vault (48.840 – third in MW), 35th on bars (48.875 – second in MW), 31st on beam (48.880 – third in MW) and 33rd on floor (48.045 – second in MW).
A Senior Night for the Ages:
On March 14, Air Force scored a 197.150 win over the visiting Fisk Bulldogs. The score represents Air Force's first-ever 197-plus finish and a new Mountain West record for highest-ever team score – A fitting Senior Night for a cadre of soon-to-be graduates leading a squad who is rewriting the program record book in 2026.
Air Force opened on vault scoring an even 49.000 – The Falcons' second 49-plus this season on the apparatus. Slife paced Air Force, scoring 9.875. Greene earned a 9.825 to match a season-best score. Junior Olivia Raife, proving to be a strong foundational piece on vault for the Falcons this season, scored a 9.800 to earn her fifth 9.800 or better in her last seven showings. Bigler also earned a 9.800 to cap off a strong start to the evening for Air Force.
The Falcons posted their second-highest score ever on bars, finishing with a 49.350. Slife, the seventh-ranked bars gymnast in the nation, led the Falcons scoring a 9.950. Bigler followed up, earning her first career 9.900 on bars. Greene earned a 9.850, tying her career high. Senior Gabi Hartley and junior Chelsea Boyer both hit a pair of 9.825s to tie season/career bests.
The highlight of an historic evening for the Falcons took place on balance beam, as Air Force crushed its all-time score (49.525) to earn both Air Force and Mountain West records. The Falcons' 49.525 also tied the single-event MW record (Boise State – Floor - 3/23/24).
Four Falcons scored 9.900 or higher on beam. Slife earned a career best 9.975 to set both new Air Force/Mountain West benchmarks on beam. For the second time this season, Bigler scored a 9.925. Freshman Erin McDermott, who has been on the rise throughout her first season as a Falcon, earned a 9.900, a new career best. Green added another 9.900 to the tally, scoring her second in three meets to tie her career mark. Sophomore Anna Bacott ended an all-time showing on beam scoring a 9.825, which represents her fourth 9.800-or-higher score in Air Force's last five events.
Air Force capped an electric evening earning a 49.275 on floor, tying a season best. All-around trio Bigler, Greene and Slife ended their respective evenings each scoring a 9.875. Senior Gracie Willis tied her career high, scoring a 9.850. Bacott hit a 9.800 to close out her freshman season home finale on a career high finish.
Last Time Out:
On March 21, Air Force closed its 2026 regular season earning a fourth-place, 195.750 in the 2026 Credit Union 1 Mountain West Gymnastics Championships at ExtraMile Arena in Boise, Idaho.
The evening was highlighted by the selection of Alyssa Bigler as all-around champion, marking her first career Mountain West title. The sophomore earned a podium on both balance beam and vault, finishing in second and third place respectively on both events.
Players Mentioned
AA
/ Women's Gymnastics
AA
/ Women's Gymnastics
AA
/ Women's Gymnastics
AA
/ Women's Gymnastics
AA
/ Women's Gymnastics
AA
/ Women's Gymnastics
AA
/ Women's GymnasticsJoe Crispin Introductory Press Conference
Tuesday, March 31
Dolphins Top Falcons at Home in ASUN Opener
Saturday, March 28
Sam Barber Interview March 24, 2026
Tuesday, March 24
Taylor Hollander Interview March 24, 2026
Tuesday, March 24
