Jack Matlock Advances to NCAA Championship Final

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Air Force senior Jack Matlock secured his return to the pommel horse finals of the NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships this evening (April 17) after advancing out of the night session at the National Qualifier tonight (April 17) in Champaign, Illinois.

Matlock recorded a six-judge score of 13.833 to place fourth out of 32 gymnasts in his signature event. As the top finisher not on an advancing team, Matlock captured one of the three individual slots out of the evening session for his second-straight trip to the national championship meet.

The senior was one of seven Falcons to compete during tonight's qualification round, including classmate Sam Brown, who added a 17th-place finish on the pommel horse behind a score of 13.133. Fellow senior Palmer Wright claimed a 15th-place score of 13.166 on the parallel bars, while another member of the squad's Class of 2026 – Tai Gopaul – represented Air Force on the floor exercise (17th, 13.100), high bar (22nd, 11.800) and parallel bars (26th, 12.466).

Sophomore Jared Fry finished fifth in the all-around with a 71.865 (13.066 floor exercise, 10.833 pommel horse, 12.033 still rings, 13.400 vault, 11.533 parallel bars, 11.00 high bar), while classmate Jack Thomas Foltyn earned 18th-place finishes in both the vault (13.500) and parallel bars (13.066) and freshman Isaac Koo made his national debut on the vault (29th, 11.600) and high bar (28th, 10.900)

Matlock returns to the State Farm Center tomorrow (April 18) night for the finals of the 2026 NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships. The senior will compete at the start of the fifth rotation of the national championship meet, which will begin at 6:00 p.m. (CT) and be broadcast live on ESPN2.

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