Air Force Academy

Jan. 17, 2002

The Falcons are coming off a tremendous fall season, finding success in several tournaments. They won the Falcon Antigua Invitational and the Service Academies Classic for the seventh consecutive season. They also captured third place in the Louisiana Tech Invitational. As the team prepares for the spring season, the golfers are facing a difficult and challenging schedule.

Leading the team is captain Ben Leestma, who is having a tremendous year and is an All-American candidate. Several other players will need to be successful in order for the Falcons to continue the momentum it gained in the fall. Newcomer Adam Wasinger competed in all varsity tournaments as a freshman. Senior Matt Sakowitz and Chris Dieter are solid golfers and will need to be consistent performers. The fifth spot is up for grabs, with several strong golfers competing for a chance to represent the Falcons in the spring tournaments.

The Falcons open the spring season in Texas at the Rice Invitational. This tournament should help the team prepare for the Las Vegas Invitational, hosted by UNLV. It will be perhaps the toughest tournament of the season for Air Force, with several top 20 teams participating.

Air Force will again compete in the Colorado Invitational at Stevinson Ranch. The team struggled at the event last year, finishing in 14th place out of 14 teams. They will enter the tournament looking to have a better finish this season.

The Falcons then head to Wichita, Kansas, for the Shocker Invitational. Last year, the Falcons finished in the top 10 in this event, and they will look to have another strong outing in 2002. They will also look to use the tournament to help prepare them for the final tournament of the regular season - the BYU Cougar Classic. It is an important tournament for the Falcons, as several of the Mountain West teams will be participating and it will give the team a chance to see where they measure up.

The final event of the year is the Mountain West Championships, held for the second consecutive year in Sunriver, Ore. The Mountain West is a very tough golf conference, and the Falcons have finished in last place both years in the league. This season, the team looks to change that, as they will be facing tough competition in preparation for the season's final tournament.