Air Force Academy

March 21, 2007

The 16-ranked Air Force men's gymnastics team begins postseason competition this weekend (March 24-25) at the USA Gymnastics Collegiate Championships in Williamsburg, Va. The Falcons are returning to the USAG meet after a one year absence. The two-day meet begins Saturday, March 24, at 2 p.m., with the team and all-around finals. The top competitors from each event will advance to the individual event finals on Sunday, March 25.

Weekly Release 09 - at USAG Collegiate Championships
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THE COMPETITION:  During the two-day meet, the Falcons will be facing teams from Arizona State, James Madison, MIT, Navy, Springfield, Texas, Washington and William and Mary.

YOU LOOK FAMILIAR: One program will be quite familiar to the Falcons, as Air Force and Arizona State have faced each other on three occasions. The Falcons hold a 3-0 mark against the Sun Devils, with victories on both home floors and a neutral site. Air Force has also competed against Navy once this year, with the Midshipmen taking the decision over the Falcons at the All-Academy Championships. Air Force has not faced the remaining six teams at all this season.

HISTORY 101: Air Force has had six national champions in nine events during its history at the USA Gymnastics Collegiate Championships. In fact, the Falcons' last USAG national champion was current junior Greg Stine, who won the all-around and pommel horse in 2004. He is the only gymnast to win multiple titles in the same year.

HISTORY 102: During the Falcons' first 12-year run at the USAG Championships (1994-2005), 28 Air Force athletes have amassed 79 USAG All-American honors. Former gymnast Jeff Andersen (Class of 2004) collected the most individual honors with 10.

COLLECTING THE HONORS: Junior Greg Stine picked up another pair of individual event honors as the Falcons closed out the regular season at Nebraska. He won the floor exercise (8.900) and still rings (9.100), while also picking up top-three marks in two other events.

RECAPPING THE NEBRASKA DUAL: Air Force dropped a 207.150-190.100 decision to Nebraska in its final dual meet of the regular season. While Greg Stine led the Falcons on the floor, still rings (see above note) and parallel bars (third-8.450), Brian Boardman led Air Force on two other events, finishing fifth on the pommel horse (7.800) and vault (8.100). Kevin Murphy rounded out the team's top finishers with a fourth-place mark of 7.850 on the high bar.

THE SCOREBOOK: The Nebraska dual marked the fourth time in five meets that the Falcons have cleared 190 points. Air Force nearly matched that mark meet during the only other meet of that stretch, as they tallied a 189.950 at the Southwest Cup

HIGHER AND HIGHER: Highlighted by two first-place finishes from Greg Stine, Air Force improved its season-best score for the second straight meet. The Falcons tallied a 196.500 to finish second to Illinois-Chicago on March 11.

COMING UP: The Falcons continues championship action next weekend at the annual Mountain Pacific Sports Federation meet on Saturday, March 31, in Berkeley, Calif. Air Force will face conference foes Cal, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Stanford at the Haas Pavilion.