Air Force Academy

May 24, 2011

USAFA, Colo. - Highlighted by a pair of home games against the top two teams in the Western Water Polo Association, the 2011 Air Force water polo schedule was released today by head coach Jeff Heidmous. The Falcons will host UC San Diego and Loyola Marymount on Sept. 23 and Oct. 14, respectively, for their only home contests of the year.

"We are excited about our two Friday night home games against conference opponents UCSD and LMU," said Heidmous. "LMU and UCSD have been the class of the WWPA for the last decade, so it is a great opportunity for the Academy community to experience very high-level college water polo. We hope to attract large and vocal crowds for these first home games in the newly renovated Cadet Natatorium. It should be a great experience for everyone."

The Falcons' schedule starts out at the annual Triton Invitational, hosted by UC San Diego, Sept. 3-4. Air Force is back in action Sept. 17-18 for one of the season's top tournaments, the NorCal Tournament, hosted this year by Pacific.

After its home game against UCSD on Sept. 23, Air Force heads back out to the West Coast on Sept. 30 for a Friday afternoon game against WWPA foe Chapman, while taking part in another top-notch event, the SoCal Tournament, hosted by Long Beach State, Oct. 1-2.

The Falcons have a week off before their home game versus Loyola Marymount on Oct. 14, and will follow that contest with a trip to Santa Clara for the Bronco Tournament, Oct. 22-23. The last weekend of the regular season will feature a pair of conference match-ups, as Air Force visits Whittier and Pomona-Pitzer on Nov. 4 and 5, respectively, while the Falcons travels to Long Beach State on Nov. 6.

UC San Diego will host the 2010 WWPA Championship, slated to be held Nov. 17-20. The winner of the conference tournament will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship, hosted by Cal, Dec. 3-4.

"Our goal is to play at a high enough level to consistently compete with the top 10 teams in the nation and annually compete for the WWPA Championship," said Heidmous. "To compete for the WWPA crown, I believe we are best served by playing a demanding schedule. In this schedule, we should play over 70% of our games against teams who finished last season in the top 15 nationally. If we end the season above .500, we will be in position to reach our goals."