2011 Air Force Men's Gymnastics Media Guide

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AIR FORCE MEN’S GYMNASTICS

2011 MEDIA GUIDE



2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY Loca on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .USAF Academy, Colo. Founded . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1954 Enrollment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4,400 Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Blue and Silver Nickname . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Falcons Affilia on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .NCAA Division I Conference . . . . .Mountain Pacific Sports Federa on Superintendent . . . . . . . . . . .Lt Gen Michael C. Gould Director of Athle cs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Dr. Hans Mueh

Quick Facts | Meet Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Media Informa on | 2011 Roster . . . . . . . . . . . .2-3 Opponent Informa on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Head Coach Kip Simons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-7 Assistant Coaches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-9 Support Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Senior Gymnasts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12-16 Junior Gymnasts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17-19 Sophomore Gymnasts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20-23 Freshman Gymnasts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24-26 2010 Season in Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28-30 Special Feature (F-16 Rides) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 USAG Championship Recap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32-33 Meet-By-Meet Scores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34-37 Summer with the Falcons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

Program Awards | Coaching Awards . . . . . . . . . .40 Na onal Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 Academic Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 All-Time Le erwinners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 Academy Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 Top-Five Team Performances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 Top-10 Individual Performances . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Capt Torkelson Tribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 The Academy Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 Senior Leaderships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 Director of Athle cs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Air Force Athle cs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 Colorado Springs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 Gymnas cs Training Facili es . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 Falcons Par cipate in Race for the Cure . . . . . . .54 Community Outreach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 Overview of the Scoring System . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56

2010 SEASON REVIEW

COACHING STAFF Head Coach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kip Simons Email . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .kip.simons@usafa.edu Office Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(719) 333-7667 Office Fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(719) 333-7320 Assistant Coach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jeff Robinson Email . . . . . . . . . . . . . .jeffrey.robinson@usafa.edu Office Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(719) 333-4609 Assistant Coach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chuck Schweiss Email . . . . . . . . . .charles.schweiss.ctr@usafa.edu Office Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(719) 333-6422 SUPPORT STAFF Volunteer Coach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Dave Mickelson Officer Rep . . . . . . . . . . .Maj Cathrine Marchesseault Athle c Trainer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mark Peters Cadet Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Colton Buechel Cadet Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kaila Weber

The 2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide was wri en and designed by assistant media rela ons director Valerie Perkin. Addi onal edi ng provided by the Air Force media rela ons office and the gymnas cs coaching staff. Photographs were taken by Diane Biedermann and members of the Academy’s DenMar Photo Services. Special thanks to John Cheng for photos of the USAG Hall of Fame Induc on Ceremony.

DATE Jan. 15 Jan. 22 Jan. 30 Feb. 3-5 Feb. 18 Feb. 20 Mar. 4 Mar. 6 Mar. 11 Mar. 13 Mar. 20 Mar. 25-26 Apr. 2 Apr. 14-16

MEET Rocky Mountain Open Army at Nebraska at Winter Cup Challenge at Minnesota at All-Academy Championships at Illinois-Chicago at Illinois-Chicago at Brockport, with Minnesota at Springfield College Washington | Senior Day at USAG Championships MPSF Championships at NCAA Championships

LOCATION USAF Academy, Colo. USAF Academy, Colo. Lincoln, Neb. Las Vegas, Nev. Minneapolis, Minn. Aliso Viejo, Calif. Chicago, Ill. Chicago, Ill. Brockport, N.Y. Springfield, Mass. USAF Academy, Colo. Springfield, Mass. USAF Academy, Colo. Columbus, Ohio

ARENA Cadet West Gym Cadet West Gym Devaney Center Las Vegas Sports Center Sports Pavilion Soka Recreation Center Physical Education Bldg. Physical Education Bldg. Brockport Gym Facility Blake Arena Cadet West Gym Blake Arena Cadet West Gym St. John’s Arena

Home competitions are listed in blue. Subject to change | Check GoAirForceFalcons.com for the most up-to-date schedule.

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TIME 6 pm 1 pm 2 pm 4 pm 7 pm 4 pm 7 pm 1 pm 7 pm 1 pm 1 pm 7 pm 5 pm TBA

AIR FORCE ACADEMY

CREDITS

2011 COMPETITION SCHEDULE

PROGRAM HISTORY

MEDIA INFORMATION Assistant SID/Men’s Gymnas cs . . . . . .Valerie Perkin Email . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .valerie.perkin@usafa.edu Office Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(719) 333-8283 Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .GoAirForceFalcons.com

MEET THE FALCONS

TEAM INFORMATION Team Captain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Nash Mills Home Facility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cadet West Gym Scorers Table Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(719) 440-5315 2010 MPSF Finish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5th 2010 USAG Finish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1st 2010 NCAA Final Ranking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15th Le erwinners R/L . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8/6 USAG All-Americans R/L . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4/2 Newcomers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

TABLE OF CONTENTS

2011 TEAM INFORMATION

QUICK FACTS


ACADEMY INTERVIEW POLICIES INTERVIEWS: Interviews with Air Force coaches and gymnasts must be arraigned through Valerie Perkin in the Air Force Athle c Media Rela ons Office. All requests must be made at least 24 hours in advance of the desired interview me. WORKING PRESS CREDENTIALS: Press and photo creden als for media can be obtained by contac ng Valerie Perkin, assistant athle c media rela ons director, at (719) 333-8286. Requests should be made at least one day prior to the meet. CONTACTING ATHLETES: The private phone numbers and email addresses of Air Force cadet-athletes will not be issued to the media. The cadet-athletes have been instructed not to accept calls from any members of the media without prior no fica on from the athle c media rela ons office.

AIR FORCE ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

WWW.GOAIRFORCEFALCONS.COM Associate Athle c Director | Communica ons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Troy Garnhart Assistant Athle c Director | Media Rela ons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Dave Toller Assistant Media Rela ons Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Nick Arseniak Assistant Media Rela ons Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jerry Cross Assistant Media Rela ons Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Melissa McKeown Assistant Media Rela ons Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Valerie Perkin Graphics Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Madeline McGuire Broadcast Execu ve Producer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Brian Jerman Television Produc on Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Adam Parker

Visit the official Air Force athle c website - GoAirForceFalcons.com for the most up-to-date informa on regarding the Falcons’ men’s gymnas cs team and all 27 Air Force sports. Results, sta s cs, rosters, cadet-athlete bios, previews, features, interviews and meet recaps can be found on the team page.

Mailing Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2169 Field House Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .USAF Academy, CO 80840 Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.GoAirForceFalcons.com Office Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(719) 333-2313 Office Fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(719) 333-3798

FIND US ON FACEBOOK The Air Force men’s gymnastics team has joined Facebook! Anyone can get behind the scenes information on the team by joining their group. Just type “Air Force Gymnastics” in the Facebook search box or use the link on the GoAirForceFalcons.com page.

Men’s Gymnas cs Contact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Valerie Perkin Email . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .valerie.perkin@usafa.edu Office Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(719) 333-8286 Cell Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(719) 440-5215

PRIMARY MEDIA OUTLETS

MOUNTAIN PACIFIC SPORTS FEDERATION Execu ve Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Al Beaird Office Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(530) 669-7600 Media Rela ons Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Darren Preston Email . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .dp725@sbcglobal.net Mailing Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PO Box 850 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Woodland, CA 95776-0850 Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.mpsports.org

Academy Spirit HQ USAFA/PAI USAFA, CO 80840 Phone: (719) 333-2044

Denver Post 101 W. Colfax Ave., 600 Denver, CO 80202 Phone: (303) 954-1296

KOAA-TV (5/30) - NBC 2200 7th Ave. Pueblo, CO 81003 Phone: (719) 630-3930

The Gaze e 30 S. Prospect Colo. Springs, CO 80903 Phone: (719) 636-0250

KRDO-TV (13) - ABC P.O. Box 1457 Colo. Springs, CO 80901 Phone: (719) 575-6360

KKTV (11) - CBS 3100 N. Nevada Ave. Colo. Springs, CO 80907 Phone: (719) 578-0000

DIRECTIONS TO CADET WEST GYMNASIUM Take I-25 to the Air Force Academy North Gate entrance (exit 156B) and continue west for about two miles. Visitors will be required to have a current government-issued ID (such as a drivers license) and proof of insurance upon entering the Academy grounds. Turn left onto Parade Loop (second left after the guard post). Follow the road to the right - it turns into Field House Drive. Park in the lots to the east or south of the Cadet Field House. Walk past the Cadet Field House and Falcon Athletic Center to enter the Cadet Gym (doors are north of the outdoor tennis courts).

AIR FORCE ACADEMY

PROGRAM HISTORY

2010 SEASON REVIEW

MEET THE FALCONS

2011 TEAM INFORMATION

2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions

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2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide

YR Fr. So. Fr. Jr. Fr. So. Sr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Jr. So. So. Fr. Sr. Fr. Sr. Fr.

HT 5-9 5-7 5-7 5-8 5-4 5-9 5-5 5-7 5-7 5-8 5-7 5-6 5-6 5-5 5-8 5-6 5-7 5-3

EVENTS FX, PH, SR, V, PB, HB FX, PH, SR, V, PB, HB FX, PH, SR, V, PB, HB FX, PH, SR, V, PB, HB PH, SR, PB PH, PB, HB FX, PH, SR, PB SR, HB FX, SR, V, PB, HB FX, PH, SR, V, PB, HB PH, PB FX, PH, SR, V, PB, HB FX, PH, SR, V FX, PH, SR, V, PB, HB FX, PH, PB FX, PH, SR, V, PB, HB FX, SR, V, PB FX, PH, SR, V, PB, HB

HOMETOWN | HIGH SCHOOL Union, Ky. | Beechwood Portland, Ore. | Tigard Albuquerque, N.M. | La Cueva Pinehurst, Texas | Tomball San Antonio, Texas | Claudia Taylor Johnson Sylvania, Ohio | St. Francis de Sales China, Mich. | St. Clair Lynnfield, Mass. | Lynnfield Houston, Texas | Cypress Creek Coto De Caza, Calif. | Tesoro Woodland Park, Colo. | home school Yorba Linda, Calif. | Esperanza Grayson, Ga. | home school Concord, N.C. | Concord Poway, Calif. | Poway Wheat Ridge, Colo. | Wheat Ridge Senior Pittsburgh, Pa. | home school Pittsburgh, Pa. | home school

HEAD COACH: Kip Simons | Sixth Season | Ohio State, 1994 ASSISTANT COACH: Jeff Robinson | First Season | Auburn, 1982 | Memphis State, 1983 ASSISTANT COACH: Chuck Schweiss | Third Season | Air Force Academy, 1982 VOLUNTEER COACH: Dave Mickelson | 10th Season | Iowa State, 1982

SENIORS (5) Dan Klimkowski Derek Kvedar Nash Mills Matt Thorne Aaron Zaiser JUNIORS (3) Jacob Houder Devin Menefee Tyler Myers

5-5 TO 5-6 (5) Dan Klimkowski James Okamoto Nick Owen Mac Ritchie Colton Wulf 5-7 TO 5-8 (9) Tory Brown Patrick Duffy Jacob Houder Derek Kvedar Devin Menefee Nash Mills Travis Myers Matt Thorne Aaron Zaiser 5-9 (2) Kyle Baker Alex Jessop

BY STATE CALIFORNIA (3) Nash Mills James Okamoto Matt Thorne

NEW MEXICO (1) Patrick Duffy N. CAROLINA (1) Mac Ritchie

COLORADO (2) Travis Myers Colton Wulf

OHIO (1) Alex Jessop

GEORGIA (1) Nick Owen

OREGON (1) Tory Brown

KENTUCKY (1) Kyle Baker

PENNSYLVANIA (2) Aaron Zaiser Ben Zaiser

MASS. (1) Derek Kvedar MICHIGAN (1) Dan Klimkowski

TEXAS (3) Jacob Houder Tyler Huebner Devin Menefee

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AIR FORCE ACADEMY

FRESHMEN (6) Kyle Baker Patrick Duffy Tyler Huebner Mac Ritchie Colton Wulf Ben Zaiser

5-3 TO 5-4 (2) Tyler Huebner Ben Zaiser

CUTLINE OF COVER TEAM PHOTO - Back Row (from left to right): Kip Simons (head coach); Travis Myers; Devin Menefee; Tory Brown; Alex Jessop; Kyle Baker; Colton Buechel (manager); Jacob Houder; Derek Kvedar; Patrick Duffy; Matt Thorne; James Okamoto; Mark Peters (athletic trainer). Front Row (from left to right): Jeff Robinson (assistant coach); Kaila Weber (manager); Tyler Huebner; Mac Ritchie; Dan Klimkowski; Aaron Zaiser; Nash Mills; Colton Wulf; Nick Owen; Ben Zaiser; Maj Cathrine Marchesseault (officer representative); Chuck Schweiss (assistant coach)

PROGRAM HISTORY

SOPHOMORES (4) Tory Brown Alex Jessop James Okamoto Nick Owen

BY HEIGHT

--shh-weiss mick-ill-son

2010 SEASON REVIEW

BY CLASS

CLUB TEAM PRONUNCIATION Queen City Gymnastics -Multnomah Athletic Club (MAC) -Gold Cup Gymnastics -Cypress Academy of Gymnastics how-der Alamo Gymnastics Center heeb-ner Sunrise Gymnastics jess-up Michigan Academy of Gymnastics klim-cow-ski Yellow Jackets Gymnastics kuh-vay-der Cypress Academy of Gymnastics menn-eff-ee New Hope Gymnastics Club -Colorado Training Center -South Coast Gymnastics oak-ah-moh-toe Atlanta School of Gymnastics -G&J Speedway Gymnastics -Mission Valley YMCA -5280 Gymnastics wolf Butler Gymnastics Club zz-eye-sir Pittsburgh Northstars zz-eye-sir

MEET THE FALCONS

NAME Kyle Baker Tory Brown Patrick Duffy Jacob Houder Tyler Huebner Alex Jessop Dan Klimkowski Derek Kvedar Devin Menefee Nash Mills Travis Myers James Okamoto Nick Owen Mac Ritchie Matt Thorne Colton Wulf Aaron Zaiser Ben Zaiser

2011 TEAM INFORMATION

2011 ROSTER


MEET THE FALCONS

2011 TEAM INFORMATION

2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions

ARMY Loca on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .West Point, N.Y. Founded . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1802 Enrollment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4,400 Conference . . . . . . . . . . . .Eastern Collegiate Athle c Nickname . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Black Knights Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Black, Gold and Gray Facility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Gross Center Superintendent . . . . . . . . . . . .Lt Gen David Huntoon Interim Athle cs Director . . . . . . . .Col Sam Johnson Head Coach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Doug Van Everen 2010 Conf Finish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sixth 2010 Final Ranking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17th Gymnas cs SID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mady Salvani Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(845) 938-3303 Email . . . . . . . . . . . . . .madeline.salvani@usma.edu Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.GoArmySports.com

AIR FORCE ACADEMY

PROGRAM HISTORY

2010 SEASON REVIEW

NAVY Loca on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Annapolis, Md. Founded . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1845 Enrollment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4,400 Conference . . . . . . . . . . . .Eastern Collegiate Athle c Nickname . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Midshipmen, Mids Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Navy Blue and Gold Facility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Macdonough Hall Superintendent . . . . . . . . . .Vice Adm Michael Miler Athle cs Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Chet Gladchuk Head Coach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Dr. ShoFukushima 2010 Conf Finish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fi h 2010 Final Ranking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16th Gymnas cs SID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jeff Barnes Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(410) 293-8771 Email . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .barnes@usna.edu Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.navysports.com

ILLINOIS-CHICAGO

MINNESOTA

Loca on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Chicago, Ill. Founded . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1896 Enrollment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27,300 Conference . . . . . . . . . . . .Eastern Collegiate Athle c Nickname . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Flames Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . .Navy Blue and Fire Engine Red Facility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Physical Educa on Building Chancellor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Paula Allen-Meares Athle cs Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . .James W. Schmidt Head Coach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Charley Nelson 2010 Conf Finish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .First 2010 Final Ranking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .n/a Gymnas cs SID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Zoe Kind Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (312) 413-9340 Email . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .zkind@uic.edu Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.uicFlames.com

NEBRASKA

Loca on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Minneapolis, Minn. Founded . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1851 Enrollment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51,000 Conference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Big Ten Nickname . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Golden Gophers Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Maroon and Gold Facility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sports Pavilion President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Robert H. Bruininks Athle cs Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Joel Maturi Head Coach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mike Burns 2010 Conf Finish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fi h 2010 Final Ranking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Seventh Gymnas cs SID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Andy Seeley Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(612) 625-4090 Email . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .aseeley@umn.edu Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.GopherSports.com

OKLAHOMA

Loca on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lincoln, Neb. Founded . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1869 Enrollment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24,610 Conference . . . . . . . . . .Mountain Pacific Sports Fed. Nickname . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cornhuskers Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Scarlet and Cream Facility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bob Devaney Sports Center Chancellor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Harvey Perlman, J.D. Athle cs Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tom Osborne Head Coach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Chuck Chmelka 2010 Conf Finish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fourth 2010 Final Ranking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10th Gymnas cs SID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kelly Keogh Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(402) 472-0694 Email . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .kkeogh@huskers.com Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.huskers.com

Loca on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Norman, Okla. Founded . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1890 Enrollment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30.092 Conference . . . . . . . . . .Mountain Pacific Sports Fed. Nickname . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sooners Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Crimson and Cream Facility . . . . . . . . . . .Howard McCasland Field House President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .David Boren Athle cs Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Joe Cas glione Head Coach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mark Williams 2010 Conf Finish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .First 2010 Final Ranking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Second Gymnas cs SID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ma Williams Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(405) 325-8231 Email . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .mwilson75@ou.edu Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.SonnerSports.com

SPRINGFIELD Loca on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Springfield, Mass. Founded . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1885 Enrollment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5,000 Conference . . . . . . . . . . . .Eastern Collegiate Athle c Nickname . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pride Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Maroon and White Facility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Blake Arena President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Richard B. Flynn Athle cs Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cathie Schweitzer Head Coach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Steve Posner 2010 Conf Finish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fourth 2010 Final Ranking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15th Gymnas cs SID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Brian Magoffin Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (413) 748-3341 Email . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .bmagoffin@spfldcol.edu Website . . . .www.spfldcol.edu/homepage/athle cs

USAG CHAMPIONSHIPS

MPSF CHAMPIONSHIPS

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS

MARCH 25-26 SPRINGFIELD, MASS.

APRIL 2 USAF ACADEMY, COLO.

APRIL 14-16 COLUMBUS, OHIO

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THE COACHING STAFF


AIR FORCE ACADEMY

PROGRAM HISTORY

2010 SEASON REVIEW

MEET THE FALCONS

2011 TEAM INFORMATION

2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions

KIP SIMONS

HEAD COACH | SIXTH SEASON OHIO STATE, 1994

Olympian and USAG Hall of Fame honoree Kip Simons enters his sixth season as the head coach of the Air Force Academy men's gymnas cs team. Since taking over the Falcons’ program in 2005, Simons has coached one NCAA All-American (two cer ficates), one Nissen-Emery finalist, four USAG champions (nine tles) and 17 USAG All-Americans (35 cer ficates), while earning six coaching awards.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS 2010 USAG Hall of Fame Inductee 1988 Junior Pan-Am Champion 1991 Big Ten Freshman of the Year 1994 Goodwill Games Gold Medalist 1994 Nissen-Emery Award Winner 1995 Pan-American Gold Medalist 1996 S ll Rings Na onal Champion 1996 Olympian Two- me World Team Member Two- me NCAA All-American Four- me Big Ten Champion Five- me Junior Olympic Gold Medalist Four- me Ohio State Le erwinner

CAREER COACHING HIGHLIGHTS 2010 CGA Collegiate Head Coach of the Year 2008, 2010 West Region Coach of the Year 2008, 2010 USAG Coach of the Year 2006 MPSF Co-Coach of the Year

“Coaching at the Air Force Academy is a dream job,” Simons said. “There is nothing more rewarding than to see my athletes maximize their poten al as gymnasts and then go on to become the best pilots in the na on.” In just five years at the helm of the Air Force program, Simons had accumulated several coaching accolades. In 2006, he was voted as the Mountain Pacific Sports Federa on Coach of the Year. Following the 2008 season, he was selected as the USAG Coach of the Year and the NCAA West Region Coach of the Year. The 2010 season was a banner year for Simons, who was named the USAG Varsity Head Coach of the Year, the NCAA West Region Coach of the Year and the CGA/Collegiate Division Na onal Coach of the Year. The 2010 season proved one of the most successful in Academy history, as the Falcons claimed their first-ever USAG na onal team tle. Under Simons’ guidance, Nash Mills (parallel bars, all-around) and Devin Menefee (vault) combined for three individual USAG tles, while eight members competed at the NCAA Championships. The 2010 Air Force squad rewrote the Academy’s record book, se ng new team scores in every event, as well as the team total. In addi on, three Falcons accounted for at least a share of a new program standard. In 2009, Simons guided Jake Schonig to his second straight USAG tle on the s ll rings, as well as a place among the na onal finalists for the Nissen-Emery award. Six of Simons’ gymnasts, including a pair of freshmen, earned spots at the NCAA Championships, while five claimed USAG All-America accolades. Two individual program records and three team records were set during the 2009 campaign. During the 2008 season, he coached Greg S ne to the Academy’s first NCAA All-America cer ficate in 15 years, as S ne claimed top-eight honors at the NCAA Championships in the all-around and on the s ll rings. As a team, Air Force claimed a third-place finish at the USAG Collegiate Championships. Individually, S ne (all-around, parallel bars) and Schonig (s ll rings) claimed USAG tles, while four Falcons accounted for eight USAG All-America honors. “Here at the Air Force Academy, I apply the same work-ethic that took me to the Olympic Games to mold my cadets into future leaders of character,” he said. Prior to his appointment at the Academy, Simons spent five seasons with the Cal Bears. He was an assistant coach from 2001-05 and then held the tle of associate head coach for the final year of his stay in Berkeley. During his tenure at Cal, the Bears finished within the top-two at the MPSF Championships every year, winning the conference tle in 2004. Simons helped guide Cal to a pair of third-place finishes at the NCAA Championships and coached 19 top-10 finishers, including four na onal champions. Simons began his collegiate-level coaching career following a stellar career at both the collegiate and na onal levels. In 1988, Simons dominated the U.S. Junior Na onal Championships and the Junior Pan-American Games, collec ng 10 gold medals. During a successful college career at Ohio State, Simons earned numerous honors throughout his four years, including the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and the Nissen-Emery Award, which is given to the na on's top senior gymnast. A na ve of Bloomsburg, Pa., he was a four-year member of the All-Big 10 team, while earning four Big 10 Conference tles on the parallel bars (1992, 1994), s ll rings (1992) and high bar (1993). In addi on, Simons picked up two NCAA All-America cer ficates, as the Buckeyes finished third at the na onal meet during each of his last three seasons.

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2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide

2011 TEAM INFORMATION

In September 2006, Simons was inducted into the OSU Athle cs Hall of Fame by the Varsity "O" Associa on. Following his collegiate career, Simons competed on two world championship teams, as well as the gold-medal winning teams at the 1994 Goodwill Games and the 1995 Pan-American Games. He also represented the United States as a member of the 1996 Olympic team that finished fi h at the Atlanta Games. “I am able to draw on my 10-year na onal and interna onal compe ve career as the founda on to building my program,” Simons con nued. “Having the Olympic Training Center in our backyard is a huge asset to this program. Our coaching staff con nues to stay up-to-date on the most current training and compe ve strategies.”

MEET THE FALCONS

This past summer, he was inducted into the USA Gymnas cs Hall of Fame. Joining Simons in the 2010 induc on class was 1996 Olympic team gold medalist Dominique Moceanu, 1992 Olympic team bronze medalist Wendy Bruce-Mar n, 2000 Olympian Jennifer Parilla, two- me U.S. Men’s Olympic team head coach Kevin Mazeika and 2000 U.S. Olympic trampoline coach Robert Null. Simons was married in May 2009 to the former Kim Rich of Columbus, Ohio.

"When I reflect on all facets of my life, I realize that the life lessons I have learned and con nue to learn are a direct result of my love for the sport of gymnas cs. We all know the sport of gymnas cs is very infec ous. Once you begin heading down the ‘road of gymnas cs’, there is no turning back." -- Kip Simons

2010 SEASON REVIEW

Simons was inducted into the USA Gymnas cs Hall of Fame in August 2010. The Class of 2010 included Simons, Wendy Bruce, Kevin Mazeika, Dominique Moceanu, Robert Null and Jennifer Parilla, as well as Life me Achievement award winner Ellen Garlicki Nyemcsi.

PROGRAM HISTORY In 2010, Simons was named the NCAA West Region Head Coach of the Year and the CGA/Collegiate Division Na onal Head Coach of the Year. He was honored at the banquet prior to the NCAA Championships, along with former assistant Bre McClure, who was voted as the NCAA West Region Assistant Coach of the Year. Simons was also honored as the USAG Varsity Head Coach of the Year for the second me in his five-year tenure with the Falcons.

7

AIR FORCE ACADEMY

The 2010 Air Force squad, which claimed the first-ever USAG Na onal Championship in program history, accounted for five of the top six team scores in program history, including a program-best mark of 346.450. In addi on to winning the program's first USAG tle, Air Force sent a program-record nine gymnasts to the NCAA Na onal Championships, saw three individual and all seven team records fall, had three gymnasts ranked among the na on's top20 in the rankings prior to the championships and sent three gymnasts to compete at the pres gious Winter Cup Challenge - equaling the number of Falcons that had competed in that meet over the last 20 years.


JEFF ROBINSON

ASSISTANT COACH | FIRST SEASON AUBURN, 1982 | MEMPHIS STATE, 1983

Jeff Robinson is entering his first season as an assistant coach for the Air Force men’s gymnas cs team. Robinson brings over 30 years of experience in gymnas cs to the Falcons’ program, ranging from performance to hands-on teaching and coaching. He has also worked in a variety of capaci es for the USA Gymnas cs Men’s Program for over 20 years. "I am extremely honored and humbled to become a member of the Air Force men's gymnas cs program," Robinson said upon his hiring in September 2010. "The tradi on of excellence here at the Academy is extremely impressive and I am very proud to now be a part of it." Since 1986, Robinson has worked with USA Gymnas cs, including three years as the Junior Olympic Program Coordinator (2006-08). He also served two terms as chairman of the men’s age group compe on commi ee, worked on the Task Force for Elite Training Alterna ves commi ee and has served as a guest clinician and presenter at numerous USAG Men’s Coaching Workshops and at the USAG Na onal and Regional Congress. He is the co-founder and owner of Gymnas cs University LLC, a gymnas cs business consultancy firm that assists in areas ranging from facility development and construc on to freelance teaching and coaching to business development and staff development. Robinson has also spent the last 21 years working in the entertainment division at Walt Disney World Resort. He was a principal performer for mul ple live-ac on shows, including Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, Fantasmic and Lights, Motors, Ac on Extreme Stunt Show. He also spent five years as a stunt manager, where he recruited and trained new players, evaluated performances, wrote opera onal guidelines and safety procedures and inspected the facility. He spent 10 years at Elite Gymnas cs of Orlando, a club that he co-founded in 1992. As the men’s program director and head coach, Robinson helped develop 10 U.S. Junior and Senior Na onal Team members. He also worked as the head coach for the Barbados Interna onal Men’s Gymnas cs Delega on and served as the personal coach for Francis ‘Shane’ DeFreitas, who competed at the 1995 World Championships, the 1996 I.E.F. World Championships and the 1996 Olympic Games. He has also served as the boy’s program director and head coach at Brown’s Gymnas cs Central (1984-88) and as the general manager, program director and head coach at Gymnas cs Plus (1983-84). He has received numerous coaching awards, most recently as a member of the inaugural USA Gymnas cs Region VIII Hall of Fame in 2010. A FIG Level III Brevet Coach, Robinson was named Coach of the Year by the Florida USA Gymnas cs Men’s Program (2003) and by the Seminole County School Board (1989). Robinson is a 1982 magna cum laude graduate of Auburn University (educa on: physical educa on/biology). He went on to earn a master’s degree in educa on (physical educa on/business) from Memphis State University in 1983.

AIR FORCE ACADEMY

PROGRAM HISTORY

2010 SEASON REVIEW

MEET THE FALCONS

2011 TEAM INFORMATION

2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions

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2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide

ASSISTANT COACH | SIXTH SEASON USAF ACADEMY, 1982

CAREER COACHING HIGHLIGHTS 2010 USAG Co-Assistant Coach of the Year

On the sidelines as Air Force claimed its first-ever na onal tle at the USAG Championships in 2010, Schweiss and former assistant coach Bre McClure shared the USAG Assistant Coach of the Year award. Schweiss joined the Wisconsin Air Na onal Guard following gradua on from high school. From the Na onal Guard, he a ended the Air Force Academy Prep School in 1977 and entered the Air Force Academy in 1978. Schweiss spent four years as a member of the men's gymnas cs program and served as team captain during his senior year. Schweiss graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1982.

“Over 500 Academy graduates a end pilot training every year,” Schweiss said. “I wanted to fly since age 12 and the Air Force Academy was the absolute best opportunity to achieve my flying goal.” Schweiss separated from ac ve duty in 1992, but con nued to support the Academy as a liaison officer. He also served as an opera ons officer for the Na onal Guard Marksmanship Training Unit and worked as an Individual Mobiliza on Augmentee with the Air Mobility Command Tanker Airli Control Center at Sco AFB, Ill. A er 20 years of service, he re red from the military in 2000. Four years later, Schweiss re-entered the Air Force Reserve and began his final tour at the Air Force Academy, where he served as an instructor, teaching such courses as boxing, racquetball, SCUBA and unarmed combat. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in October 2006 and served as the Chief of Cadet Intramurals from 2008-10. In that posi on, Schweiss oversaw the 3,300 cadets who par cipate each semester in 16 different intramural sports.

A senior pilot with over 1,600 hours in the T-38 and over 800 hours in the F-16C, Schweiss has also recorded over 10,000 hours as a pilot with United Airlines. He is currently a Boeing 777 First Officer, domiciled at Washington Dulles. “Coaching allows me to mold these future officers,” Schweiss said. “Through my experience as a gymnast, officer, fighter pilot and airline pilot, I am able to advise our gymnasts on how to achieve their goals. Whether it’s becoming the best gymnast in the NCAA or becoming a pilot, our Academy provides it all.”

9

AIR FORCE ACADEMY

Schweiss obtained a master’s degree in systems management from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas. He is married to Lt Col (ret.) Susan Schweiss (USAFA Class of 1983). They currently reside in Monument, Colo., with their two children, Erik (19, USAFA Class of 2014) and Sarah (17).

PROGRAM HISTORY

“I work with the best student athletes in the world,” he con nued. “Not only are they great gymnasts, they are also intelligent and highly mo vated young men who will become officers of character in our Air Force.”

2010 SEASON REVIEW

A er undergraduate pilot training, he served as a T-38 instructor at Williams AFB, Ariz., prior to being selected for Pilot Instructor duty at Randolph AFB, Texas. Schweiss also flew the F-16 during a tour at Ramstein AB, Germany, comple ng over 30 combat missions in support of Opera on Provide Comfort over Northern Iraq.

MEET THE FALCONS

Lt Col (ret.) Chuck Schweiss enters his third season as an assistant coach for the Air Force men’s gymnas cs team. A former four-year le erwinner with the Falcons’ program, Schweiss was the 2010 recipient of the USAG Assistant Coach of the Year award. He re red from the Air Force in July 2010.

2011 TEAM INFORMATION

CHUCK SCHWEISS


2011 TEAM INFORMATION

2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions

DAVE MICKELSON

VOLUNTEER COACH | 10TH SEASON IOWA STATE, 1981

MEET THE FALCONS

Dave Mickelson returns for his 10th season as a volunteer coach for the Air Force men's gymnas cs team. Mickelson joined the Falcons a er spending 11 years as the head coach with the Iowa State men's team, following a six-year s nt as the Cyclones' assistant coach. Mickelson also serves as the Falcons’ meet director for all home compe ons, including this year’s conference championships. During Mickelson's tenure as head coach, Iowa State produced five NCAA All-Americans, including two NCAA individual champions. As a team, ISU picked up a fourth-place team finish at the na onal meet. As an assistant coach with the Cyclones, Mickelson helped generate 13 NCAA All-Americans, three NCAA individual champions and one Olympian. In addi on, Iowa State finished fourth at the NCAA Championships on three occasions, while also earning a second-place mark during his term as an assistant coach.

2010 SEASON REVIEW

Mickelson has served on numerous boards during his career, including the NCAA Men's Gymnas cs Commi ee, the United States Gymnas cs Federa on Board of Directors and the United States Gymnas cs Federa on Men's Program Commi ee. In addi on, he was the chair of the NCAA Men's Gymnas cs Commi ee (1987-91) and spent 10 years as a Na onal Safety Cer fier for the U.S. Gymnas cs Federa on.

PROGRAM HISTORY

A 1981 graduate of Iowa State University, Mickelson earned a degree in physical educa on with an emphasis in athle c administra on. He was a three-year le erwinner on the Cyclones' gymnas cs team. During his career, Iowa State earned three Big Eight Conference Championships and two NCAA Championship team tles.

COLTON BUECHEL

MAJ CATHRINE MARCHESSEAULT

MARK PETERS

Officer Rep | First Season

Athletic Trainer | Second Season

AIR FORCE ACADEMY

Cadet Manager | First Season

10

KAILA WEBER

Cadet Manager | First Season


MEET THE FALCONS


DAN KLIMKOWSKI

SENIOR | 5-5 | FLOOR, POMMEL, RINGS, PARALLEL BARS CHINA, MICH. | ST. CLAIR HIGH SCHOOL MICHIGAN ACADEMY OF GYMNASTICS

CAREER HIGHS All-Around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83.400 Floor Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14.650 Pommel Horse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14.300 S ll Rings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14.950 Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14.750 Parallel Bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14.050 High Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13.650

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS 2010 USAG All-American (s ll rings) 2010 NCAA Par cipant 2008 Freshman of the Year

JUNIOR (2010): Competed on the floor exercise, pommel horse, s ll rings and parallel bars during all 11 team compe ons…USAG All-American on the s ll rings…placed second on that event at the na onal event finals with a score of 14.050…NCAA par cipant on the s ll rings…recorded a career-best 14.950 on the rings against Illinois-Chicago…that score is the 14th-highest mark in Academy history…also tallied a career-best floor exercise score (14.650) at that meet…won the pommel horse and s ll rings at the Springfield triangular meet…posted a career-best 14.300 to win the pommel horse at that meet…that score is ed for the fi h-highest score in Academy history…also earned a season-best score of 13.800 on the parallel bars at that meet. SOPHOMORE (2009): Competed in six meets, before being sidelined by injury…competed in the all-around during the first three compe ons…set an Academy record score of 13.900 on the pommel horse at the Southwest Cup…also posted a personal-best mark on the s ll rings (13.800) at that meet…set a personalbest score of 14.200 on the floor exercise at the Navy Open…also set season-high scores on the high bar (13.400) and all-around (78.950) at that meet…tallied a season-best vault score of 14.200 at Temple and set a season-high parallel bars score of 13.250 at the Rocky Mountain Open. FRESHMAN (2008): Competed in the all-around during the first six meets of the season...missed the second half of the season with an injury...earned the team's "Freshman of the Year" award...set career-best scores in four events at Springfield...finished second on the pommel horse (13.450), parallel bars (14.050) and all-around (83.400) at that meet...also scored a personal-best 13.650 on the high bar to place third...set career-best marks on the floor exercise (14.200) and vault (14.750) during first collegiate road compe on at Nebraska...career-best s ll rings score of 13.650 came at the Pacific Coast Classic...recorded three topthree marks at the Rocky Mountain Open. HIGH SCHOOL/CLUB: A ended St. Clair High School...graduated Summa Cum Laude...competed at the club level for the Michigan Academy of Gymnas cs...coached by Dion Kolev...six- me na onal qualifier...2007 state champion in the all-around. PERSONAL: Full name is Daniel John Klimkowski...goes by Dan...son of Jim and Jacki Klimkowski...has one older brother, Mark...majoring in foreign area studies, with an emphasis on Eastern Asia...earning a minor in Japanese…hopes to work as a PA officer in the future...served as an Element Leader…has also served as a Public Affairs/Special Projects Clerk and PEER...served as a class representa ve during freshman year...hobbies include water sports, road trips and reading...spent part of the summer in Japan with the Cadet Summer Language Immersion Program…also took a homestead to Egypt and worked as Academic Cadre during Basic Cadet Training…favorite event is the floor exercise because "I enjoy all the flipping"...member of Cadet Squadron 01.

AIR FORCE ACADEMY

PROGRAM HISTORY

2010 SEASON REVIEW

MEET THE FALCONS

2011 TEAM INFORMATION

2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions

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2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide

SENIOR | 5-7 | RINGS, HIGH BAR LYNNFIELD, MASS. | LYNNFIELD HIGH SCHOOL YELLOW JACKETS GYMNASTICS CLUB

2011 TEAM INFORMATION

DEREK KVEDAR

JUNIOR (2010): Did not see compe ve ac on.

FRESHMAN (2008): Did not see compe ve ac on. All-Around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Floor Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pommel Horse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S ll Rings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13.250 Parallel Bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . High Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

PERSONAL: Full name is Derek Crews Kvedar...son of Joseph and Vicki Kvedar...has two younger sisters, Julie and Megan...majoring in computer science...future plans include becoming a UAV pilot...has served as Element Leader and Safety Officer…hobbies include skiing, camping, hiking and rock climbing…favorite event is the high bar...spent the summer in France, as a part of the Cadet Summer Language Immersion Program…member of Cadet Squadron 26.

2009 Hardest Worker

2010 SEASON REVIEW

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

HIGH SCHOOL/CLUB: A ended Lynnfield High School...competed at the club level for the Yellow Jackets Gymnas cs Club...coached by Dewayne Davenport.

MEET THE FALCONS

CAREER HIGHS

SOPHOMORE (2009): Saw ac on in one meet…competed on the vault at the season-opening Rocky Mountain Open, scoring a 13.250…was hampered by injuries throughout the season…shared the team’s Hardest Worker Award.

PROGRAM HISTORY AIR FORCE ACADEMY

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2011 TEAM INFORMATION

2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions

NASH MILLS

SENIOR | 5-8 | ALL-AROUND COTO DE CAZA, CALIF. | TESORO HIGH SCHOOL NEW HOPE GYMNASTICS CLUB

AIR FORCE ACADEMY

PROGRAM HISTORY

2010 SEASON REVIEW

MEET THE FALCONS

Team captain in 2011.

CAREER HIGHS All-Around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86.300 Floor Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14.200 Pommel Horse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13.900 S ll Rings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14.800 Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15.850 Parallel Bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14.900 High Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14.350

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS 2010 USAG Na onal Champion (parallel bars) 2010 USAG Na onal Champion (all-around) 2010 Most Valuable Gymnast 2010 Par cipant at the Winter Cup Challenge Academy Record Holder (parallel bars) Two-Time NCAA Par cipant Four-Time USAG All-American Three-Time MPSF Gymnast of the Week Two-Time CGA Gymnast of the Week 2009 Most Improved Gymnast

JUNIOR (2010): Received the Most Valuable Gymnast award…..USAG Na onal Champion on the parallel bars and all-around…four- me USAG All-American (s ll rings, vault, parallel bars, all-around)…NCAA par cipant in the all-around for the second straight year…competed in the all-around in all 11 team compe ons…matched Academy record on the parallel bars (14.900) with winning effort at Arizona State…holds a share of seven of the top 10 scores in Academy history on that event…accounted for the third-highest high bar score in Academy history (14.350) during the Falcons’ triangular meet with Stanford and IllinoisChicago…accounted for scores that represent a share of three of the top five marks ever in that event…posted a career-best 86.300 to win the all-around at Arizona State…matched that total again in a winning effort at the Springfield Triangular…moved into eighth on the program’s all- me list with that score…cleared the 85-point mark on two other occasions…two- me MPSF Gymnast of the Week (Mar. 23, Mar. 30)…named the CGA (Collegiate Division) Gymnast of the Week on two occasions (Mar. 3, Mar. 17)…earned the Academy’s Athlete of the Week award on Mar. 29…par cipated in the Winter Cup Challenge on the floor exercise, s ll rings, vault, parallel bars and high bar…collected 14 first-place finishes, including six all-around tles. SOPHOMORE (2009): Received the team’s Most Improved Gymnast Award…competed in the all-around during the final nine team compe ons…invited to the NCAA Championships as an all-around compe tor…ranked 16th na onally in the all-around prior to the NCAA Championships…earned MPSF Gymnast of the Week honors on Feb. 2 a er winning the parallel bars and all-around tles against Army...won the allaround tle three mes, while also earning first-place finishes on the parallel bars (twice) and high bar…set a career high on the floor exercise (14.150) at the conference championships…won the parallel bars (14.250), high bar (14.100) and all-around (85.300) with career-best marks to help Air Force win the Southwest Cup tle…also tallied personal-best scores on the pommel horse (13.450) and vault (15.500) at that meet…that vault score is ed for fi h on the program’s all- me list…paced the Falcons to a top-four sweep on the parallel bars in Air Force’s win over Army…was one of five Falcons to finish within the top six on the rings at that meet…won the all-around in his debut at Temple…posted a personal-best score of 14.300 on the rings at the Rocky Mountain Open…picked up a pair of top-10 finishes at that meet. FRESHMAN (2008): Competed on the s ll rings and high bar at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federa on Championships...tallied marks of 13.400 on the rings and 11.400 on the high bar. HIGH SCHOOL/CLUB: A ended Tesoro High School...competed at the club level for New Hope Gymns cs...coached by Guonian Wu...four- me Junior Olympic na onal qualifier...named to the J.O. Academic All-America First-Team for four consecu ve years. PERSONAL: Full name is Nash Stephen Mills...son of Creighton and Susan Mills...has one older sister, Carter, and one younger sister, Avery...majoring in systems engineering management...hopes to become a pilot following gradua on...has held leadership posi ons of Element Leader, Squadron Superintendent, Sports Camp Commander and Assistant Flight Commander...hobbies include surfing and traveling...spent part of the summer in charge of the Falcon Sports Camps as Cadre Commander…also spent two weeks in Egypt on a cultural immersion trip…favorite event is the high bar because "you feel like you are flying through the air"...member of Cadet Squadron 29.

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2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide

SENIOR | 5-8 | FLOOR, POMMEL, PARALLEL BARS POWAY, CALIF. | POWAY HIGH SCHOOL MISSION VALLEY YMCA

All-Around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Floor Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pommel Horse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12.700 S ll Rings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Parallel Bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14.200 High Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2010 Most Improved 2010 NCAA Par cipant

FRESHMAN (2008): Saw ac on in six meets...competed on the pommel horse at Army and Springfield...par cipated on the high bar in five meets, including the team finals of the USAG Championships. HIGH SCHOOL/CLUB: A ended Poway High School...earned Academic All-America status...member of the Na onal Honor Society...received accolades by the California Scholarship Federa on...listed in the "Who's Who Among American Scholars"...competed at the club level for the Mission Valley YMCA...coached by Walter Jaramillo. PERSONAL: Full name is Ma hew David Thorne...goes by Ma ...son of Andrew and Lindsay Thorne...has one older sister, Kirsten...majoring in management...future plans include becoming a contrac ng officer...served as Group 2 Director of Athle cs, Safety and Security…also served as Global Engagement Flight Commander and Athle c NCO…named to the Athle c Director’s List…originally from South Africa...served as a mentor to the 2008 freshmen...hobbies include surfing and skateboarding...spent the summer as Summer Seminar Cadre and taking an Air Force-sponsored trip to Egypt...favorite event is the parallel bars...member of Cadet Squadron 16.

2010 SEASON REVIEW

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

SOPHOMORE (2009): Competed in seven meets for the Falcons, including the USAG and MPSF Championship meets…posted a high score of 13.500 on the parallel bars at the Illinois-Chicago dual meet…that score is ranked among the program’s top-20…earned a score of 12.700 at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federa on Championship… ed for fourth on the parallel bars against Army, contribu ng to an Air Force sweep of the top four places.

MEET THE FALCONS

CAREER HIGHS

JUNIOR (2010): Earned the team’s Most Improved award…competed on the parallel bars in eight meets, including the USAG and MPSF Championships…qualified to the NCAA Championships on that event… recorded a career-best score of 14.200 on that event during the Falcons’ triangular meet with Stanford and Illinois-Chicago…that score is the ninth-highest mark in Academy history…won the parallel bars at Arizona State with a score of 13.800.

2011 TEAM INFORMATION

MATT THORNE

PROGRAM HISTORY AIR FORCE ACADEMY

15


AARON ZAISER

SENIOR | 5-7 | FLOOR, RINGS, VAULT, PARALLEL BARS PITTSBURGH, PA. | HOME SCHOOL BUTLER GYMNASTICS CLUB

CAREER HIGHS All-Around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Floor Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14.950 Pommel Horse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S ll Rings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13.850 Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15.400 Parallel Bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14.000 High Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS Two-Time NCAA Par cipant Two-Time MPSF All-Academic Team Member 2008 CGA All-America Scholar-Athlete

JUNIOR (2010): Competed on the floor exercise and parallel bars in 10 team compe ons…also competed on the vault in six meets…collected season-best scores on both the floor exercise and parallel bars at the dual meet with Illinois-Chicago…scored a 14.700 on the floor and a 14.000 on the parallel bars at that meet…scored a 15.100 on the vault in the season-opening Rocky Mountain Open…matched that score at Army…named to the MPSF all-academic team. SOPHOMORE (2009): Competed in every team compe on…invited to compete on two events at the NCAA Championships for the second straight year…posted career-best marks on the floor exercise (14.950) and vault (15.400) during the Falcons’ victory over Army…won the floor exercise at that meet, helping Air Force to its first home victory over Army in four a empts…the floor score is ranked fi h in the program’s all- me record book, while the vault score is ed for sixth…set a career-best score on the s ll rings (13.850) at the USAG Championships (team finals)…won the floor exercise at the Southwest Cup with a score of 14.500…competed on the parallel bars in every team compe on, collec ng a season-high 13.850 against Army…posted the best finish for Air Force at the season-opening Rocky Mountain Open, taking fi h on the vault…named to the MPSF all-academic team. FRESHMAN (2008): Competed in every team compe on...one of six Falcons to be invited to the NCAA Championships...par cipated on the floor exercise and parallel bars are the na onal meet...scored a careerbest 14.850 to e for first on the floor exercise in the first meet against Illinois-Chicago...that mark was one of the best on the team...finished the season ranked 10th in the na onal rankings (USAG Division) with a Na onal Qualifying Average of 14.200...also competed on the vault and parallel bars...set a career-high of 14.900 on the vault at Springfield...posted a 13.900 on the parallel bars against Illinois-Chicago...named to the College Gymnas cs Associa on All-America Scholar-Athlete Team. HIGH SCHOOL/CLUB: Was home schooled...competed at the club level for Butler Gymnas cs...coached by Dave McKinnis and Kevin Halinan...named "Most Improved" Gymnast...a ended the Junior Olympic Na onal Meet on three occasions...twice named first-team Academic All-American. PERSONAL: Full name is James Aaron Zaiser...goes by Aaron…nickname is “Aardog Z-boy Zaiser”…...son of Barry and Kim Zaiser...has one older sister, Rebekah, who was a 2010 All-American gymnast at Florida…also has one younger brother, Ben , who is a freshman on the Air Force gymnas cs team...majoring in civil engineering...hopes to a end pilot training a er gradua on...served as Group Safety Officer and Basic Flight Commander…has also served as Global Engagement First Sergeant as an Athle cs Clerk...named to the Dean's List and Athle c Director's List...named "Outstanding Basic" for the Class of 2011...hobbies include water sports (skiing, wakeboarding and tubing)...spent part of the summer on an Air Force trip to Egypt…favorite event is the floor exercise...member of Cadet Squadron 12.

AIR FORCE ACADEMY

PROGRAM HISTORY

2010 SEASON REVIEW

MEET THE FALCONS

2011 TEAM INFORMATION

2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions

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2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide

JUNIOR | 5-8 | ALL-AROUND PINEHURST, TEXAS | TOMBALL HIGH SCHOOL CYPRESS ACADEMY OF GYMNASTICS

2011 TEAM INFORMATION

JACOB HOUDER

SOPHOMORE (2010): Did not see compe ve ac on due to injury.

All-Around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79.250 Floor Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13.700 Pommel Horse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14.200 S ll Rings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13.650 Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13.600 Parallel Bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14.250 High Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14.100

2009 Most Valuable Gymnast 2009 Freshman of the Year Two-Time USAG All-American 2009 MWC Scholar-Athlete 2009 CGA All-America Scholar-Athlete

HIGH SCHOOL/CLUB: Tomball High School...member of the Na onal Honor Society...graduated Summa Cum Laude...competed at the club level for the Cypress Academy of Gymnas cs...coached by Tom Meadows and Colby Van Cleave...a ended the U.S. Championships on two occasions...six- me Junior Olympic Na onal Qualifier...four- me J.O. Na onal All-Around finalist...three- me Region 3 team member...four me USAG Academic All-American first-team selec on.

PROGRAM HISTORY

PERSONAL: Son of Delyn and Jan Houder...is an only child...majoring biochemistry, while earning a minor in German...future plans include becoming a pilot and eventually working in the cancer research field…served as Safety and Medical NCO for 2010 Basic Cadet Training…four- me selec on to the Dean’s List…three- me selec on to the Superintendent’s List for excellence in military, academic and athle c excellence…hobbies include reading, playing soccer, listening to blues and gospel music and speed skating…spent the summer comple ng Opera on Air Force at RAF Mildenhall, England…also took an academic class and served as the Safety and Medical NCO for BCT…competed at the same gymnas cs club as classmate Devin Menefee...favorite event is the horizontal bar...member of Cadet Squadron 17.

2010 SEASON REVIEW

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

MEET THE FALCONS

CAREER HIGHS

FRESHMAN (2009): Received the team’s Most Valuable Gymnast award…also named Freshman of the Year…NCAA par cipant…competed in every meet for the Falcons…two- me USAG All-American…Academy record holder on the pommel horse…first set the mark at 13.850 at the All-Academy Championships…upped the mark to 14.200 at the Southwest Cup…matched that score one month later at the USAG Championships (team finals)…holds three of the top four scores in program history…won the pommel horse tle at the Southwest Cup…finished fourth on that event at the USAG Championships to claim first USAG All-America cer ficate…also posted the squad’s top scores of the season on the parallel bars (14.250, at Arizona State) and high bar (14.100, at Navy Open)…won the parallel bars during three compe ons, including back-to-back meets at Navy and Temple…also won that event at the Southwest Cup, while placing first on the parallel bars… claimed USAG All-America honors on the high bar with a thirdplace finish…competed on the floor exercise during six meets, pos ng a season-high 13.700 in the dual meet at Illinois-Chicago…tallied a 13.650 in only appearance on the s ll rings at the Rocky Mountain Open…tallied a career-high 13.600 on the vault at Temple…scored a 79.250 in only appearance in the allaround at the Rocky Mountain Open…named a Mountain West Conference Scholar-Athlete…received AllAmerica Scholar-Athlete first-team honors from the College Gymnas cs Associa on.

AIR FORCE ACADEMY

17


DEVIN MENEFEE

JUNIOR | 5-7 | FLOOR, RINGS, VAULT, PARALLEL BARS, HIGH BAR HOUSTON, TEXAS | CYPRESS CREEK HIGH SCHOOL CYPRESS ACADEMY OF GYMNASTICS

CAREER HIGHS All-Around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Floor Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13.850 Pommel Horse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S ll Rings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15.350 Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15.950 Parallel Bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . High Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13.200

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS 2010 USAG Na onal Champion (vault) Two-Time USAG All-American Two- me NCAA Par cipant Academy Record Holder (vault)

SOPHOMORE (2010): USAG Na onal Champion on the vault…became just the second Air Force gymnast to earn a na onal vault tle…set Academy record with a 15.950 on the winning vault…USAG All-American on that event…holds a share of the top three vault scores in Academy history…par cipated at the NCAA Championships on the s ll rings and vault…competed on those two events in every team compe on…posted the eighth-best s ll rings score in Academy history (15.350) against Illinois-Chicago…also recorded the program’s 10th-highest score on that event (15.250) during a triangular meet with Stanford and Illinois-Chicago…won the s ll rings at four compe ons…also won the vault at two…competed on the floor exercise in seven meets…collected a career-best 13.850 on that event at the Southwest Cup. FRESHMAN (2009): Competed in every meet for the Falcons, including the NCAA Championships…Academy record holder on the vault…USAG All-American on that event…first set program vault standard of 15.800 in a winning effort at the Southwest Cup…it was just the second collegiate vault of career…improved that mark to 15.850 at the MPSF Championships…finished seventh on that event for the squad’s best individual finish at the conference meet…posted a career-best 14.450 on the s ll rings at the USAG Championships…became just the fourth Air Force gymnast to crack the Falcons’ top-20 scoring list…competed on the floor exercise, pos ng a season-best mark of 13.700 at Illinois-Chicago…also par cipated on the high bar, scoring a career-high 13.200 at Navy and again at the USAG Championships…that is ed for the 18th highest score in Academy history…originally set personal-best marks on three of four events at the Pacific Coast Classic…helped Air Force to five of the top six spots on the s ll rings in the win over Army. HIGH SCHOOL/CLUB: Cypress Creek High School...four- me Academic All-American...competed at the club level for Cypress Academy of Gymnas cs...coached by Tom Meadows and Colby Van Cleave...three- me na onal semifinalist on the s ll rings...won the Texas state s ll rings championship in 2007...team recorded three top-three team finishes at the na onal meet, including a first-place finish...five- me compe tor at the Junior Olympic Na onal Championships. PERSONAL: Son of Richard and Michelle Menefee...nickname is “Sideburns”…has one older brother, Dillon...majoring in mechanical engineering...has served as C Flight NCO, Major Training Events NCO and Athle c Clerk…received Prop and Wings...hobbies include building and music...built two electric guitars...competed at the same club as classmate Jacob Houder...spent the summer vaca oning in the Bahamas, visi ng home, serving as Sports Camp Cadre and comple ng Opera on Air Force at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota…both grandfathers served in the military...favorite event is the s ll rings, because "I love the strength needed and the performance"…member of Cadet Squadron 38.

AIR FORCE ACADEMY

PROGRAM HISTORY

2010 SEASON REVIEW

MEET THE FALCONS

2011 TEAM INFORMATION

2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions

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2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide

JUNIOR | 5-7 | POMMEL, PARALLEL BARS WOODLAND PARK, COLO. | HOME SCHOOL COLORADO TRAINING CENTER

2011 TEAM INFORMATION

TRAVIS MYERS

SOPHOMORE (2010): Did not see compe ve ac on.

CAREER HIGHS All-Around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Floor Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pommel Horse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S ll Rings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Parallel Bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . High Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2009 Hardest Worker

PERSONAL: Full name is Travis Ray Myers...son of Don and Lenora Myers...has two younger brothers, Steffen and Leo...also has two younger sisters, Lizzie and Allyson...majoring in mathema cs and chemistry...future plans include becoming a pilot…served as Academic NCO...named to the Superintendent’s List for excellence in military, academic and athle c excellence…two- me member of the Dean’s Aces List…plays the French horn in the Academy’s Cadet Orchestra…received Jump Wings in 2009, a er jumping out of a plane five mes...grandmother, Jacqueline Johnson, served in the Army...favorite book is 'The Lord of the Rings'...spent part of the summer comple ng Opera on Air Force in South Korea…favorite event is the pommel horse, because "it is long and ring to learn a new skill, but that makes it more rewarding"...member of Cadet Squadron 33.

2010 SEASON REVIEW

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

HIGH SCHOOL/CLUB: Was home schooled...graduated with a 4.0 GPA...qualified for the Na onal Chemistry Olympiad...competed at the club level for the Colorado Training Center...coached by Ron Brant...two- me qualifier for the Junior Olympic Na onals...two- me All-America first-team selec on...picked up a thirdplace finish at the 2008 Colorado Open...finished fourth at the 2008 Black Jack Invita onal.

MEET THE FALCONS

FRESHMAN (2009): Did not see compe ve ac on…shared the team’s Hardest Worker Award.

PROGRAM HISTORY AIR FORCE ACADEMY

19


TORY BROWN

SOPHOMORE | 5-7 | ALL-AROUND PORTLAND, ORE. | TIGARD HIGH SCHOOL MULTNOMAH ATHLETIC CLUB

CAREER HIGHS All-Around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Floor Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14.150 Pommel Horse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S ll Rings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15.600 Parallel Bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13.550 High Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13.400

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS 2010 Par cipant at Winter Cup Challenge

FRESHMAN (2010): Competed in six meets, including the Winter Cup Challenge…placed eighth on the vault at that meet with a career-best score of 15.600…that score is the seventh-best score in Academy history…competed on the floor exercise, vault, parallel bars and high bar during the first two team compe ons…scored a season-best 14.150 on the floor at the Rocky Mountain Open…added career-best scores on the parallel bars (13.550) and high bar (13.400) at the Minnesota Triangular…also competed on the parallel bars and high bar at Army…was a member of the Falcons’ high bar rota on at the USAG Championships and MPSF Championships. HIGH SCHOOL/CLUB: Tigard High School…recipient of the Rotary Award…competed at the club level for Multnomah Athle c Club (MAC)…coached by Shuichi Goto…named 2008 Most Improved Gymnast…two me Academic All-America honor at the Junior Olympic Na onal Championships…three- me junior na onal qualifier…2009 Oregon state gymnas cs champion…finished second at the Region 2 Championships. PERSONAL: Son of Steve and Kelly Brown…has one younger sister, Julia…majoring in management, while earning a minor in Japanese…future career plans include becoming a pilot…served as a four-degree coach…hobbies include paddle boarding, skim-boarding, photography and rock climbing…is fluent in Japanese…favorite event is the high bar, because “learning new skills is the most fun”…spent the summer comple ng Combat Survival Training, Jump and Global Engagement mock deployment …member of Cadet Squadron 30.

AIR FORCE ACADEMY

PROGRAM HISTORY

2010 SEASON REVIEW

MEET THE FALCONS

2011 TEAM INFORMATION

2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions

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2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide

SOPHOMORE | 5-9 | POMMEL, PARALLEL BARS, HIGH BAR SYLVANIA, OHIO | ST. FRANCIS DE SALES HIGH SCHOOL SUNRISE GYMNASTICS ACADEMY

CAREER HIGHS All-Around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Floor Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pommel Horse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13.250 S ll Rings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Parallel Bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13.700 High Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11.300

HIGH SCHOOL/CLUB: St. Francis de Sales High School…2009 Northwest Ohio district diving champion on the men’s one meter…two- me state qualifier in one-meter diving…maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout all four years…competed at the club level at Sunrise Gymnas cs Academy…coached by Steve Reamy, Chris Brown and Yusaku Hijioka…Junior Olympic na onal qualifier…was Class 3 Ohio state champion in 2003. PERSONAL: Son of Leonard and Julie Jessop…has two older brothers, Aus n and Andrew…majoring in civil engineering…future plans include becoming a CE officer…hobbies include bicycling…favorite event is the high bar, because “I used to be terrified of it, and overcoming that fear took a lot of work”…member of Cadet Squadron 40.

2010 SEASON REVIEW

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

MEET THE FALCONS

FRESHMAN (2010): Earned the team’s Hardest Worker award…competed on the pommel horse and parallel bars during three meets…set a career-high score of 13.250 on the pommel horse at Army…tallied a personal-best 13.700 on the parallel bars at the Springfield Triangular meet…also competed on the high bar at Arizona State, collec ng a score of 11.300.

2011 TEAM INFORMATION

ALEX JESSOP

2010 Hardest Worker

PROGRAM HISTORY AIR FORCE ACADEMY

21


JAMES OKAMOTO

SOPHOMORE | 5-6 | ALL-AROUND YORBA LINDA, CALIF. | ESPERANZA HIGH SCHOOL SOUTH COAST GYMNASTICS TRAINING CENTER

CAREER HIGHS All-Around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Floor Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13.150 Pommel Horse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14.600 S ll Rings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Parallel Bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . High Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS 2010 Freshman of the Year 2010 USAG All-American (pommel horse) 2010 NCAA Par cipant

FRESHMAN (2010): Earned the team’s Freshman of the Year award…USAG All-American on the pommel horse…placed second on that event at the na onal event finals…also competed at the NCAA Championships on that event…competed on the pommel horse in every meet…recorded a career-best score of 14.600 at the team finals of the USAG Championships…that score is the third-highest total in Academy history…added five addi onal top-20 pommel horse scores, including four in the top 10…in collegiate debut, became just the second Air Force gymnast to clear the 14.000 mark on that event...competed on the floor exercise at the MPSF Championships, earning a score of 13.150. HIGH SCHOOL/CLUB: Esperanza High School…Principal’s Award…named Dis nguished Aztec…selected to the Principal’s Honor Roll…competed at the club level for South Coast Gymnas cs Training Center…coached by Xiaoping Li and Jian Shen…four- me Junior Olympic Na onal Qualifier…three- me J.O. na onal semifinalist on the pommel horse…two- me J.O. na onal semi-finalist on the high bar…three- me USAG Academic All-American first-team selec on…named Gymnast of the Year. PERSONAL: Full name is James Tsurumatsu Okamoto…son of Thomas and Evelyn Okamoto…has two sisters, Ariel and Jean…majoring in systems engineering management…future career plans include becoming a heavies’ pilot…served as Element NCO…hobbies include rock climbing, camping, playing guitar and reading…is a big fan of hardcore music…spent the summer comple ng Combat Survival Training, Global Engagement and Jump…has an uncle that served in the Marines and a grandfather who served in the Army…favorite event is the high bar…member of Cadet Squadron 07.

AIR FORCE ACADEMY

PROGRAM HISTORY

2010 SEASON REVIEW

MEET THE FALCONS

2011 TEAM INFORMATION

2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions

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2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide

SOPHOMORE | 5-6 | FLOOR, POMMEL, RINGS, VAULT GRAYSON, GA. | HOME SCHOOL ATLANTA SCHOOL OF GYMNASTICS

2011 TEAM INFORMATION

NICK OWEN

FRESHMAN (2010): Did not see compe ve ac on.

All-Around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Floor Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pommel Horse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S ll Rings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Parallel Bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . High Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

PERSONAL: Full first name is Nicholas, but goes by Nick…son of Michael and Susan Owen…has one younger brother, Zachary…majoring in biology…future plans include becoming a pilot…was born on New Year’s Day…hobbies include golf, bible study and hanging out with friends…grandfather, George Yoblonsky, is a re red lieutenant colonel…holds a second degree black belt in Taw Kwon Do…favorite event is the pommel horse, because “it is one of the most challenging events in gymnas cs and overcoming that challenge is worth the struggle”…spent the summer taking calculus II, spending me at home and comple ng Global Engagement…member of Cadet Squadron 37.

MEET THE FALCONS

CAREER HIGHS

HIGH SCHOOL/CLUB: Was home schooled…graduated with a 3.99 GPA…competed at the club level for the Atlanta School of Gymnas cs…coached by Nathan Simmons and Spencer Slaton…competed all four years at the Junior Olympic na onal championships…earned Academic All-America honors.

2010 SEASON REVIEW PROGRAM HISTORY AIR FORCE ACADEMY

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2011 TEAM INFORMATION

2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions

KYLE BAKER

FRESHMAN | 5-9 | ALL-AROUND UNION, KY. | BEECHWOOD HIGH SCHOOL QUEEN CITY GYMNASTICS CLUB

“I chose to a end the Air Force Academy for a num-

HIGH SCHOOL/CLUB: Beechwood High School…posted a 4.0 (or higher) GPA all four years…graduated Summa Cum Laude…recipient of the Commonwealth Diploma…four- me Academic All-American, as a first-team selec on…member of the Na onal Honor Society…competed at the club level for Queen City Gymnas cs…coached by Keith Pe t, Norm Stulz and Sean Sawyer…two- me qualifier for the Junior Olympic Na onal Championships.

ber of reasons. First and foremost, I felt it was my duty to serve and defend my country, and the Academy provides me with the best means I know in order to do that. The leadership training, character

PERSONAL: Full name is Kyle William Baker…son of Bill and Wendy Baker…has one younger brother, Kevin, and one younger sister, Kadence…currently undecided on a major…future career plans include becoming a pilot or working with UAVs…member of Cadet Squadron 27.

development, unparalleled academic programs, and excep onal athle cs will all set me on the right path to becoming a successful officer in the United States Air Force. Also, there are many opportuni es offered at the Academy that are the experiences of get at a civilian university. Jumping, soaring and free study abroad are just a few of the programs that are unique to the Academy.”

PATRICK DUFFY

FRESHMAN | 5-7 | ALL-AROUND ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. | LA CUEVA HIGH SCHOOL GOLD CUP GYMNASTICS

PROGRAM HISTORY

2010 SEASON REVIEW

a life me; they are experiences that one could not

“I chose to a end USAFA because I wanted to be in the Air Force and serve my country. I wanted to fly planes and work with some of the best teachers in the U.S. USAFA is unlike any other school and I

AIR FORCE ACADEMY

wanted the challenge. The Summer Seminar program and my recrui ng trip made me decide that I definitely wanted to go to USAFA. I wanted to go in and come out a be er leader and overall person.

HIGH SCHOOL/CLUB: La Cueva High School…selected as a State of New Mexico Higher Educa on Department Recogni on Program Scholar in 2009-10…posted a 4.5 weighted GPA…two- me academic le erwinner…member of the Na onal Honor Society…selected for the Na onal Youth Leadership Forum all four years…three-year member of Nobel’s Na onal Society of High School Scholars…named Who’s Who Among High School Students in 2008…competed at the club level for Gold Cup Gymnas cs…coached by Jerry Nickels…member of two state championship teams (2009, 2010)…2009 Gymnast of the Year…four- me USAG Junior Olympic Qualifier…four me USAG First-Team Academic All-American…USAG Region I Select Team in 2005, represen ng gymnas cs from California, Nevada, Hawaii and Arizona…named to the USAG Southern California State All-Star Team in 2005…two- me selec on to the USAG Nevada State All-Star Team…placed first in the all-around at the USAG Southern California State North Conference meet in 2006…two- me Most Decorated Gymnast Award…two me par cipant at the Interna onal Gymnas cs Camp…also a ended Falcon Sports Camps in 2009, earning the Best A tude Award.

The Academy also offers world class athle cs and Division I sports. I really wanted to compete in gymnas cs in college and USAFA gave me that opportunity. Not to men on that I would get a chance to become an officer in the United States Air Force. All around, USAFA was a perfect fit.”

PERSONAL: Son of Pat and Diana Duffy…father was a 1981 Academy graduate and spent 28 years as a fighter pilot, re ring as a Colonel…mother is a 1983 Academy graduate…has one younger sister, Katherine…currently undecided on a major…hobbies include surfing, scuba diving, water skiing, other extreme sports, video games and working on cars…loves techo music…is one quarter Japanese…favorite event is the pommel horse, because “I am good at it and it is fun for me”…member of Cadet Squadron 24.

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FRESHMAN | 5-4 | POMMEL, RINGS, PARALLEL BARS SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS | CLAUDIA TAYLOR JOHNSON HIGH SCHOOL ALAMO GYMNASTICS CENTER

PERSONAL: Full name is Phillip Tyler Huebner…goes by Tyler…son of Phil and Lori Huebner…has one younger brother, Tate…majoring in Foreign Area Studies…future plans include becoming a UAV pilot or working in foreign affairs…hobbies include snowboarding and rock climbing…grandfather served in the military…favorite event is the s ll rings, because “that’s where I excel”…member of Cadet Squadron 33.

HIGH SCHOOL/CLUB: Concord High School…competed at the club level for G&J Speedway Gymnas cs…coached by Jie Ding…member of the 2010 regional team…three- me state all-around champion…also won numerous individual event tles. “I came to the Air Force Academy to get a different college experience than a normal civilian college. I wanted to be able to look back and say I did something hard during my college years, something I

PERSONAL: Full name is Breeden McEachern Ritchie…goes by Mac…son of Jack and Jennifer Ritchie…has one older brother, Ben, and one younger brother, George…currently undecided on a major…hobbies include playing golf…favorite event is the parallel bars, because “I like doing it and I don’t ever get bored of it”…member of Cadet Squadron 25.

PROGRAM HISTORY

FRESHMAN | 5-5 | ALL-AROUND CONCORD, N.C. | CONCORD HIGH SCHOOL G&J SPEEDWAY GYMNASTICS CLUB

2010 SEASON REVIEW

MAC RITCHIE

MEET THE FALCONS

HIGH SCHOOL/CLUB: Claudia Taylor Johnson High School…graduated Summa Cum Laude…competed at the club level for Alamo Gymnas cs Center…coached by Yuegin Sun and Brandon Kays…served as team captain…placed eighth on the s ll rings at Na onals.

2011 TEAM INFORMATION

TYLER HUEBNER

could be proud of. Also, I wanted to become an offi-

AIR FORCE ACADEMY

cer in the Air Force. I also wanted to compete in NCAA gymnas cs for the Academy.”

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COLTON WULF

FRESHMAN | 5-6 | ALL-AROUND WHEAT RIDGE, COLO. | WHEAT RIDGE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL 5280 GYMNASTICS Competed at the 2010 Visa Na onal Championships in August – just one week a er comple ng Basic Cadet Training…placed 16th in the Junior Division all-around…finished seventh on the s ll rings…became the firstever Air Force gymnast to compete at the na onal meet. “The reason that I came to the Air Force Academy was so that I could fly airplanes in the greatest Air Force in the world, while ge ng a world class edu-

HIGH SCHOOL/CLUB: Wheat Ridge Senior High School…competed at the club level for 5280 Gymnas cs…coached by Vladimir Artemev…placed fi h in the all-around at the 2010 Junior Olympic Na onal championships…competed at the 2010 Winter Cup Challenge.

ca on and doing the sport I love, gymnas cs.”

PERSONAL: Full name is Colton Michael Wulf…son of Rick and Cindy Wulf…has one younger sister, Nicole…currently undecided on a major…future career plans include becoming a pilot…hobbies include flying…favorite event is the high bar, because “you never quite know if you’re going to stay on; there is always that li le bit of doubt, but when I go for a release, everything is about finding the bar again. It also gives me a great sensa on of flying”…used to do rodeo…grandfather served in the military…member of Cadet Squadron 03.

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2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions

BEN ZAISER

PROGRAM HISTORY

FRESHMAN | 5-3 | ALL-AROUND PITTSBURGH, PA. | HOME SCHOOL PITTSBURGH NORTHSTARS GYMNASTICS CLUB

“I choose the Air Force Academy because I have al-

HIGH SCHOOL/CLUB: Was home schooled…passed AP tests in chemistry, sta s cs, physics and Calculus AB…two- me USAG Academic All-American…competed at the club level for Pi sburgh Northstars…coached by Sco Carslaw…par cipated at the 2009 Na onals in Cincinna …four- me na onal qualifier…placed second on the pommel horse at the 2008 state championships…received the Greg Young Award, which goes to someone who shows respect to the coaches.

ways been interested in the military, and a er seeing USAFA while visi ng my brother, I decided that

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this place would be the best college for me.”

PERSONAL: Full first name is Benjamin, but goes by Ben…son of Barry and Kim Zaiser…has one older sister, Bekah, who was a 2010 All-American gymnast at Florida…also has an older brother, Aaron, who is a senior on the Air Force gymnas cs team…currently undecided on a major…future plans include pursuing a successful career in the Air Force…hobbies include playing paintball…favorite event is the floor exercise, because “I get an adrenaline rush when I hit my floor set”…member of Cadet Squadron 23.

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2010 SEASON IN REVIEW


AIR FORCE ACADEMY

PROGRAM HISTORY

2010 SEASON REVIEW

MEET THE FALCONS

2011 TEAM INFORMATION

2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions The Air Force men’s gymnas cs team had one of the best seasons ever, culmina ng with the program’s first-ever USA Gymnas cs na onal team tle. As a team, the Falcons collected five of the top six team scores in program history, highlighted by an Academy record 346.450. In addi on, Air Force set program records in all six team scores. Some highlights from the season: FALCONS COMPETE AT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: Eight members of the 13th-ranked Air Force men’s gymnas cs team traveled to West Point, N.Y., for the 2010 NCAA Men’s Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Championships April 15-17. The Falcons were represented by one all-around compe tor (Nash Mills) and eight event specialists – Garre Canter (high bar), Dan Klimkowski (s ll rings), Devin Menefee (s ll rings, vault), Chase Nobles (pommel horse), James Okamoto (pommel horse), Ma Thorne (parallel bars) and Joel Uptmor (s ll rings, vault, high bar).

MILLS AND MENEFEE EARN NATIONAL TITLES: Nash Mills claimed USAG tles in the all-around and on the parallel bars, while Devin Menefee used an Academy record performance to win the na onal vault tle. Tallying an all-around score of 85.450, Mills ed for first with the defending champion (William and Mary’s Derek Gygax) on March 26, before placing first on the parallel bars with a score of 14.500 the next night. Menefee stuck a tremendous 15.950 vault to not only win his first USAG tle, but to set a new program record in the process. DID YOU KNOW?: Nash Mills’ USAG tle in the allaround marked the third me in four years that an Air Force gymnast has won the na onal tle in the combined events. Former Falcon Greg S ne back-toback tles at the 2007 and 2008 meets. EVEN MORE TRIVIA: Devin Menefee and Nash Mills became just the fourth pair of Falcons to win USAG na onal tles during the same year since 1994. The pair joins Greg S ne/Jake Schonig (2008), Javin Peterson/Levi Torkelson (2000) and Jerry Michael Cline/Brian Rizzoli (1994). WE’RE NOT DONE: With his record-se ng performance, Devin Menefee became just the second Falcon to ever win the USAG vault tle, joining Aaron Jackson who first claimed the na onal vault tle in 2003.

FALCONS PLACE FIFTH AT MPSF CHAMPIONSHIPS: Hi ng over 80-percent of their rou nes, the Falcons scored a 329.500 to place fi h at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federa on Championships on April 3. Allarounder Nash Mills posted the Falcons’ top scores on the floor exercise (14.150), s ll rings (14.300), parallel bars (13.800) and high bar (13.400). SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST: Against NCAA foes, the Falcons have made a drama c turnaround over the course of the year. Air Force opened the season with seven losses against varsity teams. However, during the month of March, the Air Force won six of eight compe ons, while pos ng six of the top seven team scores in Academy history. MILLS REPEATS AS MPSF GYMNAST OF THE WEEK: A er claiming two USAG na onal tles and pacing the Falcons to their first-ever team tle, Nash Mills earned his second consecu ve MPSF Gymnast of the Week award.

FALCONS EARN NINE USAG HONORS: Six Falcons combined for nine USAG All-America awards following top-six finishes in the March 27 event finals. Nash Mills (all-around, parallel bars) and Devin Menefee (vault) paced the squad with their first-place finishes, while Mills claimed addi onal cer ficates on the s ll rings and vault. James Okamoto was the runner-up on the pommel horse, while Dan Klimkowski finished second on the s ll rings. Chase Nobles (pommel horse) and Garre Canter (high bar) also gained USAG All-America status. THE NOBLE PERFORMANCE: Chase Nobles con nued to improve the program’s pommel horse record, scoring 14.800 to place first during the team finals of the USAG Championships on March 26. In addi on to Nobles’ record-se ng score, another pair of Falcons tallied career-high marks, as James Okamoto tallied a personal-best 14.600 and Garre Canter upped his career-best score to 14.000. This trio helped Air Force score a combined mark of 57.500 – sha ering the previous standard by nearly two points (55.950).

USAG Na onal Champions (Team) Air Force USAG Na onal Champions (Individual) Nash Mills (parallel bars, all-around) Devin Menefee (vault) USAG All-Americans Nash Mills (rings, vault, p-bars, all-around) Devin Menefee (vault) James Okamoto (pommel horse) Dan Klimkowski (rings) Chase Nobles (pommel horse) Garre Canter (high bar) USAG Head Coach of the Year: Kip Simons USAG Assistant Coaches of the Year Bre McClure, Lt Col Chuck Schweiss MPSF Academic All-Conference Brennan Wolford Aaron Zaiser MPSF Gymnast of the Week Nash Mills (Mar. 23; Mar. 30) CGA Na onal Coach of the Year (Collegiate) Kip Simons CGA Gymnast of the Week Nash Mills (Mar. 3; Mar. 17) NCAA West Region Head Coach of the Year: Kip Simons NCAA West Region Assistant Coach of the Year Bre McClure MOST VALUABLE GYMNAST: NASH MILLS Nash Mills completed his remarkable comeback from a season-ending injury as a freshman to becoming a two- me USAG champion as a junior. Mills claimed USAG na onal tles in the allaround and on the parallel bars to lead the Falcons to their first-ever USAG team tle. Mills set the Academy record on the parallel bars, while holding the program’s vault record for part of the season. The team leader on the parallel bars, high bar and all-around, Mills was a two- me Mountain Pacific Sports Federa on Gymnast of the Week, while claiming a pair of na onal honors from the College Gymnas cs Associa on. Freshman of the Year James Okamoto Most Improved Ma Thorne

FALCONS WIN FIRST-EVER USAG NATIONAL TITLE: Air Force claimed its first-ever na onal tle at the USAG Collegiate Na onal Championships on March 26. The Falcons tallied a team score of 342.350 – the fourthhighest score ever – to be er the field by over seven points, as defending champion William & Mary finished second with a score of 335.150.

Hardest Worker Alex Jessop

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MILLS NAMED MPSF GYMNAST OF THE WEEK: Nash Mills was named the MPSF Gymnast of the Week on March 23, a er his performance at ASU. Mills collected a pair of event tles, as well as his fi h allaround victory (84.450). Mills won the s ll rings (career-best matching 14.800) and high bar (14.150), while finishing within the top-five on the vault and pommel horse.

FALCONS PERFECT ON EAST COAST TRIP: The Falcons posted a perfect 3-0 record on their East Coast road trip on March 12-14. Air Force defeated Army by 10 points (340.400-330.200) on Friday night, before scoring its second-highest score ever (342.950) to defeat both William & Mary (337.800) and Springfield (336.650).

TWO FOR KLIMKOWSKI: Dan Klimkowski picked up a pair of event tles during the Falcons’ tri-meet at Springfield on March 14. He won the pommel horse with a career-best 14.300, while placing first on the s ll rings with a score of 14.500.

MORE TITLES FOR THE FALCONS: In addi on to his share of the high bar tle, Joel Uptmor placed first on the floor exercise with a score of 14.550, while Devin Menefee won his fourth s ll rings tle in as many meets with a tally of 14.850.

FALCONS ACCOUNT FOR FOUR FIRST-PLACE SCORES: Four Falcons earned a share of a first-place finish in the dual meet against UIC on March 7. Nash Mills and Joel Uptmor ed for first on the vault with scores of 15.750, while Devin Menefee won his third s ll rings tle in as many meets with a career-best tally of 15.350 and Chase Nobles ed for first on the pommel horse with an Academy-record score of 14.700. FALCONS FINISH SECOND AT HOME TRI-MEET: With nine gymnasts tallying at least one career-best mark, the Falcons posted its third-highest score ever (338.350) to finish second in a home meet with No. 2 Stanford (356.700) and No. 12 Illinois-Chicago (336.200) on March 5. Air Force’s win over UIC marked the team’s first win over a NCAA Division I program this season. MENEFEE MOVES UP: Devin Menefee improved his score on the s ll rings by .400 to win the event tle on March 5. Scoring a 15.250, Menefee recorded the ninth-best score in Academy history. He became just the third Air Force gymnast to crack the program’s all- me top-10 list. AN ALL-AROUND GOOD NIGHT: Against Stanford and UIC, Nash Mills won the all-around tle with a score of 84.750. Highlighted by a third-place finish on the parallel bars, Mills finished within the top seven on four of six events. FALCONS SOAR AT ARIZONA STATE: Backed by five first-place finishes, one Academy record and nine career-best scores, the Falcons tallied a season-high 335.900 to defeat ASU on Feb. 26. As a squad, Air Force posted season-high marks on the floor exercise (56.100), pommel horse (52.700), s ll rings (58.200) and parallel bars (55.000), en route to the seasonhigh total that be ered their previous score by over three points.

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GOING BY CLASS: At ASU, freshman Travis Langham placed third on the floor exercise and vault, while sophomore Joel Uptmor finishing third on the high bar. Junior Dan Klimkowski placed third on the s ll rings and senior Garre Canter picked up a thirdplace spot on the parallel bars. MOVING IN AND MOVING UP: Since the new scoring system went into effect prior to the 2008 season, only four Falcons had cracked the program’s top-20 list in the s ll rings, the most recent being Devin Menefee last year. However, following the Feb. 26 meet, two Falcons moved onto the list, while Menefee moved up to 13th with a score of 14.850. Nash Mills ed for the 14th with a tally of 14.800, while Dan Klimkowski debuted on the list in a e for 19th with a score of 14.550.

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MILL’ING AROUND Nash Mills earned a share of two event tles and the top all-around spot against Army on March 12. Mills won the vault (15.600), while sharing first on the high bar with Joel Uptmor and Garre Canter. The winning high bar score of 14.150 was a career-best tally for Uptmor and Canter, while just .200 off of Mills’ personal-best score.

I’LL TAKE TWO…: Devin Menefee picked up a pair of event tles at ASU. He recorded a career-best score of 14.850 on the s ll rings, while tallying a seasonhigh mark of 15.800 on the vault. In addi on to his two event tles, Menefee upped his personal-best mark on the floor exercise to 13.850.

PROGRAM HISTORY

AIR FORCE GETS THE WIN: Backed by a strong final rota on, the Falcons dominated the Pride Triangular on March 14. Down by a point heading into the final rota on, Air Force had its second-best vault ever (62.350) to defeat the field by over five points. The Falcons accumulated a team score of 342.950 – also the second-best score in Academy history – to defeat William & Mary (337.800) and Springfield (336.650).

FALCONS ADJUST FIVE TEAM RECORDS AGAISNT UIC: Combining for a score of 346.450, Air Force sha ered its team total score on March 7, increasing its program standard by over four points. Contribu ng to the new program standard were Academy team records on the floor exercise (58.650), s ll rings (59.350), vault (63.450) and high bar (55.900). In addi on, their pommel horse score of 54.650 is the second-highest total in program history.

DID YOU KNOW?: With his 14.900 in a winning effort on the parallel bars, Nash Mills defeated the field by one whole point.

2010 SEASON REVIEW

ALL IN A GOOD NIGHT’S WORK: Dan Klimkowski placed within the top three during each of his events against Arizona State. The junior ed for second on the floor exercise, while earning the placement outright on the s ll rings. He also finished third on the pommel and ed for that spot on the parallel bars.

NOBLES SHATTERS POMMEL HORSE RECORD: Chase Nobles blasted the Academy record on the pommel horse in the Falcons’ home finale on March 7. The sophomore scored a 14.700 to e for first on the pommel horse, while breaking the previous mark of 14.200 that classmate Jacob Houder set twice last season. The score is a personal improvement of nearly a point, sha ering the mark of 13.800 he had set two days earlier.

PLAYING WITH THE (SUN) DEVILS: Claiming three first-place finishes and matching an Academy record, Nash Mills had a career-best night in the Falcons’ win over ASU on Feb. 26. The junior matched the program standard on the parallel bars, winning the event with a score of 14.900. He also used a season-best performance of 13.800 to e for first on the high bars, while claiming the outright all-around with a personal-best score of 86.300. Finishing within the top four of every event, Mills also recorded personalbest scores on the pommel horse (13.550) and s ll rings (14.800).

MEET THE FALCONS

FALCONS END REGULAR SEASON WITH A WIN: Backed by first-place finishes on all six events, the Falcons defeated Arizona State 340.950-330.300 to close out the regular season. Nash Mills picked up tles on the s ll rings, high bar and all-around, while Travis Langham (floor), Chase Nobles (pommel), Joel Uptmor (vault) and Ma Thorne (p-bars) completed the Air Force sweep of tles.

IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT…: While the All-Academy Championships were canceled this year, there is an easy way to think about what could have been. In dual meet ac on, Air Force beat Army by over 10 points (340.400-330.200) and Army beat Navy by nearly five points (330.950-326.100).

2011 TEAM INFORMATION

A HALL OF FAME COACH: Kip Simons will be inducted into the USA Gymnas cs Hall of Fame this summer. A member of two world championship teams and the 1996 U.S. Olympic team, Simons is one of six members of the 2010 induc on class.


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2010 SEASON REVIEW

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2011 TEAM INFORMATION

2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions IT’S ALL ABOUT THE VAULT: The Falcons tallied two top13 finishes on the vault in the preliminary round of ac on at the Winter Cup Challenge. In addi on to Tory Brown’s eighth-place 15.600 on the vault, sophomore Joel Uptmor nabbed a 15.400 on the event to finish 13th. Junior Nash Mills, one of the program’s two record holders on that event, earned his best finish of the night on the vault.

FALCONS TALLY SEASON-BEST SCORE AT NEBRASKA: The Falcons set a season-high score of 332.700 – the eighth-best score in Academy history – at the Nebraska Quad Meet on Feb. 21. Highlighted by seasonbest scores on the parallel bars and high bar, the Falcons improved their season total by nearly three points. The Falcons’ score on the parallel bars (54.800) is ed for the eighth-best score in program history, while the high bar mark (53.700) is eighth, outright, in the Academy record book. BACK TO THE VAULT: The Falcons shined on the vault at Nebraska, tallying a four-man score of 62.200. Joel Uptmor ed for third on that event with a careerbest 15.750 (third-best score ever). Travis Langham moved into fi h on the all- me list with a score of 15.650, while Nash Mills and Devin Menefee recorded respec ve scores of 15.450 and 15.250. LANGHAM LEADS THE WAY: Freshman Travis Langham recoded career-best marks on three of his four events at Nebraska on Feb. 21. Besides scoring a 15.650 on the vault, he also tallied a 14.300 on the floor exercise and a 13.750 on the high bar. In addi on, he nearly matched his personal-best score on the s ll rings with a score of 13.100. AIR FORCE – THE UNOFFICIAL NUMBER ONE: The Falcons could be considered the unofficial champion of the 2010 All-Academy Championship meet, as they were the only team able to travel to California. While Navy had already forfeited their chance to repeat due to mul ple injuries, Army was grounded at West Point due to the snowstorms that slammed into the East Coast. Due to the cancella on of the Feb. 13 meet and the previous week’s Winter Cup Challenge, Air Force hasn’t competed in a team compe on since Jan. 30. BROWN LEADS FALCONS AT WINTER CUP: Tory Brown picked up the Falcons’ best finish at the Winter Cup Challenge, placing eighth on the vault in the preliminary round of compe on. Brown improved his personal-best score on the vault by nearly one point, garnering a score of 15.600 to place eighth.

FALCONS BLAST VAULT RECORD: During the Falcons’ meet at Minnesota, Nash Mills posted a careerbest 15.850 on the vault to match the Academy standard and pace the Falcons to a program-best team score of 62.200. Mills’ mark, which ed the record set by Devin Menefee last year, was one of three top10 scores for Air Force on that event, as Joel Uptmor (15.700) and Menefee (15.600) finished sixth and 10th, respec vely. DID YOU KNOW?: In just two team compe ons, Air Force has accounted for two of the top three vault scores in Academy history. In addi on to se ng the record at 62.200 at Minnesota, the Falcons also posted a 61.200 at the Rocky Mountain Open - the third-highest total in Academy history. CANTER CAN…: Senior Garre Canter posted the Falcons’ best finishes during the Minnesota Quad Meet (Jan. 30). Canter placed eighth on the parallel bars with a career-best mark of 13.850 – the 13th-best score in Academy history, before tying for eighth on the high bar with a score of 13.450. FALCONS OFF TO STRONG START: Air Force posted its best season-opening score, as it tallied a 325.850 to place third at the Rocky Mountain Open on Jan. 16. The Falcons’ combined vault score of 61.200 was the second-highest total in Academy history, while their pommel horse total of 53.650 was ranked ninth. A DEBUT TO REMEMBER: In his collegiate debut, James Okamoto recorded a score of 14.050 on the pommel horse at the Rocky Mountain Open. Just one meet into his career, Okamoto became just the second Falcon to clear the 14-point mark in that event. That score is the second-highest pommel score in Academy history and only .150 behind the Academy record. MILL’ING UP THE SCORES: Junior Nash Mills was the Falcons’ top finisher in a pair of events at the Rocky Mountain Open, leading to a sixth-place finish in the all-around. Mills ed for fi h on the vault with a score of 15.700, while placing sixth on the parallel bars at 13.950. His vault score, a personal best, is ranked third in the program’s record book.

30

THREE FALCONS INVITED TO WINTER CUP: Nash Mills, Joel Uptmor and Tory Brown were selected to compete at the pres gious Winter Cup Challenge. In just one season, Air Force matched its total of gymnasts that have been invited to the Winter Cup over the past 20 years. Only Joel Miller (1992) and Jeff Andersen (2004) have competed at the Winter Cup, although Greg S ne (2007) was invited, but had to withdraw due to injury. HOME SWEET HOME: A er compe ng on the road for much of the past few years, Air Force will compete at the home four mes this season. Following the season-opening Rocky Mountain Open on Jan. 16, the Falcons will face Illinois-Chicago in a pair of meets (March 5, March 7), before hos ng the USAG Na onal Championships on March 26-27. FALCONS RANKED 14TH IN PRESEASON POLL: Air Force earned a No. 14 placement in the GymInfo Preseason Coaches’ Poll to enter the 2010 season. That ranking, the best amongst the three service academies, is the second-highest preseason ranking ever for the Falcons, falling just one spot shy of last year’s 13th-place. WELCOME TO THE SHOW: Air Force added six talented freshmen to its roster for the 2010 season. Tory Brown, Alex Jessop, Travis Langham, James Okamoto, Nick Owen and Thomas Wilkinson are the newest members of the program. This class encompasses two state champions, one member of the Junior Olympic Na onal Team and numerous selec ons to the J.O. Na onal Championships. LEADING THE WAY: Air Force seniors Garre Canter and Brennan Wolford will serve as co-captains for the 2010 season. It is just the 12th me in the Falcons’ 54-year history that a pair of gymnasts have shared the honor of team captain


2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide

2011 TEAM INFORMATION

SOARING TO NEW HEIGHTS By Valerie Perkin, Air Force Media Rela ons Director (March 9, 2010)

If you need to find an assistant gymnas cs coach during the months of January to April, you would normally check the gym, the office or someplace around the hotel if it’s a road weekend. But, on Thursday, Feb. 26, if you needed to find fourth-year Air Force assistant coach and 2004 Olympian Bre McClure, you had to look up. Way up… Oh yeah, and don’t blink … because he’s that speck of silver in the sky that just went supersonic. “Before the flight, you’re a li le nervous,” Klimkowski admi ed. “But once you take off, it’s all thrill. There’s nothing cooler than going over 400 miles-per-hour, upside down, while dogfigh ng other jets.” While his counterparts were careening through the air over the Arizona landscape, Brown’s a ernoon was cut short due to maintenance issues with his aircra . However, considering that six 500-pound MK 82 bombs were strapped to the undercarriage of his plane, prepped for a drop at the Luke AFB test site, Brown may have had the one of the most unique taxiing experiences ever.

But, they knew what was coming. Air Force’s flight landed in Phoenix around 0830, and McClure and six gymnasts were ushered into a whirlwind of ac vity. McClure was joined on this memorable excursion by freshmen Tory Brown and James Okamoto, as well as juniors Dan Klimkowski, Nash Mills and Aaron Zaiser. The gymnasts earned this reward based on their performance in both the gym and the classroom.

Okamoto had prepared himself for the trip, by reading up on the aircra and its capabili es. However, once the engines roared to life, the youngest of the Air Force fighter-pilots-in-training, quickly realized that no book, website - or even his own imagina on - could have prepared him for what was about to take place.

Once through the gates of Luke Air Force Base, the Falcons met up with their guide, Maj “Skid” Greer, and were moved from one sta on to the next, ge ng briefed, trained, fi ed and prepared for their 1600 take-off me.

Words don’t seem to do jus ce to the adventure that McClure and his gymnasts were able to experience that special morning in February. However, Klimkowski was able to sum it up the best, when he simply stated, “You can’t know how memorable an F-16 ride is un l you’ve had one.”

The Falcons were prepared on how to handle every possible scenario, including the ones a typical commercial passenger wouldn’t even imagine. McClure and company received parachute training, learned G-force breathing techniques and understood the iden fiable signs of hypoxia. The Falcons were also fi ed for their G-suits, helmets and oxygen masks.

Once back on solid ground, the team and their pilots returned to the locker room to unwind a er their flights. This gave Zaiser a special insight into his future plans in the Air Force. “The greatest part of my experience at Luke AFB was hanging out with the pilots a er the flight,” he acknowledged. “I loved the camaraderie within the pilot community. Having chosen a job as a pilot, it was reassuring and exci ng to know that not only did I enjoy flying, but also the lifestyle and people involved in it.”

Guided by their pilots, the con ngent of excited Falcons headed out to the flightline – a vast expanse of cement with markings that make sense to only the mosttrained eye. There, in the distance, was what they had all come to experience.

For the gymnasts, their experiences aboard the F-16 helped reaffirm their career choices and reminded them of why they lead such a unique life, ge ng up before dawn, taking overwhelming class loads in majors like aeronau cal engineering or systems engineering management, and following a strict schedule that most college students can’t even fathom.

The F-16 Figh ng Falcon. To an average ci zen, the F-16 can most easily be recognized as the featured aircra for the Air Force aerial demonstra on team, the Thunderbirds. But to the men and women that call its cockpit home, the F-16 is the ul mate aircra . In its most basic terms, the F-16 is a single-engine, supersonic, mul -role tac cal aircra ; a “workhorse” that supports air-to-air and air-to-ground combat.

PROGRAM HISTORY

Finally, a er being briefed, trained and suited up, the Falcons were ready to go. McClure, Brown and Okamoto were going to be traveling with pilots from the 308th Flight Squadron, while Klimkowski, Mills and Zaiser were going up with members of the 62nd Flight Squadron.

2010 SEASON REVIEW

“Reading about the F-16 was impressive,” he said. “But ge ng to fly one was an experience of a life me that I’ll never forget. I expected something similar to an intense rollercoaster ride, but the F-16 was on another level completely. Pulling Gs, while dropping laser-guided bombs was one of the most thrilling and exci ng moments of my life.”

This wasn’t anything like the basic “how-to-fly” instruc ons that they received just hours earlier, while s ll parked at the gate outside of DIA. There was no flight attendant standing at the front of the aisle, showing them how to buckle a seatbelt. At the head of a conference table, were pilots with hundreds of hours in the air, teaching their soon-to-be passengers the important informa on that would be needed before climbing the ladder into the cockpit.

MEET THE FALCONS

The day began innocently enough, as the Air Force men’s gymnas cs team loaded up an Academy bus and headed out for a dual meet at Arizona State. Soon, the squad was secured onto a Southwest Airlines plane for an uneven ul flight, direct from Denver to Phoenix.

“At the Academy, it’s easy to get lost in academics and lose focus of the Air Force,” Klimkowski said. “The F-16 ride gave me a renewed mo va on to start my career.” “Being in an opera onal Air Force environment really opened my eyes and re-mo vated me towards my goal of becoming an Air Force officer,” Okamoto agreed. “Since I was very young, it’s been a dream to be a pilot,” Mills said. “To be able to get a ride in a fighter jet was an amazing experience. The F-16 gave me a dbit of the excitement and challenges that I can’t wait to dive into a er gradua on.”

“There is nothing like a max ver cal climb with a erburners immediately a er take-off,” McClure explained of his flight with his pilot, Elton ‘Elvis’ Davis.

While the experience on board the F-16 solidified the futures of the Air Force gymnasts, McClure achieved another once-in-a-life me opportunity. Not only has he stood on the podium of the Olympic Games, with a medal around his neck, but he has been harnessed to one of the military’s finest aircra and surpassing the speed of sound. The opportunity gave McClure first-hand experience at what his athletes work so hard, day-in and day-out, to achieve.

The gymnasts, who are used to moving through the air on tumbling passes or dismounts, were now soaring through the air, crea ng forma ons, prac cing aerial combat maneuvers (aka “dogfigh ng”) with their teammates’ jets, dropping missiles into the test zones and breaking the sound barrier with ease.

31

AIR FORCE ACADEMY

Zasier thought that nerves wouldn’t be an issue, as he’d flown in an F-15 as a part of his Opera on Air Force in Japan over the summer. But he was quick to point out, “That all changed when we accelerated down the runway for takeoff.”


2010 SEASON REVIEW

MEET THE FALCONS

2011 TEAM INFORMATION

2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions

USAF ACADEMY, Colo. -- Highlighted by junior Nash Mills’ na onal tle in the allaround and a team score of 342.350, the 12th-ranked Air Force men’s gymnas cs claimed its first-ever USAG na onal tle on Friday, March 26, at the Academy’s Cadet West Gym. The Falcons, which be ered the field by over seven points, also advanced nine gymnasts to tomorrow’s event finals. Mills tallied a combined score of 85.450 to e for first in the all-around with William and Mary’s Derek Gygax, the defending USAG champion in the all-around. Mills’ allaround tle marks the third me in the past four seasons that a member of the Air Force team has taken the top spot on the medal podium. Contribu ng to his allaround score were first-place scores on the s ll rings (14.650), parallel bars (14.450) and high bar (13.950), as well as a fourth-place score of 15.450 on the vault. Air Force tallied a score of 342.350 – the fourth-highest ever – to win its first USAG na onal tle in the 23-year history of the event. The Falcons be ered the field by over seven points, as 13- me na onal champion, William and Mary, finished second with a score of 335.150. Springfield placed third with a tally of 329.350, while the Falcons’ service academy rival Navy finished fourth with a score of 327.450. The meet also served as a qualifier into the event finals on Saturday. Backed by several domina ng performances, the Falcons qualified nine gymnasts into the event finals. In the preliminary rounds that included both the varsity and club team gymnasts, Air Force was well represented among the top spots of the pommel horse and s ll rings, accoun ng for four of the top six spots in each. Freshman Chase Nobles tallied an Academy record score of 14.800 to place first on the pommel horse, while classmate James Okamoto scored a career-best 14.600 to finish third. Junior Dan Klimkowski finished fi h with a 14.100, while senior Garre Canter ed for sixth with a score of personal-best 14.000. On the s ll rings, Mills tallied a 14.650 to finish first, while Klimkowski scored a 14.400 to place second. Sophomore Devin Menefee ed for third with a mark of 14.200, while classmate Joel Uptmor finished fi h with a score of 14.050. Air Force also dominated the top of the parallel bars. Behind Mills’ first-place score, Canter placed third with a mark of 14.000, while junior Ma hew Thorne ed for fourth with a mark of 13.900. The Falcons claimed the top individual score on five of the six events. In addi on to Mills’ firstplace scores on the s ll rings, parallel bars and high bar and Nobles top score on the pommel horse, Menefee led the field of 50 on the vault, scoring a 15.650. Uptmor recorded the Falcons’ top performance on the floor exercise, scoring a 14.450 to e for fourth.

AIR FORCE ACADEMY

PROGRAM HISTORY

Backed by career-best performance from Nobles, Okamoto and Canter, the Falcons sha ered their previous team high on the pommel horse. Scoring a combined mark of 57.500, Air Force be ered its previous standard by nearly two points (55.950).

32


2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide

Menefee won the vault with a score of 15.950, retaking the outright lead on the program’s all- me list. The score was a personal improvement of .100. Mills claimed top honors on the parallel bars with a score of 14.500. His tle comes just one day a er he claimed champion honors in the all-around. In addi on to his first-place finish on the parallel bars, Mills earned USAG All-America honors on the s ll rings (13.650) and vault (15.400), while finishing eighth on the high bar with a score of 12.350.

Air Force also collected USAG All-America honors from senior Garre Canter, who placed fi h on the high bar with a score of 13.250. Canter also par cipated in the event finals of the parallel bars, scoring a 12.750 to finish eighth.

McClure is in his fourth season as an assistant for Simons, while Schweiss is in his second. This is the first me in the history of the program that the assistant coaches have earned this specific honor, although former assistant Lt Col Ivan Merri was earned the CGA’s top assistant award in 1998.

AIR FORCE ACADEMY

Members of the 2010 Air Force men’s gymnas cs team received their USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Championship rings on Saturday, Oct. 30, in an on-field ceremony during the first half of the Air Force-Utah football game at Falcon Stadium. Air Force received the rings, a er claiming the program’s firstever USAG na onal team tle in March.

PROGRAM HISTORY

Since taking over the Air Force program in 2005, Simons has guided the Falcons up the na onal rankings. Air Force won its first-ever varsity team tle on Friday night, be ering the field by over seven points. Simons, who also earned the USAG Coach of the Year award in 2008, has coached one NCAA All-American (two cer ficates), one Nissen-Emery finalist, four USAG champions (10 tles) and 17 USAG All-Americans (35 cer ficates).

2010 SEASON REVIEW

Hours a er leading the Air Force men’s gymnas cs team to its first-ever USA Gymnas cs na onal collegiate tle, the Falcons’ coaching staff was received a pair of coaching accolades. Fi h-year head coach Kip Simons was named the USAG Varsity Head Coach of the Year, while assistant coaches Bre McClure and Lt Col Chuck Schweiss were named the USAG Varsity Assistant Coaches of the Year.

MEET THE FALCONS

Junior Dan Klimkowski placed second on the s ll rings, claiming his first USAG All-America cer ficate with a score of 14.050. Freshman James Okamoto was the na onal runner-up on the pommel horse, earning USAG All-America accolades behind a career-best score of 14.350. Sophomore Chase Nobles was also named a USAG All-American, as he finished fourth on that event with a score of 13.700.

2011 TEAM INFORMATION

USAF ACADEMY, Colo. -- Backed by an Academy record performance on the vault, sophomore Devin Menefee and junior Nash Mills claimed USAG na onal tles, as members of the Air Force men’s gymnas cs team concluded compe on at the USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Championships on Saturday, March 27, at the Academy’s Cadet West Gym.

Receiving their rings were head coach Kip Simons, assistant coach Chuck Schweiss, volunteer coach Dave Mickelson, USAG na onal all-around and parallel bars champion Nash Mills, USAG na onal vault champion Devin Menefee, 2010 team captains 2Lt Garre Canter and 2Lt Brennan Wolford, gymnasts Dan Klimkowski, Derek Kvedar, Ma Thorne, Aaron Zaiser, Jacob Houder, Kyle Mefford, Travis Myers, Chase Nobles, Tory Brown, Alex Jessop, James Okamoto, Nick Owen and Joel Uptmor and team manager Jared Tomaszewski.

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AIR FORCE ACADEMY

PROGRAM HISTORY

2010 SEASON REVIEW

MEET THE FALCONS

2011 TEAM INFORMATION

2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions

TORY BROWN Fr.

GARRETT CANTER Sr.

JACOB HOUDER So.

ALEX JESSOP Fr.

DAN KLIMKOWSKI Jr.

COMPETITION Rocky Mountain Open at Minnesota, with Nebraska at Winter Cup Challenge at All-Academy Championships at Nebraska, with Illinois-Chicago, Ohio State at Southwest Cup Illinois-Chicago, with Stanford Illinois-Chicago at Army at Springfield, with William & Mary at Arizona State USAG Na onal Championships – Team Finals USAG Na onal Championships – Event Finals at MPSF Championships at NCAA Na onal Championships – Prelims

FX 14.150 13.050 11.500 cancelled ------------

COMPETITION Rocky Mountain Open at Minnesota, with Nebraska at Winter Cup Challenge at All-Academy Championships at Nebraska, with Illinois-Chicago, Ohio State at Southwest Cup Illinois-Chicago, with Stanford Illinois-Chicago at Army at Springfield, with William & Mary at Arizona State USAG Na onal Championships – Team Finals USAG Na onal Championships – Event Finals at MPSF Championships at NCAA Na onal Championships – Prelims

FX ---cancelled ------------

COMPETITION Rocky Mountain Open at Minnesota, with Nebraska at Winter Cup Challenge at All-Academy Championships at Nebraska, with Illinois-Chicago, Ohio State at Southwest Cup Illinois-Chicago, with Stanford Illinois-Chicago at Army at Springfield, with William & Mary at Arizona State USAG Na onal Championships – Team Finals USAG Na onal Championships – Event Finals at MPSF Championships at NCAA Na onal Championships – Prelims

FX ---cancelled ------------

COMPETITION Rocky Mountain Open at Minnesota, with Nebraska at Winter Cup Challenge at All-Academy Championships at Nebraska, with Illinois-Chicago, Ohio State at Southwest Cup Illinois-Chicago, with Stanford Illinois-Chicago at Army at Springfield, with William & Mary at Arizona State USAG Na onal Championships – Team Finals USAG Na onal Championships – Event Finals at MPSF Championships at NCAA Na onal Championships – Prelims--

FX ---cancelled ------------

COMPETITION Rocky Mountain Open at Minnesota, with Nebraska at Winter Cup Challenge at All-Academy Championships at Nebraska, with Illinois-Chicago, Ohio State at Southwest Cup Illinois-Chicago, with Stanford Illinois-Chicago at Army at Springfield, with William & Mary at Arizona State USAG Na onal Championships – Team Finals USAG Na onal Championships – Event Finals at MPSF Championships at NCAA Na onal Championships – Prelims

FX 13.450 13.700 -cancelled 11.550 13.550 13.600 14.650 14.300 14.300 14.550 14.150 -13.250 --

34

PH ----

SR ----

V 14.600 14.850 15.600

PB 13.400 13.550 12.100

HB 12.350 13.400 12.600

AA ----

------------

------------

------------

----11.850 -------

----13.350 --12.750 -13.350 --

------------

PH 11.500 12.600 --

SR 12.900 12.900 --

V ----

PB 12.450 13.850 --

HB -13.450 --

AA ----

13.250 11.100 11.950 12.300 13.750 13.400 11.950 14.000 -12.300 --

12.700 13.500 13.750 14.000 13.950 13.650 13.700 13.700 -11.950 --

------------

13.550 13.400 13.950 13.050 12.300 12.450 -14.000 12.750 11.550 --

13.650 12.950 13.650 13.850 14.150 14.000 12.400 13.650 13.250 13.150 13.500

------------

PH ----

SR ----

V ----

PB ----

HB ----

AA ----

------------

------------

------------

------------

------------

------------

PH ----

SR ----

V ----

PB ----

HB ----

AA ----

----13.250 12.400 12.350 -----

------------

------------

----13.300 13.700 13.400 -----

------11.300 -----

-----------

PH 12.600 13.300 --

SR 13.400 14.050 --

V ----

PB 13.100 12.250 --

HB ----

AA ----

13.300 10.500 13.300 13.650 13.650 14.300 13.800 14.100 -11.400 --

14.250 14.550 14.650 14.950 13.500 14.500 14.700 14.400 14.050 14.050 13.750

------------

11.550 13.300 13.450 13.650 13.200 13.800 13.700 13.550 -13.000 --

------------

------------


2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide

COMPETITION Rocky Mountain Open at Minnesota, with Nebraska at Winter Cup Challenge at All-Academy Championships at Nebraska, with Illinois-Chicago, Ohio State at Southwest Cup Illinois-Chicago, with Stanford Illinois-Chicago at Army at Springfield, with William & Mary at Arizona State USAG Na onal Championships – Team Finals USAG Na onal Championships – Event Finals at MPSF Championships at NCAA Na onal Championships – Prelims

FX 13.650 --cancelled 14.300 14.100 13.600 14.350 14.500 14.500 14.650 9.400 ----

COMPETITION Rocky Mountain Open at Minnesota, with Nebraska at Winter Cup Challenge at All-Academy Championships at Nebraska, with Illinois-Chicago, Ohio State at Southwest Cup Illinois-Chicago, with Stanford Illinois-Chicago at Army at Springfield, with William & Mary at Arizona State USAG Na onal Championships – Team Finals USAG Na onal Championships – Event Finals at MPSF Championships at NCAA Na onal Championships – Prelims

FX ---cancelled ------------

COMPETITION Rocky Mountain Open at Minnesota, with Nebraska at Winter Cup Challenge at All-Academy Championships at Nebraska, with Illinois-Chicago, Ohio State at Southwest Cup Illinois-Chicago, with Stanford Illinois-Chicago at Army at Springfield, with William & Mary at Arizona State USAG Na onal Championships – Team Finals USAG Na onal Championships – Event Finals at MPSF Championships at NCAA Na onal Championships – Prelims

COMPETITION Rocky Mountain Open at Minnesota, with Nebraska at Winter Cup Challenge at All-Academy Championships at Nebraska, with Illinois-Chicago, Ohio State at Southwest Cup Illinois-Chicago, with Stanford Illinois-Chicago at Army at Springfield, with William & Mary at Arizona State USAG Na onal Championships – Team Finals USAG Na onal Championships – Event Finals at MPSF Championships at NCAA Na onal Championships – Prelims

35

PB ----

HB ----

AA ----

------------

------------

------------

------------

------------

------------

PH ----

SR 13.200 ---

V 15.200 ---

PB ----

HB 12.250 ---

AA ----

------------

13.100 14.000 13.850 14.250 14.050 14.050 13.850 --13.800 --

15.650 15.150 14.350 15.650 14.350 15.750 15.400 15.350 ----

------------

13.750 12.800 13.650 13.950 14.050 13.400 13.450 13.450 -13.150 --

------------

PH ----

SR ----

V ----

PB ----

HB ----

AA ----

------------

------------

------------

------------

------------

------------

FX ---cancelled 13.800 13.850 12.450 13.350 13.500 12.700 13.150 -----

PH ----

SR 13.700 12.750 --

V 14.950 15.600 --

PB ----

HB ----

AA ----

------------

13.950 14.850 15.250 15.350 14.850 14.100 13.650 14.200 -14.050 13.000

15.250 15.800 15.100 15.300 15.000 15.300 15.300 15.650 15.950 15.400 15.150

------------

------------

------------

FX 12.750 14.200 12.150 cancelled 13.950 14.150 13.300 13.450 13.300 14.150 13.650 14.100 -14.150 --

PH 12.800 11.550 --

SR 12.950 14.200 11.950

V 15.700 15.850 14.450

PB 13.950 12.800 11.800

HB 12.300 13.150 11.000

AA 80.450 81.750 --

11.850 13.550 12.250 13.350 13.900 13.500 13.300 12.850 -10.800 10.200

14.200 14.800 14.700 14.700 14.250 14.400 14.800 14.650 13.650 14.300 14.000

15.450 15.100 15.400 15.750 15.600 15.550 15.400 15.450 15.400 15.500 15.500

14.350 14.900 14.750 14.150 13.150 14.450 13.150 14.450 14.500 13.800 11.650

10.250 13.800 14.350 14.250 14.150 14.250 14.150 13.950 12.350 13.400 12.600

80.050 86.300 84.750 85.650 84.350 86.300 84.450 85.450 -81.950 --

AIR FORCE ACADEMY

NASH MILLS Jr.

V ----

PROGRAM HISTORY

DEVIN MENEFEE So.

SR ----

2010 SEASON REVIEW

KYLE MEFFORD So.

PH ----

MEET THE FALCONS

TRAVIS LANGHAM Fr.

FX ---cancelled ------------

2011 TEAM INFORMATION

DEREK KVEDAR Jr.

COMPETITION Rocky Mountain Open at Minnesota, with Nebraska at Winter Cup Challenge at All-Academy Championships at Nebraska, with Illinois-Chicago, Ohio State at Southwest Cup Illinois-Chicago, with Stanford Illinois-Chicago at Army at Springfield, with William & Mary at Arizona State USAG Na onal Championships – Team Finals USAG Na onal Championships – Event Finals at MPSF Championships at NCAA Na onal Championships – Prelims


AIR FORCE ACADEMY

PROGRAM HISTORY

2010 SEASON REVIEW

MEET THE FALCONS

2011 TEAM INFORMATION

2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions

TRAVIS MYERS So.

CHASE NOBLES So.

JAMES OKAMOTO Fr.

NICK OWEN Fr.

MATT THORNE Jr.

COMPETITION Rocky Mountain Open at Minnesota, with Nebraska at Winter Cup Challenge at All-Academy Championships at Nebraska, with Illinois-Chicago, Ohio State at Southwest Cup Illinois-Chicago, with Stanford Illinois-Chicago at Army at Springfield, with William & Mary at Arizona State USAG Na onal Championships – Team Finals USAG Na onal Championships – Event Finals at MPSF Championships at NCAA Na onal Championships – Prelims

FX ---cancelled ------------

COMPETITION Rocky Mountain Open at Minnesota, with Nebraska at Winter Cup Challenge at All-Academy Championships at Nebraska, with Illinois-Chicago, Ohio State at Southwest Cup Illinois-Chicago, with Stanford Illinois-Chicago at Army at Springfield, with William & Mary at Arizona State USAG Na onal Championships – Team Finals USAG Na onal Championships – Event Finals at MPSF Championships at NCAA Na onal Championships – Prelims

FX ---cancelled ------------

COMPETITION Rocky Mountain Open at Minnesota, with Nebraska at Winter Cup Challenge at All-Academy Championships at Nebraska, with Illinois-Chicago, Ohio State at Southwest Cup Illinois-Chicago, with Stanford Illinois-Chicago at Army at Springfield, with William & Mary at Arizona State USAG Na onal Championships – Team Finals USAG Na onal Championships – Event Finals at MPSF Championships at NCAA Na onal Championships – Prelims

FX ---cancelled ---------13.150 --

COMPETITION Rocky Mountain Open at Minnesota, with Nebraska at Winter Cup Challenge at All-Academy Championships at Nebraska, with Illinois-Chicago, Ohio State at Southwest Cup Illinois-Chicago, with Stanford Illinois-Chicago at Army at Springfield, with William & Mary at Arizona State USAG Na onal Championships – Team Finals USAG Na onal Championships – Event Finals at MPSF Championships at NCAA Na onal Championships – Prelims

FX ---cancelled ------------

COMPETITION Rocky Mountain Open at Minnesota, with Nebraska at Winter Cup Challenge at All-Academy Championships at Nebraska, with Illinois-Chicago, Ohio State at Southwest Cup Illinois-Chicago, with Stanford Illinois-Chicago at Army at Springfield, with William & Mary at Arizona State USAG Na onal Championships – Team Finals USAG Na onal Championships – Event Finals at MPSF Championships at NCAA Na onal Championships – Prelims

FX ---cancelled ------------

36

PH ----

SR ----

V ----

PB ----

HB ----

AA ----

------------

------------

------------

------------

------------

------------

PH 13.200 13.050 --

SR ----

V ----

PB ----

HB ----

AA ----

12.100 13.250 13.800 14.700 14.550 12.250 14.300 14.800 13.700 13.050 12.600

------------

------------

------------

------------

------------

PH 14.050 11.800 --

SR ----

V ----

PB ----

HB ----

AA ----

12.250 13.300 14.100 13.250 14.000 13.500 14.150 14.600 14.350 13.750 12.750

------------

------------

------------

------------

------------

PH ----

SR ----

V ----

PB ----

HB ----

AA ----

------------

------------

------------

------------

------------

------------

PH ----

SR ----

V ----

PB -12.150 --

HB ----

AA ----

------------

------------

------------

13.750 13.400 14.200 13.000 --13.800 13.900 -13.550 --

------------

------------


2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide

FX ---cancelled ------------

COMPETITION Rocky Mountain Open at Minnesota, with Nebraska at Winter Cup Challenge at All-Academy Championships at Nebraska, with Illinois-Chicago, Ohio State at Southwest Cup Illinois-Chicago, with Stanford Illinois-Chicago at Army at Springfield, with William & Mary at Arizona State USAG Na onal Championships – Team Finals USAG Na onal Championships – Event Finals at MPSF Championships at NCAA Na onal Championships – Prelims

FX 14.050 --cancelled 12.600 13.100 13.400 14.700 13.800 13.200 13.750 13.500 -13.450 --

COMPETITION Rocky Mountain Open at Minnesota, with Nebraska at All-Academy Championships at Nebraska, with Illinois-Chicago, Ohio State at Southwest Cup Illinois-Chicago, with Stanford Illinois-Chicago at Army at Springfield, with William & Mary at Arizona State USAG Na onal Championships at MPSF Championships

FX 55.450 56.050 cancelled 55.700 56.100 53.900 58.650 57.150 57.350 57.500 56.200 54.550

37

PB ----

HB 12.400 12.550 12.050

AA ----

------------

12.900 13.700 14.400 14.350 13.850 14.150 13.650 14.050 -14.050 13.550

15.750 14.600 15.000 15.750 15.000 15.750 15.700 15.150 -15.650 15.550

------------

13.400 13.650 13.650 13.850 14.150 13.250 14.000 12.550 -13.000 13.300

------------

PH 11.000 12.000 --

SR -13.300 --

V -15.050 --

PB 11.200 11.700 --

HB 8.950 12.600 --

AA -78.750 --

--12.450 12.950 ---11.850 -11.600 --

------------

-------14.800 -14.550 --

11.600 12.700 13.650 13.65-14.000 13.100 12.950 -12.750 --

12.900 12.600 13.100 13.850 -13.600 13.150 12.450 -11.850 --

------------

PH ----

SR ----

V ----

PB ----

HB 11.650 12.600 --

AA ----

11.550 12.600 11.950 13.050 12.500 -------

------------

-14.650 13.750 14.900 13.550 13.850 ------

------------

12.700 11.600 12.850 13.350 12.050 11.600 ------

------------

PH ----

SR ----

V 15.100 ---

PB 13.400 ---

HB ----

AA ----

------------

------------

----15.100 15.000 14.800 14.700 -14.950 --

13.150 12.650 13.750 14.000 13.350 13.350 13.600 13.600 -12.900 --

------------

------------

PH 52.650 50.950

SR 53.400 55.550

V 61.200 62.200

PB 53.850 52.450

HB 49.300 52.600

AA 325.850 329.800

50.900 52.700 53.650 54.650 55.950 54.700 55.550 57.500 50.700

55.500 58.200 59.00 59.350 57.100 57.150 57.050 57.300 56.450

62.100 60.700 59.850 62.450 60.700 62.350 61.800 61.600 61.500

54.800 55.000 56.650 55.450 53.000 56.150 54.500 55.950 53.250

53.700 53.200 55.300 55.900 56.500 55.250 54.550 53.800 53.050

332.700 335.900 338.350 346.450 340.400 342.950 340.950 342.350 329.500

AIR FORCE ACADEMY

TEAM SCORES

COMPETITION Rocky Mountain Open at Minnesota, with Nebraska at Winter Cup Challenge at All-Academy Championships at Nebraska, with Illinois-Chicago, Ohio State at Southwest Cup Illinois-Chicago, with Stanford Illinois-Chicago at Army at Springfield, with William & Mary at Arizona State USAG Na onal Championships – Team Finals USAG Na onal Championships – Event Finals at MPSF Championships at NCAA Na onal Championships – Prelims

V 15.200 15.700 15.400

PROGRAM HISTORY

AARON ZAISER Jr.

FX -14.400 -cancelled ------------

SR 13.100 14.300 12.400

2010 SEASON REVIEW

BRENNAN WOLFORD Sr.

COMPETITION Rocky Mountain Open at Minnesota, with Nebraska at Winter Cup Challenge at All-Academy Championships at Nebraska, with Illinois-Chicago, Ohio State at Southwest Cup Illinois-Chicago, with Stanford Illinois-Chicago at Army at Springfield, with William & Mary at Arizona State USAG Na onal Championships – Team Finals USAG Na onal Championships – Event Finals at MPSF Championships at NCAA Na onal Championships – Prelims

PH ----

MEET THE FALCONS

THOMAS WILKINSON Fr.

FX 13.600 13.750 13.050 cancelled 13.650 14.000 13.200 14.950 14.550 14.400 14.550 14.450 12.150 13.700 --

2011 TEAM INFORMATION

JOEL UPTMOR So.

COMPETITION Rocky Mountain Open at Minnesota, with Nebraska at Winter Cup Challenge at All-Academy Championships at Nebraska, with Illinois-Chicago, Ohio State at Southwest Cup Illinois-Chicago, with Stanford Illinois-Chicago at Army at Springfield, with William & Mary at Arizona State USAG Na onal Championships – Team Finals USAG Na onal Championships – Event Finals at MPSF Championships at NCAA Na onal Championships – Prelims


PROGRAM HISTORY

2010 SEASON REVIEW

MEET THE FALCONS

2011 TEAM INFORMATION

2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions

SUMMER 2010 WITH AIR FORCE GYMNASTICS The summer of 2010 proved to be just as busy as the compe ve season for members of the Air Force men’s gymnas cs team. The program added six newcomers to the mix, while making a name for itself at the Visa Championships. In addi on, returning members of the squad had adventures around the world as a part of the Air Force Academy’s summer programs. In late June, the Falcons welcomed six freshmen to the program, who began their Academy experience with Basic Cadet Training. The newest Falcons represent six states, including Colorado, while adding a younger sibling to the squad. The six freshmen include Kyle Baker (Union, Ky.), Patrick Duffy (Albuquerque, N.M.), Tyler Huebner (San Antonio, Texas), Mac Ritchie (Concord, N.C.), Colton Wulf (Wheat Ridge, Colo.) and Ben Zaiser (Pi sburgh, Pa.) “I expect great things out of this class of talented freshmen,” head coach Kip Simons said on their arrival. “They bring the depth we need to get our program to the NCAA Championships. I believe this class will con nue to move our program forward.” Wulf began his collegiate career in August, when he became the first Air Force gymnast to ever par cipate at the 2010 Visa Na onal Championships in Har ord, Conn. Compe ng on the na onal stage – just one week removed from the comple on of a six-week Basic Cadet Training – Wulf hit six-for-six to finish 16th in the all-around. His best event finish came on the s ll rings, where he ed for seventh with a score of 13.100. Wulf also narrowly missed top-10 finishes on the high bar (12.500, 11th) and floor exercise (12th e, 13.450). His highest score came on the vault at 14.250.

Mac Ritchie, Ben Zaiser, Patrick Duffy, Kyle Baker, head coach Kip Simons and Colton Wulf during Basic Cadet Training in June 2010.

Just days a er comple ng Basic Cadet Training, Colton Wulf represented the Air Force Academy at the 2010 Visa Na onal Championships in Har ord, Conn. Wulf placed 16th in the all-around of the Junior Division. (photo by Cindy Wulf)

“It was one of the gutsiest performances that I have seen in the five years that I’ve been here,” Simons said. “To come straight out of Basic Training, and the challenges that go with that, and to hit six-for-six was awesome.” The weekend of the Visa Championships was a big weekend for Air Force, as Simons was inducted into the USA Gymnas cs Hall of Fame. Simons, a member of the 1994 and 1995 World Championship teams, as well as a member of the 1996 U.S. Olympic Men’s Gymnas cs Team, was one of six inductees into the USAG Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2010. As a compe ve gymnast, he won team gold medals and the 1995 Pan-American Games and the 1994 Pacific Alliance Championships. Individually, he won the s ll rings tle, placed second on the parallel bars and finished fourth in the all-around at the 1996 U.S. Na onal Championships. While the freshmen were going through the rigors of Basic Cadet Training, the returning members of the Falcons’ gymnas cs team were off exploring the world through programs unique to the Air Force Academy.

Kip Simons was inducted into the USA Gymnas cs Hall of Fame in August.

Rising seniors Derek Kvedar and Dan Klimkowski took part in the Academy’s Cadet Summer Language Immersion Program, spending several weeks in Nice, France, and Kanazawa, Japan, respec vely. Klimkowski also travel to Egypt thought an Academy program, with classmates Nash Mills, Ma Thorne and Aaron Zaiser.

AIR FORCE ACADEMY

In addi on, rising sophomores Jacob Houder (Mildenhall RAF, England), Devin Menefee (Ellsworth AFB, S.D.), and Travis Myers (South Korea) traveled to Air Force bases around the world while comple ng Opera on Air Force.

Through the Academy’s Cadet Summer Language Immersion Program, Derek Kvedar (le ) was able to travel to France, while Dan Klimkowski (top) traveled to Japan. Recaps of both trips are available on GoAirForceFalcons.com

38


PROGRAM HISTORY


AIR FORCE ACADEMY

PROGRAM HISTORY

2010 SEASON REVIEW

MEET THE FALCONS

2011 TEAM INFORMATION

2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions

MOST VALUABLE GYMNAST

TEAM CAPTAINS

ACADEMY “TOP SIX” AWARDS

1965 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Terry Higgins 1966 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Terry Higgins 1967 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lawrence Thal 1968 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pat O'Grady 1969 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Chuck Kennedy 1970 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rick Solana 1971 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Anthony Nardecchia 1972 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bill Ritter 1973 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Steve Hoit 1974 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .John Tomich 1975 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bruce Edstrom 1976 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kirk Stephens 1977 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mark Fulks 1978 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mark Fulks 1979 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mike Otomo 1980 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Don Knauf 1981 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bob Hamilton 1982 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Preston Thompson 1983 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tom Eannarino 1984 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Robert Mondy 1985 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Keith Morgan 1986 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Steve Gustafson 1987 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Frank Shines 1988 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Marcus Kaneshiro 1989 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sven Brown 1990 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Scott Hamilton 1991 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Joel Miller 1992 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Joel Miller 1993 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ryan Marshall 1994 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jerry Michael Cline 1995 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Beau Neal 1996 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Brian Rizzoli 1997 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ben Smith 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Peter Lueck 1999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Erin Montague 2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jeff Andersen 2001 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Aaron Jackson 2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Aaron Jackson 2003 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Aaron Jackson 2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jeff Andersen 2005 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ryan Stromstad 2006 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Brian Moore 2007 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Brian Boardman 2008 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Greg Stine 2009 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jacob Houder 2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Nash Mills

1956 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Henry Canterbury 1957 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Henry Canterbury 1958 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Clark Lovrien 1959 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Thomas Stack 1960 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mike Love 1961 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Paul O'Conner 1962 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Randy Schamberger 1963 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lloyd Harmon, Jim Weaver 1964 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Robert Jobin 1965 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .William Cole 1966 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Terry Higgins 1967 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rick Weizenegger 1968 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pat O'Grady 1969 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Chuck Kennedy 1970 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Chuck Kennedy 1971 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Nino Nardecchia 1972 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Breck Cunningham 1973 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Breck Cunningham 1974 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Phil Nardecchia 1975 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bruce Edstrom 1976 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Micky Duval 1977 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kirk Stephens 1978 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mark Fulks 1979 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mike Otomo 1980 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Don Knauf 1981 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mike Spencer 1982 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Chuck Schweiss 1983 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tom Eannarino 1984 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tom Eannarino 1985 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Keith Morgan 1986 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Steve Gustafson 1987 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Frank Shines 1988 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Marcus Kaneshiro 1989 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Chris Mauk 1990 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ken Kemper 1991 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Erik Bowman, Joel Miller 1992 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Joel Miller 1993 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Brian Copes, Ryan Marshall 1994 . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jerry Michael Cline, Jim Miller 1995 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Troy Belin 1996 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Brian Rizzoli, Ben Smith 1997 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mark Wolfe 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Greg Meis 1999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jason Smith 2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Nathan Drewry 2001 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Andrew Fisher 2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .James Hayes, Matt Kenkel 2003 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Aaron Jackson 2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jeff Andersen, Mike Berry 2005 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kent Reichle, Brian Moore 2006 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Brian Moore 2007 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kurt Antonio, Brian Boardman 2008 . . . . . . . . . . . . .Brian Boardman, Kevin Murphy 2009 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Josiah Loeser, Jake Schonig 2010 . . . . . . . . . . .Garrett Canter, Brennan Wolford 2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Nash Mills

The following “Top-Six” awards are handed out annually by the Air Force Academy Athletic Department. The awards are decided by the department’s senior staff and chosen from all 27 sports. 1966 1986 1991 1992 2003

. . . . . . . . . .Terry Higgins, Most Valuable Male . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tim Mills, Scholar-Athlete . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Erik Bowman, Scholar-Athlete . . . . . . . . . . .Joel Miller, Athletic Achievement . . . . . . . . . .Aaron Jackson, Athletic Excellence

COACHING AWARDS CGA NATIONAL HEAD COACH OF THE YEAR Kip Simons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2010 NCAA REGIONAL HEAD COACH OF THE YEAR Carl Townsend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1978 (Midwest) Lou Burkel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1989, 1992 (Midwest) Lou Burkel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2005 (West) Kip Simons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2008, 2010 (West) NCAA REGIONAL ASSISTANT COACH OF THE YEAR Brett McClure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2010 (West) CGA ASSISTANT COACH OF THE YEAR Ivan Merritt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1998 USAG HEAD COACH OF THE YEAR Kip Simons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2008, 2010 USAG ASSISTANT COACH OF THE YEAR Brett McClure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2010 Col Chuck Schweiss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2010 WAC COACH OF THE YEAR Lou Burkel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1988, 1990 MPSF COACH OF THE YEAR Kip Simons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2006 CGA HONOR COACH AWARD Lou Burkel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2006 Capt Levi Torkelson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2010 CGA HONORARY LIFETIME AWARD Karl Schwenzfeier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lou Burkel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2008 CGA SPECIAL SERVICE AWARD Karl Schwenzfeier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1973, 1977 Larry Fariss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2001 Lou Burkel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1989, 1990, 2005

Kip Simons Lou Burkel

Aaron Jackson

40


2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide

NCAA ALL-AMERICANS Jim Weaver Trampoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1962 Doug Reynolds Tumbling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1964 Terry Higgins Parallel Bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1966 Bill Ritter Floor Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1972 John Tomich Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1973 Joel Miller Still Rings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1992 Tim Hess Floor Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1993 Greg Stine All-Around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2008 Still Rings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2008

NISSEN-EMERY AWARD Terry Higgins, finalist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1966 Joel Miller, finalist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1992 Aaron Jackson, finalist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2003 Jeff Andersen, finalist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2004 Jake Schonig, finalist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2009

Jerry Michael Cline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1994 Aaron Jackson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2003 Kurt Antonio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2007 Greg Stine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2008 Jake Schonig . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2009

41

AIR FORCE ACADEMY

USAG TOP SENIOR

PROGRAM HISTORY

1994 Jerry Michael Cline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .All-Around, Pommel Horse, Still Rings, Parallel Bars Brian Rizzoli . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Floor Exercise Troy Belin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Vault Jim Miller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .High Bar 1995 Brian Rizzoli . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Floor Exercise David Cobb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .High Bar Beau Neal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .All-Around, High Bar Ben Smith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .All-Around Chad Silva . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .High Bar 1996 Brian Rizzoli . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Floor Exercise 1997 Ben Smith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .All-Around, Floor Exercise Geoff Jensen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Floor Exercise Casey Guerrero . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pommel Horse Erin Montague . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .High Bar 1998 Andrew Fisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .All-Around, Vault Peter Lueck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pommel Horse Ryan Mahoney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Parallel Bars Erin Montague . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .High Bar Javin Peterson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Still Rings Levi Torkelson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pommel Horse 1999 Andrew Fisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .All-Around Levi Torkelson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .All-Around, Floor Exercise, Parallel Bars Jeff Anderson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pommel Horse Javin Peterson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Still Rings Jason Smith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Still Rings Mikel Daniel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Vault Erin Montague . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .High Bar 2000 Jeff Andersen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .All-Around, Still Rings, Vault James Hayes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Parallel Bars Javin Peterson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Still Rings Levi Torkelson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .All-Around, Floor Exercise, Pommel Horse, Parallel Bars 2001 Levi Torkelson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .High Bar Scott Lewis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Parallel Bars Andrew Fisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Vault Justin Jones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Floor Exercise Aaron Jackson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Floor Exercise Matt Kenkel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Still Rings, Parallel Bars Stephen Sistare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Still Rings 2002 Aaron Jackson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .All Around, Floor Exercise, Still Rings, Parallel Bars Matthew Kenkel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Parallel Bars Stephen Sistare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Still Rings 2003 Jeff Andersen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .All-Around, Still Rings, Vault, Parallel Bars Aaron Jackson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .All-Around, Floor Exercise, Still Rings, Vault, Parallel Bars 2004 Jeff Andersen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .All-Around, Still Rings, Parallel Bars, High Bar Kent Reichle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Floor Exercise Greg Stine . . . . . . . . . . .All-Around, Floor Exercise, Pommel Horse, Still Rings, Vault, High Bar 2005 Kent Reichle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Vault Ryan Stromstad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Floor Exercise 2007 Kurt Antonio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .All-Around Brian Boardman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Vault Jake Schonig . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Still Rings Tyler Sickles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .High Bar Greg Stine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .All-Around, Floor Exercise, Pommel Horse, Still Rings, High Bar Brennan Wolford . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .All-Around, Floor Exercise 2008 Jake Schonig . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Still Rings Tyler Sickles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .High Bar Greg Stine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .All-Around, Floor Exercise, Still Rings, Parallel Bars, High Bar Brennan Wolford . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .All-Around 2009 Jacob Houder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pommel Horse, High Bar Josiah Loeser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Still Rings Devin Menefee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Vault Jake Schonig . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Still Rings Joel Uptmor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Floor Exercise 2010 Garrett Canter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .High Bar Dan Klimkowski . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Still Rings Devin Menefee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Vault Nash Mills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .All-Around, Still Rings, Vault, Parallel Bars, High Bar Chase Nobles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pommel Horse James Okamoto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pommel Horse

2010 SEASON REVIEW

Jerry Michael Cline All-Around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1994 Brian Rizzoli Floor Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1994 Erin Montague High Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1999 Javin Peterson Still Rings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2000 Levi Torkelson Parallel Bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1999, 2000 Aaron Jackson Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2003 Greg Stine All-Around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2004, 2007, 2008 Pommel Horse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2004 Floor Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2007 Still Rings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2007 Parallel Bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2008 Jake Schonig Still Rings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2008, 2009 Devin Menefee Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2010 Nash Mills All-Around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2010 Parallel Bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2010

MEET THE FALCONS

USAG ALL-AMERICANS

2011 TEAM INFORMATION

USAG NATIONAL CHAMPIONS


NATIONAL ACADEMIC HONORS

AIR FORCE ACADEMY

WESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

MOUNTAIN PACIFIC SPORTS FEDERATION

CoSIDA ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN

GYMNAST OF THE YEAR

ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM

Joel Miller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1992

Chris Mauk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1988 Ken Kemper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1990

James Hayes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2002 Bill Hermann . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2002 Aaron Jackson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2002, 2003 Justin Jones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2002 Scott Lewis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2002 Matthew Joseph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2003 Patrick McAndrew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2003, 2004 Kent Reichle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2003, 2004, 2005 Matthew Joseph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2004 Noah Rich . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2004 Brian Boardman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2006, 2007, 2008 Jake Schonig . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2007, 2008, 2009 Brennan Wolford . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2008, 2009, 2010 Aaron Zaiser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2009, 2010

NCAA POSTGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS Steve Hoit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1973 Ken Kemper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1990 Joel Miller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1992 NACDA SCHOLAR-ATHLETE AWARD

Paul Comeau, Pommel Horse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1989 Scott Hamilton, Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1990 Jerry Michael Cline, Floor Exercise . . . . . . . . . .1991 Joel Miller, Still Rings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1990, 1991

Erik Bowman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1991

ALL- CONFERENCE TEAM

CGA ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM

Jerry Michael Cline All-Around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1991 Floor Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1991 Joel Miller Still Rings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1991, 1992 Jim Miller All-Around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1992

Ken Kemper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1990 Erik Bowman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1990, 1991 Joel Miller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1990, 1991, 1992 Joel Jenne' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1993, 1995 Brian Rizzoli . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1994 Chad Silva . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 Geoff Jensen . . . . . . . . . . . . .1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 Greg Meis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1995 Matt Jensen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1997, 1998 James Hayes III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1999, 2000, 2001 Justin Jones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2000 Scott Lewis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2000, 2001, 2002 Aaron Jackson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2002, 2003 Patrick McAndrew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2002, 2003 Noah Rich . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2003 Brian Boardman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2006, 2007, 2008 Jake Schonig . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2007, 2008, 2009 Brennan Wolford . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2007, 2010 Aaron Zaiser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2008 Jacob Houder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2009 Thomas Wilkinson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2010 James Okamoto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2010 Tory Brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2010

PROGRAM HISTORY

2010 SEASON REVIEW

MEET THE FALCONS

2011 TEAM INFORMATION

2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions

GYMNAST OF THE WEEK Greg Stine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2007 (2x), 2008 Nash Mills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2009, 2010 (2x) Jake Schonig . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2009

WAC SCHOLARSHIP AWARD ALL-ANNIVERSARY TEAM * Erik Bowman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1990, 1991 Jeff Andersen . . . . . . . .competed 1999-00, 2003-04 ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM Erik Bowman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1991 Joel Miller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1991 Brian Stuart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1991

* The MPSF, which celebrated its 15th year of competition in 2007-08, chose the all-anniversary team based on a vote by the gymnastics head coaches from five league schools.

MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE

SCHOLAR-ATHLETES Chris Mauk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1987, 1988, 1989 Ken Kemper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1987, 1989, 1990 Erik Bowman . . . . . . . . . . . . .1988, 1989, 1990, 1991 Brent Johnson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1987, 1988 Joel Miller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1989, 1990, 1991, 1992 Brian Stuart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1990 Michael Cline . . . . . . . . . . . .1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 Joel Jenne' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 Brock Devos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1993, 1994, 1995 Jacque Joffrion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1993, 1994, 1995 Brian Rizzoli . . . . . . . . . . . . .1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 Ron Marciniak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1994 Chad Silva . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 Mark Wolfe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1996, 1997 Greg Meis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1995, 1996 Mark Emiley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1995, 1996, 1997 Geoff Jensen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1995, 1996, 1997 Matt Jensen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1995, 1996, 1997

Brian Boardman

42

SCHOLAR-ATHLETES James Hayes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2001, 2002 Aaron Jackson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2003 Patrick McAndrew . . . . . . . . . . . . .2002, 2003, 2004 Brian Boardman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2007, 2008 Jacob Houder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2009 Thomas Wilkinson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2010


2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide

AIR FORCE ACADEMY

Returning gymnasts in bold.

PROGRAM HISTORY

43

SCHONIG, Jacob . . . . . . .06, 07, 08, 09 SCHWEISS, Charles . . . .79, 80, 81, 82 SHAFER, Jonathan . . . . . . . .57, 58, 59 SHEPARD, Richard . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58 SHINES, Franklin . . . . . .84, 85, 86, 87 SICKLES, Tyler . . . . . . . . .05, 06, 07, 08 SILVA, Chad . . . . . . . . . .94, 95, 96, 97 SISTARE, Stephen . . . . . . . . .00, 01, 02 SMITH, Benjamin . . . . . .94, 95, 96, 97 SMITH Jason . . . . . . . . . .96, 97, 98, 99 SMITH, Karl . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66, 67, 68 SMITH, Kenneth . . . . . . . . .57, 58, 59 SMULL, Richard . . . . . . . . . . . . .61, 62 SOGARD, Jeffrey . . . . . . . . . .69, 70, 71 SOLANA, Richard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70 SPENCER, Michael . . . . . . . .79, 80, 81 SQUIER, Craig . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68 ST. CYR, Christopher . . . . . . . . . . . .82 STACK, Thomas . . . . . . . . . .57, 58, 59 STEELE, William . . . . . . . . . .90, 91, 92 STINE, Greg . . . . . . . . . .03, 04, 07, 08 STEPHENS, Dallas . . . . . .74, 75, 76, 77 STROMSTAD, Ryan . . . . . . . . . . .04, 05 STUART, Brian . . . . . . . .90, 91, 92, 93 STYLES, James . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 SULLIVAN, Paul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60 TAYLOR, Randy . . . . . . . .77, 78, 79, 80 TERRELL, Andrew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .06 THAL, Lawrence . . . . . . . . . .65, 66, 67 THOMPSON, Preston . . .79, 80, 81, 82 THOMPSON, Robert . . . . . . . . . . . .87 THORNE, Matthew . . . . . . .08, 09, 10 TOMICH, John . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 TORKELSON, Levi . . . . . .98, 99, 00, 01 TORNOW, Robin . . . . . . . . . .62, 63, 64 TORREANO, Mark . . . . . . . .66, 67, 68 TRACEY, Robert . . . . . . . . . .69, 70, 71 TRAVIS, Byron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59 TRINIDAD, Pedro . . . . . .85, 86, 87, 88 UPTMOR, Joel . . . . . . . . . . . . . .09, 10 VAN DOREN, Peter . . . . . . . .92, 93, 94 VRETTOS, John . . . . . . . . . . .63, 64, 65 WALKER, Philip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 WATKINS, Jerome . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86 WEAVER, James . . . . . . . . . .61, 62, 63 WEIZENEGGER, Richard . . . . . .66, 67 WENGERT, Alix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88 WENRICH, Robert . . . . .75, 76, 77, 78 WHILES, Jared . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97, 98 WHITTENBERG, Karl . . . . . .66, 67, 68 WIEST, David . . . . . . . . . . . .58, 59, 60 WILHELM, James . . . . . . . . . . . .60, 61 WILKINSON, Mark . . . . . . . .76, 77, 78 WILKINSON, Thomas . . . . . . . . . . . .10 WINN, Derek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80 WITZEL, Robert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 WOLF, Craig . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89, 90 WOLFE, Mark . . . . . . . . .94, 95, 96, 97 WOLFORD, Brennen . . .07, 08, 09, 10 WOOD, Chris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .06 YOUNG, Gerard . . . . . . . . . . . . .60, 61 YUEN, Jeffrey . . . . . . . . .80, 81, 82, 83 ZAISER, Aaron . . . . . . . . . . .08, 09, 10 ZAMZOW, Mark . . . . . . .75, 76, 77, 78

2010 SEASON REVIEW

McKINNEY, Craig . . . . . . . . . . . .64, 65 McNAUGHTON, Mark . . . . . . . . . . .04 MACPHERSON, John . . . . . . . . .66, 67 MAHONEY, Ryan . . . . . . . . . . . .97, 98 MAJOR, Michael . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93 MARKSTEINER, Joseph . . . . . . .74, 75 MARSHALL, Parker . . . . .97, 98, 99, 00 MARSHALL, Ryan . . . . . .89, 90, 92, 93 MARTIN, Michael . . . . . . . . . . . .65, 66 MASON, Richard . . . . . . . . . . . .57, 58 MAUK, Christopher . . . . . . .87, 88, 89 MEIS, Gregory . . . . . . . .95, 96, 97, 98 MENEFEE, Devin . . . . . . . . . . . .09, 10 MILLER, James . . . . . . . .91, 92, 93, 94 MILLER, Joel . . . . . . . . . .89, 90, 91, 92 MILLER, Roy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65, 66 MILLS, Michael . . . . . . . .77, 78, 79, 80 MILLS, Nash . . . . . . . . . . . .08, 09, 10 MILLS, Timothy . . . . . . . . . .84, 85, 86 MONDY, Robert . . . . . . .81, 82, 83, 84 MONTGOMERY, Paul . . . . . .79, 80, 81 MONTAGUE, Erin . . . . . .96, 97, 98, 99 MOORE, Brian . . . . . . . .03, 04, 05, 06 MORGAN, Keith . . . . . . .82, 83, 84, 85 MURPHY, Kevin . . . . . . .05, 06, 07, 08 NARDECCHIA, Anthony . . . .69, 70, 71 NARDECCHIA, Philip . . .71, 72, 73, 74 NEAL, Latimer . . . . . . . .93, 94, 95, 96 NEFF, Ted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62 NEVIN, Michael . . . . . . . . . .76, 77, 78 NEWHOUSE, John II . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 NICKERSON, Eric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70 NOBLES, Chase . . . . . . . . . . . . . .09, 10 OAKESHOTT, Glenn . . . . . . .68, 69, 70 O'CONNELL, William . . . . . . . . .74, 75 O'CONNOR, Paul . . . . . . . . .59, 60, 61 O'GRADY, James . . . . . . . . . .66, 67, 68 O'ROURKE, James . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60 OKAMOTO, James . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 OTOMO, Michael . . . . . .76, 77, 78, 79 PACKER, Frank . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63, 64 PAQUETTE, James . . . . .71, 72, 73, 74 PAYAUYS, Ryan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88 PEELE, Eric . . . . . . . . . . .03, 04, 05, 06 PETERSON, Javin . . . . . . . . .98, 99, 00 PFAU, William . . . . . . . . . . .79, 80, 81 PLAISTED, Glen . . . . . . .78, 79, 80, 81 PODRASKY, David . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91 PORTER, Christopher . . . . . . . . .71, 72 PRENDERGAST, Brian . . . . .68, 69, 70 PROPOGGIO, Ron . . . . .81, 82, 83, 84 QUANBECK, Gordon . . . . . . . . . . . .71 RABINS, John . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72, 73 RAUSCH, John . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61, 62 REAVES, Irving . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81, 82 REICHLE, Kent . . . . . . . .02, 03, 04, 05 REYNOLDS, Douglas . . . . . . . . . . . . .64 RICH, Noah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .03, 04 RIGHTMER, Charles . . . . . . . . . .82, 83 RITCHHART, Kenneth . . . . . . . . . . . .72 RITTER, William . . . . . . .70, 71, 72, 73 RIZZOLI, Brian . . . . . . . .93, 94, 95, 96 ROBERTS, Jon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .06 ROBERTSON, Dennis . . . . . . . . . . . .67 ROSTAGNO, Anthony . . . . . .90, 91, 92 RUND, Berton . . . . . . . . . . . .75, 76, 77 SANDERS, Robert Scott . . . . . . . . . .78 SCHAMBERGER, John . . . . . . . . . . .76 SCHAMBERGER, Randall . . .60, 61, 62 SCHEMENAUR, Roger . . . . .57, 58, 59

MEET THE FALCONS

GIBBONS, William . . . . . . . . . . .60, 61 GILMORE, Samuel . . . . .75, 76, 77, 78 GLANDON, Nathan . . . . . . . . . . . . .05 GOGGINS, Edward . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80 GOODMAN, Patrick . . . . . . . . . .75, 76 GREGORY, Scott . . . . . . . . . . . . .82, 83 GUERRERO, Casey . . . . .96, 97, 98, 99 GUSTAFSON, Stephen . .83, 84, 85, 86 HALL, Robert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62, 63 HAMILTON, Robert . . . . . . .79, 80, 81 HAMILTON, Scott . . . . . .87, 88, 89, 90 HAMMOND, Terry . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 HARDEE, Patrick . . . . . . . . . .62, 63, 64 HARMON, Lloyd . . . . . . . . . .61, 62, 63 HAYES, James III . . . . . . .99, 00, 01, 02 HENDRICKS, John . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60 HERMANN, Bill . . . . . . . .00, 01, 02, 03 HESS, Timothy . . . . . . . .90, 91, 92, 93 HIGGINS, Terry . . . . . . . . . . .64, 65, 66 HOIT, Stephen . . . . . . . .70, 71, 72, 73 HOLLOWAY, Josh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .03 HOUDER, Jacob . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .09 HOUSE, Thomas . . . . . . . . . .57, 58, 59 HOWELL, John . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58, 59 HULL, Merton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 HUNT, Thomas . . . . . . . .76, 77, 78, 79 HYATT, Mark . . . . . . . . . . . . .72, 73, 74 ILLINGSWORTH, Robert . . . . . . . . . .67 JACKSON, Aaron . . . . . . .00, 01, 02, 03 JENNE, Joel . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93, 94, 95 JENSEN, Geoffrey . . . . . .95, 96, 97, 98 JENSEN, Matthew . . . . . . . . . . .97, 98 JESSOP, Alex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 JOBIN, Robert . . . . . . . . . . . .62, 63, 64 JOFFRION, Jacque . . . . . . . .94, 95, 96 JOHANSEN, Albert . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60 JOHNSON, Brent . . . . . . . . . . . .87, 88 JOLLY, Lawrence . . . . . . . . . .57, 58, 59 JONES, Justin . . . . . . . . . . . .00, 01, 02 JOSEPH, Matthew . . . . . . . . . . .03, 04 KANESHIRO, Marcus . . . . . .86, 87, 88 KEMPER, Kenneth . . . . .86, 87, 88, 90 KENKEL, Matthew . . . . .99, 00, 01, 02 KENNEDY, Charles . . . . . . . .68, 69, 70 KING, Gerald . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63, 64 KIRK, Charles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77, 78 KLIMKOWSKI, Dan . . . . . . .08, 09, 10 KNAUF, Donald . . . . . . . .77, 78, 79, 80 KNOPKE, Carl Jr. . . . . . . . . . .66, 67, 68 KOPF, Christopher . . . . . . . .64, 65, 66 KOS, Ronald . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61, 62 KOZMA, William . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 KRAYE, Howard . . . . . . . . . .60, 62, 63 KRESS, John . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85, 86 KVEDAR, Derek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .09 LANGHAM, Travis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 LAWLESS, Michael . . . . . . . . . . .82, 83 LEONARD, Michael . . . . . . . . . .66, 67 LEWIS, Arthur . . . . . . . . . . . .58, 59, 60 LEWIS, Scott . . . . . . . . . . . . .00, 01, 02 LOBUE, Paul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86 LOESER, Joshua . . . . . . . . . . . . .05, 06 LOESER, Josiah . . . . . . . .06, 07, 08, 09 LOVE, Michael . . . . . . . . . . .58, 59, 60 LOVRIEN, Clark . . . . . . . . . . .57, 58, 59 LOWE, Gregory . . . . . . . . . .68, 69, 70 LUSHBAUGH, Robert . . . . . . . . .67, 68 McANDREW, Patrick . . . . . .02, 03, 04 McCLURE, Kurtis . . . . . . . . . . . .85, 86 McLEAN, Daniel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66

2011 TEAM INFORMATION

ABEYTA, Derek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88 ABSHIRE, Thomas . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 ALDRICH, Richard . . . . . . . . . . . .80, 81 ALEXANDER, Dana . . . . . . . . . . .69, 70 ANDERSEN, Jeff . . . . . . .99, 00, 03, 04 ANTONIO, Kurt . . . . . . . .04, 05, 06, 07 ANNANIE, Douglas . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88 BAKER, Gary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 BELIN, Troy . . . . . . . . . . .92, 93, 94, 95 BELL, Richard . . . . . . . . .83, 84, 85, 86 BENTON, Julian . . . . . . . . . . . . .03, 04 BERRY, Edwin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .05, 06 BERRY, Michael . . . . . . .01, 02, 03, 04 BLACK, Jon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 BOARDMAN, Brian . . . .05, 06, 07, 08 BONECK, James . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83 BOWEN, Thomas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 BOWMAN, Erik . . . . . . .88, 89, 90, 91 BRADSHAW, James . . . . . . . . . . . . .58 BREWER, George II . . . . . . .80, 81, 82 BREWER, Gregory . . . . .76, 77, 78, 79 BROOKS, Charlie . . . . . . . . .85, 86, 87 BROWN, Sven . . . . . . . . . . . .87, 88, 89 BROWN, Tory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 BURLINGAME, Barry . . . . . . . . .66, 67 BURNS, Scott . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .02 BUTLER, George . . . . . . . . . .59, 60, 61 BUTLER, Michael . . . . . . . . . . . .66, 67 CANTER, Garrett . . . . . .07, 08, 09, 10 CANTERBURY, Henry . . . . . .57, 58, 59 CASTLE, Leroy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 CHASE, Joseph . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70, 71 CHESTNUT, William . . . . . . . . . . . . .81 CLAUSON, Vaughn . . . . . . . .69, 70, 71 CLINE, Jerry Michael . . .91, 92, 93, 94 CLINE, Paul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93, 94 CLOSE, Gary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64, 65 COBB, David . . . . . . . . . .92, 93, 94, 95 COLE, William . . . . . . . . . . . .63, 64, 65 COMEAU, Paul . . . . . . . .87, 88, 89, 90 COPES, R. Brian . . . . . . . . . .91, 92, 93 CORBETT, Jason . . . . . . . . . .97, 98, 99 CUNNINGHAM, Breck . . . . .71, 72, 73 DALEY, Jerome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 DANIEL, Mikel . . . . . . . .98, 99, 00, 01 DEANS, Chris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .06, 07 DEVOS, Brock . . . . . . . . .92, 93, 94, 95 DOUGLAS, David . . . . . .90, 91, 92, 93 DOYLE, Steven . . . . . . . . . . .02, 03, 05 DOZIER, Norman . . . . . . . . . . . .89, 90 DREWRY, Nathan . . . . . .96, 97, 99, 00 DRUECKE, Kipp . . . . . . . . . . . . . .08, 09 DUDLEY, Garry . . . . . . . . . . .66, 67, 68 DUNN, Roger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63, 64 DUVALL, Michael . . . . . . . . . . . .75, 76 EANNARINO, Tom . . . . .81, 82, 83, 84 EASTMAN, William . . . . . . . . . . . . .08 EATON, Brian . . . . . . . . . . . .69, 70, 71 EDSTROM, Bruce . . . . . . . . . . . .74, 75 EDWARDS, John . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 EGLINTON, Gary . . . . . . . . . . . . .65, 66 FISHER, Andrew . . . . . . .98, 99, 00, 01 FISTER, Bruce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63, 64 FLICKINGER, James . . . . . . .77, 78, 79 FLOOD, William . . . . . . . . . . . . .63, 64 FRETZS, Robert . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69, 70 FRUSHOUR, George . . . . . . .65, 66, 67 FULKS, Mark . . . . . . . . . .75, 76, 77, 78 GARBODEN, Andrew . . . . . . . . .85, 86 GARRETT, James . . . . . .71, 72, 73, 74


2011 TEAM INFORMATION

2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions

ACADEMY RECORDS (1956 - 2007) Event Floor Exercise Pommel Horse Still Rings Vault Parallel Bars Horizontal Bar All-Around/Team

INDIVIDUAL Score 9.850 9.600 9.900 9.800 9.550 9.900 56.350

Gymnast Jerry Michael Cline Jeff Andersen Joel Miller Andrew Fisher Levi Torkelson Jerry Michael Cline Jerry Michael Cline

Year 1993 2000 1991 2000 1998 1994 1994

TEAM Score 37.350 38.050 37.750 37.700 37.700 38.250 223.125

Year 1995 2000 2000 2000 1998 1995 1998

Event Floor Exercise Pommel Horse Still Rings Vault Parallel Bars

INDIVIDUAL Score 15.200 14.800 15.700 15.950 14.900

Horizontal Bar All-Around/Team

14.650 88.200

Gymnast Greg Stine Chase Nobles Greg Stine Devin Menefee Nash Mills Greg Stine Greg Stine Greg Stine

Year 2008 2010 2008 2010 2010 2008 2008 2008

TEAM Score 58.650 57.500 59.250 62.450 56.650

Year 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010

56.500 346.450

2010 2010

In 2008, collegiate men's gymnastics began using a new scoring system, reflecting scoring changes adopted by the Federation of International Gymnastics. Each gymnast will begin with an initial 10 point start value. The start value will be increased up to 2.5 points for fulfilling event requirements, and the judges have discretion to add bonus points according the difficulty of the 10 most difficult skills in the routine. The 10 initial points, combined with the points for event fulfillment and bonus points, will determine the gymnast's final start value. From there, the judges will deduct from the final start value for errors in the routine to determine a gymnast's final score.

TOP PROGRAM MARKS - TEAM SCORES (2008 - PRESENT) FLOOR EXERCISE 58.650 Illinois-Chicago 58.350 Illinois-Chicago 58.100 Illinois-Chicago 57.500 at Arizona State 57.350 at Springfield College

03/07/10 03/09/08 03/07/08 03/19/10 03/14/10

VAULT 62.450 62.350 62.200 62.100 61.800

POMMEL HORSE 57.500 USAG Championships 55.950 at Army 55.550 at Arizona State 55.100 at Southwest Cup 54.700 at Springfield College

03/26/10 03/12/10 03/19/10 02/27/09 03/14/10

PARALLEL BARS 56.650 Stanford, Illinois-Chicago 56.350 at Southwest Cup 56.150 at Springfield College 56.050 at Southwest Cup 56.050 Illinois-Chicago

03/05/10 02/03/08 03/14/10 02/27/09 03/09/08

STILL RINGS 59.350 Illinois-Chicago 59.100 at Springfield College 59.000 Stanford, Illinois-Chicago 59.000 Illinois-Chicago 58.850 at USAG Championships

03/07/10 02/03/08 03/05/10 03/09/08 03/27/09

HORIZONTAL BAR 56.500 at Army 55.900 Illinois-Chicago 55.900 at Nebraska 55.800 at Southwest Cup 55.300 Stanford, Illinois-Chicago

03/12/10 03/07/10 03/22/08 02/27/09 03/05/10

Illinois-Chicago at Springfield College at Minnesota at Nebraska at Arizona State

AIR FORCE ACADEMY

PROGRAM HISTORY

2010 SEASON REVIEW

MEET THE FALCONS

ACADEMY RECORDS (2008 - PRESENT)

44

03/07/10 03/14/10 01/30/10 02/21/10 03/19/10

TEAM SCORES 346.450 Illinois-Chicago 342.950 at Springfield College 342.550 at Southwest Cup 342.350 USAG Championships 340.950 at Arizona State

03/07/10 03/14/10 02/27/09 03/26/10 03/19/10


2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide

15.200 15.100 15.050 15.000 15.000 15.000 14.950 14.950 14.900 14.850 14.850

Greg S ne Greg S ne Greg S ne Greg S ne Greg S ne Greg S ne Joel Uptmor Aaron Zaiser Greg S ne Greg S ne Aaron Zaiser

TOP PROGRAM MARKS - PARALLEL BARS (2008 - PRESENT)

at Southwest Cup (03/01/08) Illinois-Chicago (03/09/08) at NCAA Na onal Qualifier (04/17/08) at Army (01/01/08) at USAG Championships-Team (03/28/08) at NCAA All-Around Finals (04/18/08) Illinois-Chicago (03/07/10) Army (01/31/09) at MPSF Championships (04/05/08) Illinois-Chicago (03/07/08) Illinois-Chicago (03/07/08)

14.900 14.900 14.850 14.750 14.750 14.700 14.500 14.500 14.500 14.500

14.650 14.550 14.350 14.350 14.250 14.250 14.250 14.150 14.150 14.150 14.150

USAG Championships-Team (03/26/10) Illinois-Chicago (03/07/10) USAG Championships-Team (03/26/10) at Army (03/12/10) at Arizona State (03/19/10) at Springfield College (03/14/10) at USAG Championships-Team (03/27/09) at Southwest Cup (02/27/09) at Arizona State (03/19/10) USAG Championships-Team (03/26/10) Stanford, Illinois-Chicago (03/05/10)

88.200 87.400 87.200 87.150 87.050 86.800 86.800 86.400 86.300 86.300

Greg S ne Greg S ne Greg S ne Greg S ne Greg S ne Greg S ne Greg S ne Greg S ne Nash Mills Nash Mills

Illinois-Chicago (03/09/08) at Southwest Cup (03/01/08) at NCAA Na onal Qualifier (04/17/08) at Army (02/01/08) at Springfield College (02/03/08) at USAG Championships-Team (03/28/08) at NCAA All-Around Finals (04/18/08) at MPSF Championships (04/05/08) at Springfield Triangular (03/14/10) at Arizona State (02/26/10)

PROGRAM HISTORY

Illinois-Chicago (03/09/08) at USAG Championships-Team (03/27/09) at Nebraska (03/22/08) at NCAA Na onal Qualifier (04/17/08) at Southwest Cup (02/27/09) at Springfield College (03/03/08) at USAG Championships-Team (03/28/08) at USAG Championships-Event (03/29/08) at USAG Championships-Team (03/28/08) at USAG Championships-Event (03/28/09) at MPSF Championships (04/05/08) Illinois-Chicago (03/07/08) at Pacific Coast Classic (02/23/08) at Springfield College (02/03/08)

TOP PROGRAM MARKS - VAULT (2008 - PRESENT) Devin Menefee Nash Mills Devin Menefee Devin Menefee Devin Menefee Travis Langham Joel Uptmor Joel Uptmor Nash Mills Joel Uptmor

USAG Championships-Event (03/27/10) at Minnesota (01/30/10) at MPSF Championships (04/04/09) at Arizona State (02/26/10) at Southwest Cup (02/27/09) at Springfield College (03/14/10) at Springfield College (03/14/10) Illinois-Chicago (03/07/10) Illinois-Chicago (03/07/10) at Nebraska (02/21/10)

Greg S ne

45

AIR FORCE ACADEMY

15.950 15.850 15.850 15.800 15.800 15.750 15.750 15.750 15.750 15.750

2010 SEASON REVIEW

Greg S ne Jake Schonig Jake Schonig Greg S ne Jake Schonig Greg S ne Greg S ne Jake Schonig Jake Schonig Jake Schonig Jake Schonig Jake Schonig Greg S ne Jake Schonig

at Springfield College (02/03/08) at Nebraska (03/22/08) Stanford, Illinois-Chicago (03/05/10) at USAG Championships-Team (03/28/08) at Springfield College (03/14/10) Illinois-Chicago (03/07/10) at NCAA All-Around Finals (04/18/08) at Arizona State (03/19/10) at Army (03/12/10) at Army (03/12/10) at Army (03/12/10)

TOP PROGRAM MARKS - ALL-AROUND (2008 - PRESENT)

TOP PROGRAM MARKS - STILL RINGS (2008 - PRESENT) 15.700 15.650 15.650 15.650 15.600 15.600 15.600 15.550 15.550 15.500 15.500 15.500 15.500 15.500

Greg S ne Greg S ne Nash Mills Greg S ne Nash Mills Nash Mills Greg S ne Nash Mills Nash Mills Joel Uptmor Garre Canter

MEET THE FALCONS

Chase Nobles Chase Nobles James Okamoto Chase Nobles Chase Nobles Dan Klimkowski Jacob Houder Jacob Houder James Okamoto Dan Klimkowski James Okamoto

at Arizona State (02/26/10) at USAG Championships-Event (03/29/08) at MPSF Championships (04/05/08) Stanford, Illinois-Chicago (03/05/10) at Army (01/01/08) at Southwest Cup (03/01/08) USAG Championships-Event (03/27/10) at Nebraska (01/20/08) at Springfield College (02/03/08) Illinois-Chicago (03/09/08)

TOP PROGRAM MARKS - HORIZONTAL BAR (2008 - PRESENT)

TOP PROGRAM MARKS - POMMEL HORSE (2008 - PRESENT) 14.800 14.700 14.600 14.550 14.300 14.300 14.200 14.200 14.150 14.100 14.100

Nash Mills Greg S ne Greg S ne Nash Mills Greg S ne Greg S ne Nash Mills Greg S ne Greg S ne Greg S ne

2011 TEAM INFORMATION

TOP PROGRAM MARKS - FLOOR EXERCISE (2008 - PRESENT)


MEET THE FALCONS

2011 TEAM INFORMATION

2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions

CAPT LEVI TORKELSON

1979-2008 | FOUR-YEAR LETTERWINNER | TWO-YEAR ASSISTANT COACH

Capt Levi Torkelson, an assistant coach for the men’s gymnastics team, was killed in a tragic automobile accident in San Antonio, Texas, on Dec. 27, 2008. Torkelson, who was in his second season as an assistant coach for the men’s program, returned to the Academy midway through the 2008 season, after completing a six-month deployment to Iraq. In addition to his coaching duties with the Falcons’ gymnastics team, Torkelson worked in the athletic department’s scheduling and grading division.

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“Levi was an amazing role model to our team, day in and day out,” head coach Kip Simons said. “His love and passion for the sport was apparent. He was a great officer, coach, young man and friend. He will be greatly missed.” A four-year letterwinner on the Falcons’ gymnastics team, Torkelson graduated from the Academy in 2001. A decorated gymnast, he was a two-time national champion on the parallel bars at the USAG Championships. A nine-time USAG All-American, Torkelson is the Academy record-holder on the parallel bars with a score of 9.550. Torkelson remained at USAFA after graduation, serving as an assistant coach for the men’s team during the 2001-02 season. “Levi was a huge contributor to our gymnastics program, as a competitor and then as a coach, before going out in the Air Force,” said former head coach Lou Burkel, who coached Torkelson from 1998-2001. “He was a very hard worker with excellent technique. He was amazingly strong and could execute skills you would not think possible. His gymnastics credentials speak for themselves. He was also a good person who was caring and thoughtful. Levi was just a wonderful young man who was doing a terrific job for the Air Force. He leaves a big hole in many of our lives.” Following his time at the Academy, Torkelson spent four years stationed at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, where he served as the Deputy Flight Commander for both the Communications Control Center and Mission Systems Flight. He also served as the Officer in Charge for all geographically separated units controlled by the 435 Communication Group. During his time at Ramstein, he was deployed twice. He spent four months as an Executive Officer in Jacobabad, Pakistan, and a year as the Officer in Charge for Screening and Property Exploitation Cells under the Joint Interrogation and Debriefing Center in Forward Operating Base Abu Ghraib and Victory Base Comply in Iraq. Torkelson was awarded the Bronze Star and the USAFE Arthur S. Flemming Award. He has also won two Company Grade Officer of the Year Awards from the 435 Communications Squadron and the 86 Communications Squadron. "He did a fantastic job, not only coaching the gymnastics team but as a physical education teacher," said Col Billy Walker, the Academy’s deputy athletic director, who oversees the Olympic sports and physical education department. "He was very well respected by the cadets, a great role model and mentor, not only to the cadets he taught in his PE classes, but especially to the cadet-athletes he coached on the gymnastics team.'' In 2010, Torkelson was posthumously awarded the Honor Coach Certificate by the CGA. The certificate is awarded to a deceased member of the coaching profession, who was either too young to qualify for the 25 years of service to the sport of gymnastics or had not been nominated for the Honor Coach Award prior to his death. The inscription on the plaque reads "In recognition of his service in coaching and developing gymnasts in the United States. He has gained the respect of his colleagues in the gymnastic world by his inspiring example and accomplishments."

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U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY


AIR FORCE ACADEMY

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2010 SEASON REVIEW

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2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions The United States Air Force Academy offers a four-year program of instruction and experience designed to educate, train and inspire men and women to become officers of character, motivated to lead the United States Air Force in service to our nation. Each cadet graduates with a bachelor of science degree and a commission as a second lieutenant in the Air Force. COURSE OF STUDY Cadets are exposed to a balanced curriculum that provides the knowledge, skills and responsibilities essential to a career Air Force officer. The entire USAFA experience is integrated and mapped to achieve a set of desired outcomes in every graduate. The core academic curriculum includes courses in basic sciences, engineering, social sciences and humanities. Cadets take additional elective courses to complete requirements for one of 32 major areas of study. About 50 percent of the cadets complete majors in science and engineering; the remainder graduate in the social sciences and humanities. Some of the most popular majors include management, aeronautical engineering, foreign area studies, history, behavioral science, civil engineering, astronautical engineering, electrical engineering and engineering mechanics. FACULTY COMPOSITION The majority of the Academy's faculty members, more than 500 total, are Air Force officers. They are selected primarily from career-officer volunteers who have established outstanding records of performance and dedication. Each has at least a master's degree and more than 55 percent have doctorates or other terminal degrees in their field of study. About 30 percent of the faculty are civilians who bring great depth of disciplinary and educational expertise and provide academic stability and continuity. Faculty members are intensely focused on cadet learning as an integral part of their officer development. The Air Force Academy has been ranked No. 1 in the nation for the most accessible and involved faculty for four years in a row. To provide greater contributions by a diverse faculty, the Academy has several distinguished visiting professors and endowed professors who serve one or more years. Officers from other services, as well as officers from allied countries are also members of the faculty. Distinguished civilian and military lecturers also share their expertise with the cadets during the academic year. ATHLETIC PROGRAM The Academy's athletic program is designed to improve physical fitness, teach athletic skills and develop leadership qualities. To achieve its goals, the Academy offers some of the most extensive physical education, intramural sports and intercollegiate athletic programs in the nation. Cadets take at least three different physical education courses each year. MILITARY EDUCATION AND TRAINING An air, space and cyberspace-oriented military education, training and leadership program begins with basic cadet training and continues throughout the four years. Seniors are responsible for the organizational leadership of the

cadet wing, while juniors and sophomores seek to develop team and interpersonal leadership and instructional skills. Cadets are projected into as many active leadership roles as possible to prepare them to be effective Air Force officers. Fundamental concepts of military organization -- drill, ethics, honor, Air Force heritage and physical training -- are emphasized the first summer during basic cadet training. Freshmen study the military role in United States society, as well as the mission and organization of the Air Force. Sophomores receive instruction in communication skills and juniors study combat and operational aspects of the Air Force. The Academy offers courses in flying, navigation, soaring and parachuting, building from basic skills to instructor duties. Some cadets may fly light aircraft with the Cadet Flying Team. Summer training for cadets is divided into three, threeweek training periods. There are a variety of programs available and each cadet is required to complete two training periods each summer with leave during the other period. All new cadets take six weeks of basic cadet training in their first summer. Combat survival training is a required three-week program during cadets' second summer. For other second-summer training periods, cadets have options such as working with Airmen in an operational unit at an Air Force installation, airborne parachute training, soaring or basic free-fall parachute training. During their last two summers, all cadets are offered leadership training as supervisors or instructors in the summer programs listed above. Extracurricular activities also are an integral part of the education program. The cadet ski club, drum and bugle corps, cadet chorale and forensics are a few of the programs available to Academy cadets. NOMINATIONS Nominations to the Academy may be obtained through a congressional sponsor or by meeting eligibility criteria in other categories of competition established by law. For information on admission procedures, write to HQ USAFA/RRS; 2304 Cadet Drive, Suite 200; USAF Academy, CO 80840-5025.

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HISTORY OF THE ACADEMY In 1948, a board of leading civilian and military educators was appointed to plan the curriculum for an academy that would meet the needs of the newly established Air Force. The board determined that Air Force requirements could not be met by expanding the other service academies and recommended an Air Force Academy be established without delay. In 1949, then Secretary of the Air Force W. Stuart Symington appointed a commission to assist in selecting a site and on April 1, 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorized creation of the United States Air Force Academy. After considering 580 sites in 45 states, the commission narrowed the choice to three locations. During the summer of 1954, Secretary of the Air Force Harold Talbott selected a site near Colorado Springs, Colo. Colorado contributed $1 million toward purchase of the property. In July 1955, the first Academy class entered interim facilities at Lowry Air Force Base, Denver, while construction began. It was sufficiently completed for occupancy by the cadet wing in late August 1958. Initial construction cost was $142 million. Women entered the Academy on June 28, 1976, as members of the class of 1980.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT: WWW.USAFA.EDU


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SUPERINTENDENT | SECOND YEAR | AIR FORCE ACADEMY, 1976 Lt. Gen. Michael C. Gould is Superintendent, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo. He directs a four-year academic, military training, athle c and character development program leading to a bachelor’s degree and commission as an Air Force officer. The general is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Class of 1976. His career encompasses a wide range of assignments, ranging from head football coach of the Air Force Academy Preparatory School, to serving as Air Force aide to the President of the United States.

The general’s military awards and decora ons include the Dis nguished Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Defense Superior Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, Air Force Commenda on Medal, Air Force Achievement Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.

COMMANDANT OF CADETS Brig General Richard Clark

DEAN OF FACULTY Brig General Dana Born

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COMMANDER, 10TH AIR BASE WING Colonel Rick LoCastro

AIR FORCE ACADEMY

VICE SUPERINTENDENT Colonel Tamara Rank

PROGRAM HISTORY

He has held numerous command posi ons at the group, wing and numbered air force level, and was commander of Cheyenne Mountain Opera ons Center during 9/11. Prior to his return to the Academy, he was Director of Opera ons and Plans, U.S. Transporta on Command, Sco Air Force Base, Ill. General Gould is a command pilot with more than 3,000 flying hours in the T-38, T-41, KC-10, C-5, C-17, C-21, C-141 and KC-135R.

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LT GEN MICHAEL C. GOULD


AIR FORCE ACADEMY

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DR. HANS MUEH

DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS | SEVENTH SEASON | AIR FORCE ACADEMY, 1966 Mueh has been just as successful behind the scenes with the administra on of the department. Mueh restructured the department with an internal/external model that has streamlined resources and made the department more effec ve from top to bo om. In addi on, he has the department on course to become a federally chartered non-profit organiza on which will lead to more fund-raising opportuni es. Mueh was instrumental in the USAFA Endowment and the announcement of an Indoor Training Facility that broke ground in the summer of 2010.

Dr. Hans J. Mueh is in his seventh year as the director of athle cs at the Air Force Academy. A re red Air Force brigadier general, Mueh was vice dean of faculty for two years prior to his re rement from ac ve duty in the summer of 2004. Mueh was heavily involved in Academy athle cs before becoming director of athle cs. He was the Academy's faculty athle cs representa ve from 1996-2004 and was a long- me member of the board of directors for the Air Force Academy Athle cs Associa on. Since becoming the director of athle cs, Mueh has led the Academy to some remarkable feats. In 2007, the Academy was one of only three schools (Michigan State and Boston College) to reach post-season play in football (2007), men’s basketball and ice hockey (2006-07). It marked the first me a service academy has ever had a team compete in the post-season in all three sports. In addi on, under Mueh’s watch, the men’s basketball team has played in an NCAA tournament and the Na onal Invita onal Tournament’s Final Four. The ice hockey team won three straight conference championships and made three straight appearances in the NCAA tournament. Mueh was on the selec on commi ee that hired current head coach Frank Serratore and led the Academy’s move into the Athle c Hockey Associa on.

Mueh has also been ac ve within the conference and the NCAA. He was recently selected to be part of the NCAA Division I Amateurism Cabinet and has been ac ve on the NCAA’s academics/eligibility compliance cabinet, the men’s golf commi ee and the region 7 postgraduate scholarship commi ee. Mueh has been equally ac ve within the conference on various leadership commi ees. He is currently on the awards and recogni on commi ee and has previously served on the joint council execu ve commi ee, and commi ees on championships, television and sportsmanship. Before assuming his du es as vice dean at the Academy, Mueh was permanent professor and head of the department of chemistry at the Academy, a posi on he held since October 1987 where he oversaw the annual design and instruc on of 25 undergraduate courses for 1,500 cadets annually. Mueh was born Jan. 8, 1944, in Celle, Germany, and emigrated to the U.S. in 1951. He entered the Air Force in 1962 as a member of the Academy's eighth gradua ng class, and graduated with a bachelor of science degree in chemistry in 1966. While at the Academy, Mueh was a two-year le erwinner in soccer as a goalie. He s ll holds the Air Force Academy soccer record for saves in a game with 30, accomplishing it twice in 1965 against North Carolina and Benedic ne. In his junior and senior years, Mueh helped the Falcons to the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Soccer League championship and quarterfinal berths in the NCAA tournament. He was a first-team all-league selec on in 1965.

The football program, the Academy’s flagship sport, has gone through a major overhaul under Mueh. He led the transi on from the re rement of the legendary Fisher DeBerry a er 23 years at the helm to hiring current head coach Troy Calhoun, a 1989 Academy graduate. Calhoun’s impact was immediate, leading the Falcons to a 9-4 overall mark and a second-place finish in the Mountain West Conference in 2007. The Falcons qualified for their first bowl game in five years, playing in the Armed Forces Bowl in 2007. The program has posted back-to-back eight-win seasons and qualified for bowl games since, marking the first me since 1990-92 Air Force has been to a bowl three straight years.

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Following gradua on, Mueh completed two assignments in intelligence before a ending the University of Wisconsin where he earned his master's degree in chemistry in 1970. He later earned a doctorate degree in chemistry from Wisconsin in 1976 as a dis nguished graduate. He also completed Squadron Officer School, Air Command and Staff College and Air War College. Between earning his degrees, Mueh returned to the Academy as an instructor in the department of chemistry from 1970-72. He also served as assistant soccer coach and played semi-pro soccer with the Aurora Interna onals in Denver during those two years, leading the Interna onals to the Colorado state tle in 1971. He volunteered for duty in Vietnam and served as an intelligence officer in Saigon, Republic of Vietnam and at Nakhon Phanom RTAB, Thailand, in 1972 and 1973. A er earning his doctorate, Mueh returned to the Academy in 1976 as an associate professor of chemistry. He remained at the Academy except for a s nt in 1985-86 as the special assistant for technical ma ers at the Defense Intelligence Agency at the Pentagon. In 1986, he assumed the posi on of ac ng head, department of chemistry, before being selected for his posi on of permanent professor and head of the department of chemistry in 1987. As faculty athle cs representa ve, he was ac ve in both the Western Athle c Conference and Mountain West Conference, and was the Academy's representa ve on the transi on team to form the new MWC, the only faculty athle cs representa ve on the team. He competes in golf, racquetball, handball and tennis, and has promoted Air Force Academy intercollegiate sports throughout his tenure, beginning with work as chairman of the hockey eligibility commi ee, officer representa ve to the men's golf team and five years as the officer representa ve to the football team. Mueh is married to the former Sally Flax of Cincinna , Ohio. They have three children; two daughters, Kris ne and Deborah, and a son, Kurt.


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The football team competes annually for the Commander-inChief's Trophy, which is emblema c of service academy football supremacy. The Falcons have won the trophy 16 mes, which is more than Army and Navy combined. The winner of the annual rivalry visits the White House to have the trophy presented by the President of the United States.

Few schools in the country have an athle c program as extensive as the United States Air Force Academy's.

The structure is divided into three areas--basketball arena, ice hockey arena and mul purpose area. The three sec ons have a combined sea ng capacity of more than 9,000. Clune Arena seats 5,834. The Cadet Ice Rink has a sea ng capacity of 2,470, while the mul purpose area seats 1,000 fans for track and field compe ons.

The goals of the Academy’s athle c program are to enhance the physical condi oning of all cadets, to develop the physical skills necessary for officership, to teach leadership in a compe ve environment and to build character. There are three subdivisions of the athle c program: intercollegiate athle cs, intramurals and physical educa on.

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The intercollegiate program has 17 men's and 10 women's NCAA-sanc oned teams, facing some of the top compe on in the na on. Men’s teams are football, baseball, basketball, ice hockey, cross-country, fencing, golf, gymnas cs, indoor and outdoor track, lacrosse, rifle, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, water polo and wrestling. The Academy fields women's teams in basketball, cross-country, fencing, gymnas cs, rifle, indoor and outdoor track, swimming and diving, soccer, tennis and volleyball. In addi on, the Academy sponsors two non-NCAA programs; boxing and cheerleading.

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The USAFA Cadet Field House is one of the most impressive buildings in the country. It’s a modern, versa le structure with seemingly endless uses. The $5.6 million building is five stories high and 396 feet by 426 feet, the size of three football fields laid side by side.

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this conference against teams from Brigham Young, New Mexico, Colorado State, San Diego State, TCU, Wyoming, Utah and UNLV. All sports also compete against non-conference opponents, including many na onally-ranked teams.

The majority of the Academy’s men’s and women’s programs compete at the NCAA Division I level in the Mountain West Conference. The Falcons compete in

JIM TREGO Senior Associate AD External Affairs

JOHN COULAHAN Associate AD Finance

MARTI GASSER Associate AD/SWA Intercollegiate Program

WAYNE KELLENBENCE Associate AD Support

TROY GARNHART Associate AD Info/Communications

DERMOT COLL Associate AD Development/Gov’t

GEORGE NELSON Associate AD Athletic Programs

KAREN WARNER Associate AD Human Resources

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WILLIAM CARPENTER Associate AD Recruiting Support

AIR FORCE ACADEMY

COL BILLY WALKER Deputy AD Head, Physical Education

PROGRAM HISTORY

BRAD D EAUSTIN Vice Director Athletics


The immortal words of an eastern visitor in 1893 live perpetually at the base of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. When teacher and poet Katherine Lee Bates took a wagon ride to the summit of Pikes Peak she was inspired to write a song that is s ll recited today. Her view from atop the 14,110-foot peak was the basis of her song “America the Beau ful”.

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The history of Colorado Springs traverses back to 1870 when Gen. William Jackson Palmer first visited the region and was cap vated by its grandeur. A year later, he began designing his city of dreams. From its beginning on the corner of Pikes Peak and Cascade Avenues in downtown Colorado Springs, the city has grown more than 183 square miles and to nearly 400,000 people in the city and 600,000 in the metro area. Colorado Springs is known na onally for its natural a rac ons. The Garden of the Gods, the area’s No. 1 natural attrac on, is a majes c out-cropping of red sandstone rocks which are more than 300 million years old. Colorado Springs is also home to the Pikes Peak Highway, a 19-mile drive up the world’s highest toll road. The area’s No. 1 manmade a rac on is the Air Force Academy’s Cadet Chapel.

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2011 Air Force Men’s Gymnas cs Media Guide | GoAirForceFalcons.com | 2010 USA Gymnas cs Collegiate Na onal Champions

Valuing its past with a vision for the future, Colorado Springs is truly a city with unparalleled culture, recrea on, growth and opportunity in the 21st century.

Another major a rac on is the Broadmoor Hotel and Resort. Built in the early 1900s, this five-star resort, hosted the 1995 U.S. Women’s Open Golf Championship and the 2008 Senior U.S. Open, and is nestled into the base of Cheyenne Mountain. The Pikes Peak region is home to the na on’s only mountain zoo. The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, with an eleva on of more than 6,800-feet, has received several changes in the past two years. For the outdoors enthusiast, the city and the state offer a plethora of recrea onal ac vi es. A short drive to the northwest features some of the na on’s finest ski resorts, including the ci es of Vail and Aspen. A short jaunt to the southwest or northwest will find some of the best white-water ra ing, fishing, hiking and cycling that the country has to offer.

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Photos on this page courtesy of GerMaine Photography | Lower right photo courtesy of the Colorado Springs Sky Sox

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CADET WEST GYMNASIUM | GYMNASTICS TRAINING FACILITIES

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The Air Force women’s and men’s gymnas cs team train and compete in the Academy’s Cadet West Gymnasium. The main gym features the compe on area, as well as spectator sea ng.

PROGRAM HISTORY

The set-up can be configured for either a men’s or women’s meet, with a raised floor exercise area and proper “holding areas” for championship meets. The gym features a two- ered scorers’ table that is wirelessly linked to the judges’ tables located throughout the venue. For daily prac ces and special dual meet performances, the floor surface can hold all equipment for both the men’s and women’s training. Air Force also has the added benefit of an auxiliary gym that features locker rooms for both the men’s and women’s teams and extra sets of equipment to help maximize the training space of the two gymnas cs teams. The second floor of the auxiliary gym features a high bar apparatus and vaul ng runway with foam landing pits.

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Overall, the Cadet Gymnasium is a five-level structure, containing 439,951 square feet of useable space. It houses three complete gyms, 12 squash courts, 21 handball/racquetball courts and nine basketball courts. There are two swimming pools, an indoor rifle range and four indoor tennis courts, along with separate facili es for gymnas cs, cheerleading, wrestling, fencing, boxing, aerobic fitness, weight li ing, scuba, baseball, volleyball and judo. The gymnasium also contains an athle c training room, human performance laboratory, lockers for all cadets, and administra ve offices of the physical educa on instructors and support staff. Outdoor facili es associated with the gym include 57 athle c fields (143 acres) for intercollegiate and intramural sports, two baseball diamonds and a 400-meter all-weather track.

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AIR FORCE ACADEMY

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RACE FOR THE CURE The members of the Air Force gymnas cs program are used to compe ng against other gymnasts, but last week the Falcons came together to compete in a bigger challenge. For the second straight year, members of the men's and women's gymnas cs teams took to the streets of downtown Denver to par cipate in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. The 33 members of the Falcons' gymnas cs program were some of the over 50,000 par cipants that took part in Denver's 18th annual race on Sunday, Oct. 3. The race began at Confluence Park and con nued around Invesco Field at Mile High, before concluding near the Pepsi Center. Men’s team senior Dan Klimkowski served as the captain for the Falcons' volunteer efforts for the second straight year. Last year, he saw the project as a way to promote bonding between the men's and women's teams, while suppor ng a worthwhile cause. This year, the Falcons had a familiar face in their thoughts, as they walked in support of Diane, a photographer and friend of women's head coach Doug Day, who spent the week prior to undergoing a double mastectomy with the team taking photos for the upcoming season. "Everyone was really into the race this year," Klimkowski said. "The race has become something we look forward to every year. When I started this, I had no idea that it would become a tradi on. (This year) was really special, because we had the chance to come together and race for Diane. She is such a strong woman and it puts a lot in perspec ve." The Falcons exceeded their goal this year, as the individual members contributed over $3,100 to the cause. The Falcons, who have surpassed $5,000 over the last two years, were listed among the top 55 on the Denver Race for the Cure's Fundraising Honor Roll for 2010. Denver's Race for the Cure is one in a series of races that take place every year around the world. The races help raise significant funds and awareness for the fight against breast cancer, celebrate breast cancer survivorship and honor those who have lost their ba le with the disease.

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The Air Force men's and women's gymnas cs teams spent me with some students at Monroe Elementary School in Colorado Springs, Colo., as a part of the athle c department's adopt-a-school program. The a er-school program allows the grade-school children to interact with members of each of the Academy's sports teams throughout the school year. A er each gymnast introduced themselves by name, class year, hometown and favorite event, the Falcons and students went through the pre-prac ce stretching that the gymnas cs team does on a daily basis.

PROGRAM HISTORY

Following a handstand contest between the men's and women's teams, the Falcons divided the students onto two mats and spent the remainder of the me teaching basic tumbling moves, including somersaults, handstands and cartwheels. The students received hands-on a en on from the cadets, who assisted and supported the students through each new move.

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ADOPT-A-SCHOOL PROGRAM

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OVERVIEW OF THE SCORING SYSTEM FLOOR EXERCISE

Prior to the 2008 season, judging men’s gymnas cs was based on the 10.0 system. Every rou ne that you saw had the highest possible score of a 10.0 if it was performed without any deduc ons and had the highest possible difficulty allowed. Men’s collegiate gymnas cs then adopted the FIG (Federa on of Interna onal Gymnas cs) Scoring System of an open-ended Code of Points. Now, when watching USA and college gymnas cs, you will see scores like 15.3, 14.8, 13.9 and so on.

The floor exercise is an event where the gymnast performs mul ple tumbling skills in a row and flips forward, backwards and sideways to achieve three of the special requirements. The fourth requirement is a non-acroba c skill like a press handstand or circles on the floor. The fi h requirement is the gymnast’s dismount. Look for double flipping and double twis ng skills that grab your a en on.

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Men’s college gymnas cs is judged using three components:

POMMEL HORSE

First, the gymnast performs his 10 best or hardest skills. These 10 skills each have value parts ranging from A,B,C,D,E,& F. “A” value corresponds to 0.1 points, “B” to 0.2 points, and so on to an “F” that is worth 0.6 points. The gymnast is free to have as much difficulty as he can do in those 10 skills.

Pommel horse is one of the hardest events in gymnas cs, requiring strength, balance and flexibility. The gymnast con nuously does circles, flairs or scissors while performing require¬ments and finishes with a dismount.

Second, of those 10 skills, the gymnast performs five that must be used to fulfill the five special requirements on each event. Every me a requirement is fulfilled, the gymnast is awarded 0.5 points. The gymnast receives a maximum of 2.5 points for all five requirements on each event.

STILL RINGS Pound per pound, rings is one of the hardest events in any sport. The gymnast performs strength moves like the “Iron Cross” which requires him to hold up to nine mes his own body weight. The requirements on rings include holding strength moves, swinging to strength moves, swing skills, kip skills and a dismount.

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Third, every gymnast is given 10 points for the execu on of the event. If the gymnast falls down or breaks form, the judge takes away points from this total.

VAULT

A er the rou ne is finished the judges go through the following process: First, they add up the difficulty of the 10 highest skills (max unlimited). Next, they add up the special requirements (max 2.5). Then they add 10 points for execu on and make any necessary deduc ons. This gives them a final score.

Vault is the most explosive event in gymnas cs. The gymnast has a choice of three styles of vaults that include a handspring, roundoff or roundoff onto the board. Like diving, vaults are given ra ngs based on their difficulty. The harder the vault, the higher the ra ng the vault receives.

In the old scoring system, if the gymnast performed a perfect rou ne it would look like this: 3.5 for difficulty + 2.5 for special requirements + 4.0 for execu on with no deduc ons = 10.0

PARALLEL BARS Parallel bars is one of the most versa le events in gymnas cs. The gymnast must perform skills in support, upper arm support, skills from hanging, basket skills where the gymnast loops around the p-bars and must finish with a dismount. Look for unique twists and flips where the gymnasts earn their difficulty points.

With the new scoring system, this now looks like: 3.5 difficulty + 2.5 for special requirements + 10.0 for execu on with no deduc ons = 16.0 (The difficulty of 3.5 can be more or less depending on the gymnast’s capability).

HIGH BAR

Examples: • A good pommel horse score ranges from 14.5-15.3 • A good rings score ranges from 15.5-16.3. • A good vault score ranges from 15.8-16.4.

High bar is the most exci ng event to watch in gymnas cs. It requires the gymnast to swing on the bar, then let go of it and catch again. Other requirements include straddle skills, El-grip skills, long hang skills and a dismount. Watch for high flying release moves that remind you of an X-Games style compe on.

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PROGRAM HISTORY

Special Note: Not all events are necessarily equal now. You will tend to see higher scores on vault and rings and lower scores on pommel horse and parallel bars.

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2011 AIR FORCE MEN’S GYMNASTICS SCHEDULE Jan. 15

Rocky Mountain Open

USAF Academy, Colo.

6 p.m.

Jan. 22

Army

USAF Academy, Colo.

1 p.m.

Jan. 30

at Nebraska

Lincoln, Neb.

2 p.m.

Feb. 3-5

at Winter Cup Challenge

Las Vegas, Nev.

4 p.m.

Feb. 18

at Minnesota

Minneapolis, Minn.

7 p.m.

Feb. 20

at All-Academy Championships

Aliso Viejo, Calif.

4 p.m.

Mar. 4

at Illinois-Chicago

Chicago, Ill.

7 p.m.

Mar. 6

at Illinois-Chicago

Chicago, Ill.

1 p.m.

Mar. 11

at Brockport

Brockport, N.Y.

7 p.m.

Mar. 13

at Springfield College

Springfield, Mass.

1 p.m.

Mar. 20

Washington (Senior Day)

USAF Academy, Colo.

1 p.m.

Mar. 25

at USAG Championships

Springfield, Mass.

7 p.m.

Mar. 26

at USAG Championships

Springfield, Mass.

7 p.m.

Apr. 2

MPSF Championships

USAF Academy, Colo.

5 p.m.

Apr. 14-16

at NCAA Championships

Columbus, Ohio

All home meets (bold) will be held at the Cadet West Gymnasium.

TBA


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