The Falcons of Air Force are coming off a 2008-2009 season in which the academy went 4-26, including a 17-game losing streak to finish off the season.
Even with last season behind them, the Falcons have had much of the same luck early this year. They stumbled out of the starting blocks to a 1-5 start, with their only win coming against Adams State at home.
The Falcons are a young team this year, with the lone senior on the roster being team co-captain Kathleen Schjodt. Schjodt is a 6-foot forward who is second on the team in points per game (7.0) and will be head coach Ardie McInelly’s senior floor leader as the season moves on. McInelly is in her ninth season as head coach at Air Force and has been the Air Force Academy’s winningest coach at the Division-I level during her time there.
Junior guard Raimee Beck, who has averaged 16 points per game on 37.5 percent shooting, is leading the Falcons in scoring six games into the season. Beck also leads the Falcons in rebounds with 9.0 per game. Point guard Anna Gault, while averaging less than three points per game, has found her role in the Air Force offense8212;setting up her teammates. Gault has 24 assists already this season, 13 more than the next closest on the team.
Air Force will have an uphill battle this season and will look to prove critics wrong as they have been chosen to finish last in the conference, according to the preseason poll. Air Force has already lost to Army, but another notable game for the Falcons includes a Dec. 22 matchup against the Naval Academy.
Bryan Chouinard