USAFA Athletics

In addition to managing a full academic load, cadets must maintain physical conditioning and participate in athletic competitions. The Academy’s extensive athletic program includes intercollegiate and intramural sports, physical education courses and physical fitness tests.  These programs help prepare cadets for Air Force leadership by building confidence, emotional control, physical courage, and the ability to perform under pressure.

Intercollegiate Sports

The Academy has 10 women’s and 17 men’s National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) teams that compete at the highest level, Division I.  Most sports are members of the Mountain West Conference.

The men’s teams include:

• Baseball
• Basketball
• Boxing
• Cross Country
• Fencing
• Football
• Golf
• Gymnastics
• Ice Hockey
• Lacrosse
• Rifle
• Soccer
• Swimming and Diving
• Tennis
• Track and Field
• Water Polo
• Wrestling

The women’s teams include:

• Basketball
• Cross Country
• Fencing
• Gymnastics
• Rifle
• Soccer
• Swimming and Diving
• Tennis
• Track and Field
• Volleyball

Intramural Sports

Each cadet must participate in an intercollegiate or intramural sport each semester. The intramural sports include:  basketball, men’s boxing, cross country, flag football, flicker ball, racquetball, men’s rugby, women’s rugby, soccer, softball, team handball, tennis (singles and doubles), ultimate Frisbee, volleyball and wally ball.  Each squadron produces a team for each sport, and squadrons compete against each other until group intramural championships, which then leads to the wing intramural championship.

Physical Education Courses

Cadets must complete 10 physical education courses during their time at the Academy.  All cadets must complete certain core classes which include:  boxing (males only), self defense (females only), swimming, water survival, physical development and unarmed combat I and II.  After taking the required courses, cadets may take the following:  basketball, golf, racquetball, scuba, soccer, softball, tennis or volleyball.

Physical Fitness Tests

Besides team sports, two fitness tests are administered each semester. The first, the Physical Fitness Test (PFT) tests overall strength and endurance and includes pull-ups, a standing long jump, sit-ups, push-ups and a 600-yard run. The second, the Aerobic Fitness Test (AFT), a one-and-a-half mile run, tests aerobic fitness levels. 

Maintaining physical fitness is important to not only pass the fitness tests, but the program promotes maximum fitness among the cadet wing, develops a foundation for a lifetime of fitness, and recognizes cadets who excel in personal fitness. Cadets who receive a score above 450 on the PFT or AFT are exempt from taking that particular test the following semester.

Facilities

The Academy maintains some of the finest athletic facilities in the nation.  The athletic complex includes the Cadet Gymnasium, the Cadet Field House, the Falcon Athletic Center and a number of outdoor playing fields. In addition, a 92,000-square-foot indoor training facility is slated for completion in 2011.