Class of 2029 Cadet Fallon Barretto is carving her own identity at the U.S. Military Academy, making early waves in the boxing ring while navigating the legacy of a distinguished Army career shaped by her father.
The daughter of U.S. Military Academy Command Sgt. Maj. Phil Barretto, a nearly 35-year Army veteran and Sgt. Audie Murphy Club inductee, Barretto arrived at West Point determined to follow in his footsteps without being defined by them.
Although she has only a semester of boxing experience, Barretto has already made an impression in the ring. A native of Mililani, Hawaii, she has balanced academics, military obligations and athletics while building confidence as a cadet-athlete.
She spent the first 11 years of her life in Hawaii before her family relocated, first to Texas, then to South Korea and ultimately to West Point. When they lived in Texas, Barretto moved back to Hawaii for two years to attend a boarding school, which was the first time she learned how to stand on her own two feet.
“I grew from the initial homesickness as it turned into knowing that home will always be there,” Barretto said. “In the end, there was no point in just wasting my time and energy worrying about putting my feet somewhere that they’re not.”
As her confidence continued to build alongside her academic success, Barretto said her father’s selection as command sergeant major at West Point sparked her interest in attending the academy.
Beyond being a high achiever, she said her father has been a reliable source of advice, especially when factoring in the mental grind from academics and the physical demands from boxing and military obligations at the academy.
“The one piece of advice I replay in my head from my dad is that I need to do hard things, and then once I accomplish those hard things, do more hard things,’” Barretto said.
Barretto said that West Point is unlike the normal college experience, as cadets must put their future and career above the moment. She describes how it isn’t easy after a full day of academic workload to come to practice and work out with her teammates.
“We choose to be putting in this hard work, especially doing stuff we were once afraid of,” she stated. “I can say that because I was afraid of coming to boxing tryouts because it was unfamiliar. But being able to say that I did it and then do more, that’s the thing that keeps me going with every aspect of West Point.”
By also participating in events like the Norwegian Foot March last year while at the U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School, it creates a motivation to be better even through the toil.
“West Point has this positive peer pressure,” Barretto explained. “As I’ve learned in the boxing gym, everybody’s energy bounces off of each other. From there, we’re able to motivate each other to show up every single day.”
She started coming to the boxing gym as a prep schooler and has continued to challenge herself to be better each time in the ring.
While time management and prioritizing academics can still be a strain, the pressure that comes from that has turned into a strength of hers. One of her biggest moments to date in the ring was in December during the Army-Navy dual bouts.
“It was the moment where I became more comfortable in the ring while learning to fight in front of people,” Barretto said. “It gave me the confidence that I needed to feel like I’m in this ring for a reason. I’ve been working toward this point, put it all out there and just do what I have to do.”
The adrenaline rush she had after earning her first victory, particularly against a Navy boxer, left a lasting impression.
“I’m still trying to wrap my head around it, even today,” Barretto stated. “I’ll walk into the gym and everybody’s like ‘Oh, what’s up, champ?’ and I’m like, ‘I just had one fight.’ But the fact that I won, it’s given me belief I can do it.”
As the pressure mounted heading into the National Collegiate Boxing Association Boxing Championships April 9-11 where Barretto fought in the 119-pound weight class, the progression made by boxing every day with her teammates allowed her to get better.
“I definitely see progress when I go in there and allow myself to be taught by them,” she said. “Even if I’m losing, I’m learning as I’m going. I am finding new angles, new tricks.”
Barretto advanced to the quarterfinals at the NCBAs, where she faced the eventual national runner-up. While the run ended there, the experience will carry forward, and when reflecting on the season, the Army-Navy highlight will stand out for a lifetime.
“Just remembering from what it was like at Army-Navy, there are no words to describe it,” Barretto explained.
And as every new moment carries weight with the drive to win in the future, she does reflect on how this has shaped her relationship with her dad.
“I think since being at West Point, my dad and I’s relationship have grown a lot more because we share an understanding of the military,” Barretto described. “I understand him a lot more as a parent, as a sergeant major, especially his perspective on many things.
Barretto said her father tends to express pride more through actions than words, something she noticed after the Army‑Navy fight.
“It just made me smile; it made my heart really warm.” Barretto said. “Seeing that face while I’m in the ring, it gives me the motivation I need.
“He just wants me to be successful, whether I win or lose, he wants me to be happy with what I’m doing,” she concluded. “And if I’m giving 100% in everything I do, that’s all he can ask for, and he’ll be proud of me regardless.”
Barretto’s head coach, Jerry Hart, praised her for being a tireless worker. Hart spoke highly about how she won the Navy fight. He noted that sometimes the spotlight is too big for a plebe, but she passed.
“She just flipped that switch and turned into a warrior, and we were all looking at each other thinking, ‘What are we seeing here?’” Hart said. “She’s going to be something special.”
Hart said that she not only has the physical ability to achieve a brigade and regional title as a plebe and do well enough to advance to nationals, but she has the mental capacity to succeed because she is not afraid of the moment.
“She’s similar to (team captain) Elijah Gates in the sense that she’s not an average plebe in any way, shape or form,” Hart explained. “She’s runs around helping people in boxing class. She sees a hole, and she fills it. I look at her as someone who is going to be a future leader on this team, and it wouldn’t shock me at all if she becomes an All-American in the future.”
Before regionals and nationals, Barretto competed against an Ohio State boxer in only her second collegiate bout.
“While fighting Ohio State, it was a little step up for her. She lost, but she learned a lot about herself,” Hart said. “The other coach even came up to me afterward and said, ‘Hey, she’s a boxer and she’s going to be really good.’ I looked at him and said, ‘I know.’”