Feb. 3, 2007

HARRISONBURG, Va. - Navy junior gymnast Brandon Cook (Longmont, Colo.) scored above an 8.0 in three disciplines as the Midshipmen finished third among five teams at the James Madison Invitational on Saturday afternoon at Sinclair Gymnasium.

UIC led the way with a team tally of 193.3 points, followed by William & Mary's 189.4 points, Navy's 188.8 points, Springfield's 179.75 points and James Madison's 158.7 points.

Cook won the floor exercise with an 8.75 from the judges, scored a career-best 8.2 on the high bar and produced an 8.1 performance on the vault. The Navy junior also scored 7.6 points, a career-high, on the still rings.

Junior Christopher Tam (Draper, Utah) and sophomore Joseph Atzenbeck (Broomfield, Colo.) went 1-2 on the high bar as Navy topped the field with a team score of 33.0 points in the event. Tam recorded a score of 8.85 to lead the way, followed by Atzenbeck's 8.6-point showing. Tam also competed in the all-around on Saturday, finishing third with a 45.45-point tally.

Placing second on the pommel horse for the Mids was sophomore Adam Stanton (Centennial, Colo.), as he produced a score of 8.1 points.

Also producing marks of 8.0 or higher on Saturday were sophomores James Godfrey (Columbia, S.C.) and Ken Lee (Rockville, Md.). Godfrey earned a 8.35 in the floor exercise and Lee received an 8.0 from the judges on the still rings.

The Midshipmen (7-5) return to action next Saturday when they head up to West Point to take on Army in the annual Star Meet. Last season, Navy claimed the N-Star with a 201.3-198.825 victory over Army in Annapolis.