March 14, 2015 SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The Navy gymnastics team wrapped up its regular season on a high note on Saturday as the 13th-ranked Mids defeated the 14th-ranked Pride of Springfield College on the road by a 418.15 to 411.50 final score. Navy's point total, the highest of its 2015 campaign, came courtesy of season-best performances by its rings and pommel horse lineups.
Individually, Jonny Tang (So., Malvern, Pa.) and Joshua Steves (Sr., Houston, Texas) led the Mids' charge with event wins. Tang was the meet's top performer in the floor exercise with a career-high score of 15.15, while Steves came in first on the rings for the third straight competition. The senior tied his career-high with his second straight 15.2 result.
As a team, the Mids recorded a score of 71.0 in the floor exercise, 69.6 on the pommel horse, 73.6 on the rings, 70.65 on the vault, 66.25 on the parallel bars and 67.05 on the high bar. Navy's pommel horse score was nearly a point better than its previous season-high of 68.65, while the team's effort on the rings was 2.15 points better.
Navy jumped out to an early lead over Springfield as the trio of Tang, Mitchell Larios (Jr., Frisco, Texas) and Noah Beeman (Fr., Dayton, Ohio) went one-two-three in the floor exercise. Behind Tang's 15.15 score, Larios came in with a career-best 14.65 score before Beeman recorded a 14.1.
The strong performances continued for the Mids as Eric Morrison (Jr., Broomfield, Colo.) and Connor Westrick (Jr., Waterford, Wis.) notched scores of 14.85 and 14.6 to place third and fifth, respectively. Morrison's mark was a new career-high, surpassing his previous high of 14.7.
On the rings, Navy swept the top four positions as Steves' 15.2 led the quartet of Eric Viscardi (Sr., Marietta, Ga.), Thomas Goodell (Sr., Hopkinton, Mass.) and Tang. Viscardi gave Navy two gymnasts with 15.0-plus scores on the rings on Saturday as he recorded a career-high 15.05. Goodell and Tang rounded out the top performers on the rings with scores of 14.75 and 14.6, respectively.
The Mids finished with three of the top-five scores on the vault as Viscardi and Zac Ceroli (Jr., Angier, N.C.) tied for third at 14.2 before Tang came in at five with a score of 14.15. David Frick (Jr., St. Johns, Fla.) and Larios were 0.10 points behind their teammates in a tie for sixth place at 14.05.
With the meet's results nearly sown up with Navy holding an 8.75-point lead after four rotations, the Mids turned in solid results on the parallel bars and high bar to clinch the victory over their ECAC foe. Top performers for Navy on the parallel bars included, Goodell and Connor Gonzales (Jr., Glen Ellyn, Ill.), who finished third and fifth with scores of 13.75 and 13.65, respectively.
On the high bar, Goodell once again led Navy's effort with a 13.95 score, good enough for second place. Beeman and Steves also turned in top-five finishes with scores of 13.6 (fourth place) and 13.45 (fifth), respectively.
In the all-around competition, Springfield's Jon Zirna edged out Tang by a 0.5-point margin at 83.75 to 83.25. Besides Tang's scores on the floor, rings and vault, he recorded a 14.1 on the pommel horse, a 12.5 on the parallel bars and a 12.75 on the high bar.
With the regular season now complete, the Mids will move onto postseason action next weekend. Navy will head out to the United States Air Force Academy and compete at the USAG Collegiate Championships. The team and all-around competition will be held on Friday, March 20, before the individual finals take center stage on Saturday, March 21.
