Jan. 14, 2017 WEST POINT, N.Y. -- The Navy gymnastics team closed out its first weekend of competition with four athletes testing their talents in the event finals of the West Point Open on Saturday night. Amongst the quartet of Midshipmen gymnasts participating in the finals in Christl Arena, three, Noah Beeman (Jr., Dayton, Ohio), Jonny Tang (Sr., Malvern, Pa.) and Ryan Orce (Fr., Gainesville, Fla.) all came away with top-six podium finishes on different apparatus.
"I'm really proud of our guys tonight," remarked head coach Kip Simons. "Ryan hit a great set in his p-bar final. It was a high pressure night and our four gymnasts stepped up to the plate. They represented the Academy with pride."
Tang, who finished fifth in last night's all-around competition as part of the team finals competed twice on Saturday night. His first event was the floor exercise and he turned in a 14.1-point score to finish third overall. Last night, he posted a 14.05 to rank fourth, but improved in the finals versus a talented field of opposition from No. 5 Penn State, No. 7 Nebraska, Army, Arizona State, Springfield and Temple. Coming in as the ninth-ranked pommel horse contender after Friday, Tang was unable to break into the top-six on Saturday with a 12.2-point routine.
Beeman shared top billing with Tang as he recorded a third-place result on the high bar with a 13.9. After recording a 13.45 last night to rank fifth, the junior upgraded both his standing and score.
Orce was the final member of the Midshipmen contingent on Saturday night to earn his way onto the podium for parallel bars as he improved his 12th-place standing from last night to a sixth-place finish with a score of 13.35.
Tanner West (Fr., Cypress, Texas) was the fourth Navy gymnast to compete as he challenged for a spot in the top-six on the rings. He just missed earned himself some hardware as he turned in a 13.4-point effort that ranked seventh.
"Tanner continues to show strong development as a top-six competitor on the rings."
Navy will be back in action next Saturday, January 21 at home in the annual Navy Open. The Mids are slated to begin competition in the MacDonough Hall Gym at 2:00 p.m.
