COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The Navy gymnastics team kicked off the 2018 USAG Collegiate Championships on Friday with action in the team finals. Competing as one of nine teams at the event on the campus of the United States Air Force Academy, the Mids placed fourth overall with a total of 388.7 points and third in the varsity division. Both Air Force and Arizona State defended their respective varsity and club USAG titles with scores of 396.4 and 393.35 on Friday. Navy was edged in the standings by 0.05 points as William & Mary came in third at 388.75.

The Mids' effort was spearheaded by seven individuals turning in scores that qualified them for Saturday's event finals. Tanner West (So., Cypress, Texas) and Trevor North (So., Johnstown, Ohio) led the way as the duo each qualified on two separate apparatuses. West finished top-10 on both the vault and parallel bars, while North did the same on the pommel horse and parallel bars.

As a team, Navy posted a 65.85 on the floor exercise, a 62.85 on the pommel horse, a 65.3 on the rings, a 69.7 on the vault, a 63.7 on the parallel bars and a 61.3 on the high bar.

Rotationally on Friday, the Mids began the competition on the high bar. Max Gerber (Fr., Dix Hills, N.Y.) was the top scorer for Navy as the freshman turned in a score of 12.6 that ranked ninth overall. After seeing intermittent action over the first half of the season, Gerber has become an asset to the Mids' high bar lineup over the past month. This marks three consecutive meets that he's been one of the top-two scoring Navy high bar performers. Noah Beeman (Sr., Dayton, Ohio) ranked 13th overall in the 39-man field with a 12.5 score.

Navy found slightly more success on its next event, the floor exercise. Frank Bradley (So., McLean, Va.) and Ryan McVay (Fr., Roseville, Calif.) each recorded event final qualifying scores as Bradley registered a 13.75 to place sixth overall, while McVay was 11th at 13.6. In his first appearance on the floor exercise since the All-Academy Championships, Lucas Beltran (So., Corpus Christi, Texas) tied for 14th place at 13.4.

The Mids had three gymnasts finish in the top-10 on the pommel horse with both North and Ryan Orce (So., Gainesville, Fla.) tying for top honors with matching 12.9 scores. David Toussaint (Fr., Warren, Ohio) was unfortunately squeezed out of a spot in tomorrow's event finals as teams are held to a two gymnast max in each event. Toussaint placed 10th overall with a 12.85 score.

Navy was most consistent on the rings on Friday with Christian Correale (Jr., Harrisburg, Pa.) leading the charge. The junior's routine earned him 13.4 points to rank sixth in the field. A tightly packed trio of Mids came in behind him with scores of 13.05, 13.05 and 13.0. Both Bradley and West tied for 12th at 13.05 before Orce came in tied for 15th with a 13.0.

West was the only qualifier from Navy's vault lineup as the sophomore turned in a score of 14.3 that placed him sixth. He was just 0.25 points shy of Springfield's Stephen Lewis, who ranked number one overall at 14.55. Travis Keller (Fr., Centreville, Va.) was the Mids' second highest scorer on Friday with a 14.1 result.

Navy concluded its first day of action on the parallel bars. West and North came through again for the Mids with scores that advanced them into Saturday's finals. West came in seventh place with a 13.25, while North was 0.2 points back in 10th with a 13.05 score.

"This was a disappointing day for Navy gymnastics," remarked head coach Kip Simons. "We started rough on the high bar and never really were able to hit our stride. We have a great team, but weren't able to show it today. We'll analyze the numbers and begin preparations for the conference championship next weekend."

The event finals for the USAG Collegiate Championships will begin on Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. ET. USAG Collegiate All-American honors will go to gymnasts who finish in the top-six of each event.