BERKELEY, Calif. – The No. 7 Navy gymnastics team traveled across the country and didn't miss a beat on Saturday when the Mids posted a season-high 410.5-point score in a head-to-head matchup at Haas Pavilion, home of the No. 11 University of California Bears. At the competition of the non-conference meet, the Mids defeated the Bears by 7.4 points, 410.5 to 403.1. Navy gymnasts finished atop the standings in five of the six events as the team led wire-to-wire in collecting its victory over a potential NCAA Championship opponent.
 
Connor Van Loo (Fr., Freeland, Mich.), David Toussaint (Jr., Warren, Ohio), Josh Williams (So., Cypress, Texas), Travis Keller (Jr., Centreville, Va.) and Cash Buske (So., Madison, Wisc.) all finished in first place on at least one event whether with an outright win or a tie on Saturday. 
 
"Tonight was our most complete performance of the season," remarked head coach Kip Simons. "We are beginning to hit our full stride just in time of the upcoming postseason. I'm really proud of the effort tonight after a long day of travel to the West Coast yesterday. The work we are doing in the gym Monday through Friday is paying off."
 
As a team Navy scored 70.15 points on the floor exercise, 65.45 on the pommel horse, 67.45 on the rings, 70.9 on the vault, 66.65 on the parallel bars and a 69.9 on the high bar. Saturday's floor exercise and high bar scores were both season-highs. Previously, the Mids' best floor exercise score was a 69.85, while its best high bar effort before Saturday was a 68.05.
 
Navy's meet started off well as the Mids jumped out to a 4.1-point lead over the Bears through the floor exercise and pommel horse events. Van Loo led the way for the Mids on the floor exercise with a career-best 14.75-point effort. Team captain Frank Bradley (Sr., McLean, Va.) finished 0.4 points back in third place with a 14.35, a new career-high. Ryan McVay (Jr., Roseville, Calif.) gave Navy three gymnasts in the top-five with a 13.9 score.
 
On the pommel horse, Toussaint shared the top honors with Cal's Darren Wong with a 13.7-point result. Dan Clark (So., Avon, Mass.) came in third, 0.15 points behind his teammate with a 13.55. Ryan Orce (Sr., Gainesville, Fla.) was the third Mid to finish with score of 13.0 or better as he placed fifth at 13.2.
 
Navy continued adding space between itself in the host California squad with back-to-back wins on the rings and vault. Williams was the top scorer for the Mids as he tied Wong for first place with a 13.85-point score. Nehemiah Baker (So., Oak Ridge, N.C.) came in fourth as he earned a 13.65 on the rings.
 
On the ensuing event, the vault, Keller continued his streak of strong performances with a meet-high 14.45. Van Loo was 0.15 points back in second place with a 14.3.
Williams was the third Mids in the top-four as he earned a 14.15 from the judges in Berkeley to finish in fourth.
 
California's lone event win came on the parallel bars where the Bears edged the Mids, 67.15 to 66.65. McVay and Orce finished back-to-back in the event in second and third place respectively with scores of 13.75 and 13.65. Max Gerber (Jr., Dix Hills, N.Y.) tied Yu-Chen Lee for fourth place with a 13.6.
 
The Mids closed out their victory with a 2.2-point advantage on the high bar as their lineup netted 69.9 points. Buske was dominant on the high bar with a career-best 14.4-point mark. Gerber was right behind his teammate with a career-high of his own, a 14.35, that ranked second overall. Ben Provost (Sr., South Hadley, Mass.) tied for fourth with a 13.95 before McVay made it four Mids in the top-six with a 13.8 score. 
 
Navy will train out in California for the next three days over Spring Break before heading back home to Annapolis. After a week away from collegiate competition, the Mids will host the Temple Owls on March 21. Prior to the 2 p.m. meet, Navy will celebrate its Class of 2020 with a brief Senior Day ceremony.