ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Competing in its third virtual meet of the year, the No. 9 Navy men's gymnastics team turned in a season-best 398.6-point effort in a head-to-head matchup with No. 7 Penn State. The Mids (3-3) came out ready to go on Saturday afternoon at Macdonough Hall and led the Nittany Lions (4-2) through three event rotations before the Big 10 program posted a 5.35-point advantage over the vault and parallel bars events. At the conclusion of the virtually judged competition, Penn State held on for a 403.7-398.6 victory.
 
Ryan McVay (Sr., Roseville, Calif.), Josh Williams (Jr., Cypress, Texas) and Connor Van Loo (So., Freeland, Mich.) were three of the Mids top performers on Saturday as McVay placed top-four on three different events; second the high bar, third on the parallel bars and fourth on the pommel horse, while Williams and Van Loo recorded second place results on the rings and floor exercise, respectively.
 
As a team, Navy scored a season-high 70.05 on the floor exercise, a 65.0 on the pommel horse, another season-high 66.1 on the rings, a 69.3 on the vault, a 63.5 on the parallel bars and a season-high of 64.65 on the high bar.
 
"Our team came out and did what they do every day in the gym. The work that they put in during practice was on display today with a season-high score," remarked Navy assistant coach Craig Holt. "Hats off to the guys today for doing a great job and competing with Penn State. It's not easy to compete in this environment. They showed that they're a team and they're on a mission together. They supported each other throughout and kept the energy high.
 
"Right from the get-go the guys came out ready and crushed the floor with a season-high score. They clicked really well and that energy carried throughout the rest of the meet. For us to hang with a quality Big-10 foe like Penn State for as long as we did is very impressive, but not uncharacteristic of the character of our guys; we're ready for any opponent, anywhere. We have high expectations for our program. Unfortunately, we were down a few individuals today and it showed in spots, especially on the parallel bars. We had a decent showing on the parallel bars, but Penn State really hit on their routines, their p-bar team was beastly this afternoon. When, we're healthy and all here, watch out, we've got a team."
 
The Mids started out fast on Saturday as all six gymnasts executed at 8.45 or above on the floor exercise. Van Loo was top scorer for Navy as he turned in a 14.3 result that ranked second overall. Williams was close behind in third with a 14.2. Travis Keller (Sr., Centreville, Va.) made it three Mids in the top-four as he recorded a 14.0 that tied Penn State's Brennan Pantazis' for fourth place. Navy was in the lead after one rotation by 1.35 points.
 
The strong beginning to the competition continued with the Mids' performance on the pommel horse. Navy's senior duo of David Toussaint (Warren, Ohio) and McVay led the way as they finished back-to-back in third and fourth place with respective scores of 13.65 and 13.2. Ronan McQuillan (Fr., Katy, Texas) nearly gave the Mids three gymnasts with 13.0's as he scored a 12.95 on Saturday.
 
Up 135.05-134.75 through two events, Navy's rings unit helped keep hold of the lead with Williams and Alexander Brown (Jr., Lafayette, La.) spearheading the squad. Williams turned in his strongest score of the year as he earned a 13.9. Brown nailed his routine to the tune of a career-high 13.15. Williams placed second, while Brown was fourth overall. Giovanni Gambatese (So., Pewaukee, Wisc.) and McVay tied for sixth place with matching 13.05 scores.
 
With the score 201.15-201.0 in the Mids favor at the halfway point, Navy turned in a solid 69.3 on the vault, but were overtaken by Penn State's 71.15. Individually, Van Loo placed fourth in the field with a 14.05-point effort. Gambatese was just 0.1 points behind his fellow sophomore with a 13.95 that ended up tied for sixth-best.
 
McVay was near the top of the individual standings once again as he placed third overall with a 13.45 on the parallel bars to headline Navy's showing. Caleb Hickey (Fr., Carthage, N.C.) gave the Mids' two gymnasts in the top-five as he posted a career-best 13.05 on Saturday.
 
Navy closed out the meet in fine fashion as they outscored Penn State on the high bar, 64.65-64.55. Competing in his fifth event of the day, McVay tied for top honors on the Midshipmen squad as he posted a 13.1, the same as Gambatese and Cash Buske (Jr., Madison, Wisc.). The trio all tied for second place overall trailing just Penn State's Ethan Dick, who netted a score of 13.35.
 
"The guys stuck together really well for six events today and it showed with our highest score of the year," said Holt in closing. "That's not super easy in this virtual environment that has some unique aspects to it. The guys showed that they can rely on each other; depend on each other and the Navy will depend on them."
 
The Mids will turn their attention to their rivals from West Point, Army and the 2021 Star Meet next. The head-to-head competition for service academy bragging rights is scheduled for next Saturday, March 6 at the Gross Center on Army's campus. First touch is set for 2 p.m.