ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Coming off a strong outing in its initial competition of the 2022 season, the Navy gymnastics team will be in action with its annual Navy Open on Saturday afternoon. An early season staple of the Mids' schedule year-in and year-out, the 2022 Navy Open will have extra meaning to the program as Saturday marks the first collegiate meet in Halsey Field House for the Mids as their normal home, Macdonough Hall is in the midst of a multi-year renovation. After the COVID-19 pandemic forced the Navy Open into hibernation for a year, Navy will welcome Penn State, William & Mary, Springfield and Temple to the 2022 competition that is slated for a 2 p.m. first touch. The collegiate meet is part of the program's Navy Gymnastics Challenge weekend with a variety of youth and club competitions taking place at Halsey Field House.
Live stats will be provided through the RoadToNationals website, while Navy's Facebook page is scheduled to have live video coverage.
Navy Gymnastics on Facebook
Last Time Out: at the West Point Open, Friday-Saturday, Jan. 14-15
Navy had a successful start to its 2022 season with a second-place result at the West Point Open on Friday night. One of six teams competing at Army's Christl Arena, the Mids turned in a score of 391.45 that challenged Penn State for the team title as the Nittany Lions netted 393.65 points. Navy had strong efforts from across its lineup on Friday as 10 different gymnasts posted top-eight efforts that advanced them into Saturday's event finals.
At the conclusion of the six events, the podium for the team standings consisted of Penn State in first, Navy in second and the host Army Black Knights in third with 388.65 points. Springfield College was solidly in fourth place with a score of 378.55. William & Mary and Temple rounded out the standings with respective 362.40 and 337.05 scores.
In a testimonial to the depth, talent and balance of the Mids' 2022 roster, four gymnasts from four separate academic classes qualified for the event finals on a pair of apparatus each. The quartet of
Josh Williams,
Giovanni Gambatese,
Syam Buradagunta and
Isaiah Drake will all be in action multiple times on Saturday after strong efforts in the team contest.
With 10 gymnasts competing in the event finals, including four on multiple apparatus, Navy came away with 11 podium finishes on Saturday night at Christl Arena. Williams led Navy's effort as the senior finished atop the standings on the rings, in addition to placing third on the floor exercise. Gambatese and Drake joined Williams as they both doubled up on podium results.
Most Recent Navy Open: January 18, 2020
Navy turned in one of the top performances across the entire 2020 NCAA Gymnastics landscape on Saturday afternoon with a score of 407.8 at its annual Navy Open. Through two weeks of early season action only one team, Oklahoma, has surpassed the 407.5-point mark until the Mids did so this afternoon to the thrill of their fans in Macdonough Hall. Navy outscored its opposition on every event and saw individual Midshipmen gymnasts finish first, second and third on every apparatus.
William & Mary placed second in the team standings with 382.8 points to finish ahead of both Springfield and Temple, who turned in scores of 376.45 and 354.20, respectively.
Lucas Beltran ('20) led a quintet of Mids, who placed first on their respective events on Saturday afternoon as he won both the floor exercise and vault. Additional winners, included
David Toussaint ('21) on the pommel horse,
Josh Williams on the rings,
Dhiren Lutchman on the parallel bars and
Cash Buske on the high bar.
As a team, Navy scored 69.35 points on the floor exercise, 64.9 on the pommel horse, 65.6 on the rings, 72.8 on the vault, 68.1 on the parallel bars and 68.05 on the high bar.
Comparing the Squads
(2021 averages)
|
Navy |
Penn State |
W&M |
Spring. |
Temple |
| A-A |
396.6 |
401.2 |
384.7 |
373.1 |
340.7 |
| FX |
68.4 |
69.2 |
65.5 |
62.6 |
58.6 |
| PH |
64.6 |
65.2 |
60.8 |
59.6 |
51.4 |
| R |
65.6 |
66.1 |
64.0 |
60.9 |
53.7 |
| V |
69.5 |
70.6 |
69.0 |
68.5 |
63.4 |
| PB |
64.0 |
66.1 |
64.2 |
61.7 |
57.2 |
| HB |
64.1 |
64.9 |
62.8 |
59.8 |
56.4 |
Parking
Vehicle access to the U.S. Naval Academy is limited to those with a Department of Defense identification card ... Spectators may park outside of the USNA grounds and enter the Academy through the visitors' entrance located at Gate One at the corner of King George and Randall Streets (52 King George St.). Anyone under the age of 18, and who does not have a government-issued ID, must be accompanied by an adult. Halsey Field House is located directly to the right of the visitors' entrance.
COVID-19 Policy
As per Department of Defense regulations, those who have not been vaccinated must wear a mask at all times when on the USNA grounds and those who have been vaccinated have the option to wear a mask while outdoors but must wear a mask while indoors.
