ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The annual battle for the gymnastics Star lies ahead for the Army and Navy programs this Saturday in Annapolis. The host Mids (1-0) will be looking to earn their fourth straight Star Meet victory over the Black Knights (1-1) in a head-to-head competition beginning at 2 p.m. at Halsey Field House. Both teams have been anxiously awaiting this chance to matchup as the effects of COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the cancellation of the 2021 Star Meet. Saturday's gymnastics meet is one of four Star competitions as part of a busy day for the 2021-22 Star Series presented by USAA; rifle and men's and women's track & field will also be in action.
Live stats will be available via RoadToNationals. Additionally, Navy's Facebook page will provide live coverage on Saturday.
NAVY GYMNASTICS on Facebook.
Navy and Army have met earlier this season at the multi-team West Point Open on January 14. 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. 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.
Last Time Out: vs. William & Mary, January 29
Navy had a strong all-around performance from start to finish in an ECAC matchup versus William & Mary last Saturday. In their first head-to-head meet of the 2022 season, the Mids dominated the Tribe and outscored the visitors in all six disciplines on their way to securing a 390.25 to 354.60 victory at Halsey Field House.
Individually, Navy gymnasts won a total of five different events with
Isaiah Drake finishing first on the pommel horse and parallel bars, while
Josh Williams was the top finisher on the rings.
Connor Van Loo and
Cash Buske rounded out the top performers for Navy on the vault and high bar, respectively.
As a team, Navy scored 64.1 points on the floor exercise, 63.95 on the pommel horse, 66.35 on the rings, 70.75 on the vault, 65.1 on the parallel bars and 60.0 on the high bar.
Comparing the Squads
(2022 averages)
|
Navy |
Individual Leader |
Army |
Individual Leader |
| All-Around |
388.63 |
Drake, 77.70 |
377.23 |
Davis, 75.95 |
| Floor Exercise |
65.0 |
Engelke, 13.13 |
63.0 |
Davis, 13.02 |
| Pommel Horse |
60.9 |
McQuillan, 13.11 |
58.5 |
Mitchell, 12.27 |
| Rings |
66.7 |
Williams, 14.05 |
64.1 |
Davis, 13.70 |
| Vault |
69.0 |
Van Loo, 14.42 |
69.2 |
Davis, 14.05 |
| Parallel Bars |
63.6 |
Lutchman, 13.09 |
61.2 |
Armstrong, 12.53 |
| High Bar |
63.5 |
Drake, 13.2 |
61.3 |
Perez, 12.81 |
Most Recent Army-Navy Star Matchup: February 1, 2020
The pressure of the annual Star Meet had little effect on the Navy gymnastics program as the team was dominant from start to finish as the Mids led by 4.75 points after the floor exercise on their way to a 23.5-point victory over their service academy rivals Army by a final score of 404.4 to 380.9. Energized by a standing room only crowd at Macdonough Hall, the No. 4 Mids won every event over the No. 14 Black Knights by a minimum of 2.4 points and four by over 4.25 points.
Individually, a Navy gymnast finished atop the leaderboard of five different events with then-senior
Ben Provost earning a shared victory on the floor exercise and an outright win the high bar, and then-junior
David Toussaint tying for the floor exercise title, while winning the vault.. Additional winners on Saturday, included then-junior
Jake Carlson on the pommel horse and current-senior
Josh Williams on the rings.
As a team, Navy scored 67.25 points on the floor exercise, 65.8 on the pommel horse, 67.7 on the rings, 71.7 on the vault, 65.2 on the parallel bars and 66.75 on the high bar.
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.
