ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Energized by a top-flight field of competitors from Stanford and Air Force, the Navy gymnastics team recorded a season-best score of 395.3 on Saturday afternoon. Testing themselves against the three-time defending NCAA Champions, the No. 2 Cardinal and their service academy rivals, the No. 9 Falcons, the No. 8 Mids had a strong first half to its meet as they posted season-highs on the pommel horse and rings before surpassing their season averages on the vault and high bar down the stretch. At the completion of the tri-meet, Stanford was victorious with 423.55 points ahead of Navy, who was runner-up with 395.3 points. Air Force was over five points back in third place with a 389.55 on Saturday at the Halsey Field House Gymnastics Facility.
 
Individually, Ian Dinmore (Jr., Odenton, Md.) and Giovanni Gambatese (Sr., Pewaukee, Wisc.) led the Mids' effort with matching fourth-place results as Dinmore was one of the top performers on the floor exercise, while Gambatese did the same on the high bar. Additionally, Syam Buradagunta (Jr., Westborough, Mass.) scored a career-high 13.45 points on the pommel horse and William Champagne (So., Douglas, Mass.) posted career-highs on pommel horse and vault.
 
As a team, Navy scored 65.6 points on the floor exercise, 64.2 on the pommel horse, 65.9 on the rings, 70.95 on the vault, 64.5 on the parallel bars and 64.15 on the high bar.
 
"The atmosphere in Halsey was electric today," remarked head coach Kip Simons. "To have the defending national champions Stanford in the house plus service academy rival Air Force made for such a fun and energized environment.
 
"Our guys were locked in from the first routine on the floor exercise to the last routine on the horizontal bar. This was our most complete performance of the year. We are now ready as we prepare to head into the postseason."
 
Navy started out well on the floor exercise as it matched Stanford with four gymnasts each in the top-nine. Dinmore led the Mids' effort with a 13.5 score that ranked fourth overall and the second-best of his career. Two spot back in sixth, Caleb Hickey (Jr., Carthage, N.C.) netted Navy 13.3 points. Connor Van Loo (Sr., Freeland, Mich.) and Buradagunta tied for eighth with identical 13.0 scores.
 
The junior duo of Buradagunta and Ronan McQuillan (Katy, Texas) spearheaded the Mids' pommel horse results on Saturday as they turned in respective marks of 13.45 and 13.2 to finish in sixth and eighth place. Buradagunta's score was 0.15 points better than his previous career-high.
 
After a Stanford stranglehold atop the standings for the rings, Isaiah Drake (So., Los Angeles, Calif.) was the first non-Cardinal in sixth place with a score of 13.7. Following Air Force's Oliver Zavel, Navy had the next three finishers with Riley Rose (So., Las Vegas, Nev.) coming in eighth at 13.2 ahead of Danilo Viciana (Fr., Marietta, Ga.) and Sabastian Gordon (So., Old Tappan, N.J.), who tied for ninth with 13.1 scores.
 
The second half of the meet began for the Mids on the vault. The Cardinal commanded four of the top-five positions in the rankings before Van Loo slotted into sixth as he tied Stanford's Khoi Young with matching 14.5 results. Drake and Champagne were the next two Navy finishers as the duo tied for ninth at 14.25.
 
Drake completed his day on the parallel bars as he led the Mids with a sixth-place individual result courtesy of a 13.7 score. Hickey was just 0.05 points back of his teammate with a 13.65 effort, good enough for seventh place.
 
Navy rounded out its most complete competition of its 2023 season with a pair of gymnasts finishing in the top-five on the high bar. The Mids' final man up in their high bar lineup, Gambatese came in fourth overall with a score of 13.2. Matthew Petros (Fr., Broadview Heights, Ohio) provided strong backup to his team captain with a 13.1 effort that tied Stanford's Brandon Briones and Ian Lasic-Ellis for fifth place. Hickey, Rose and Gordon made it four Mids in the top-10 as they finished consecutive with Hickey placing ninth at 12.75 and Rose and Gordon tying for tenth with matching 12.55's.
 
Navy will conclude its regular season on Thursday night with a road contest at Simpson College. First touch between the Mids and the Storm is set for 7 p.m. in Indianola, Iowa. In addition to collegiate action this week, Isaiah Drake will head to Europe to participate in the DTB Pokal Mixed Cup March 17-19 in Stuttgart, Germany. The multi-day competition will feature two men and two women suiting up on each apparatus. Drake will be representing the U.S. alongside Stanford's Jeremy Bischoff and Michigan's Landon Blixt, as well as females Nola Matthews, Elle Mueller and Addison Fatta.