DANBURY, Conn. - The Eastern College Athletic Conference recently announced the results of its preseason coaches vote and the Navy gymnastics program was atop the poll as co-favorites for the 2026 ECAC Championship with Army. Winners of six of the last seven year-end conference championship meets, the Mids will be looking to get back on top of the podium as league champions this April after the Black Knights edged them to end their winning streak.
Under the guidance of head coach
Kip Simons, who begins season 11 at the helm of the program, Navy posted the eighth-best regular season scoring average in 2025 and qualified for competition at its ninth straight NCAA Championship weekend. The Mids return 10 varsity letterwinners, including four of whom finished the season ranked in the top-10 of the ECAC's individual event standings. Senior
Danilo Viciana was elected in the offseason to lead the squad as its team captain in 2026. He'll be joined on the floor in leadership positions by five additional seniors;
Garrett Lawless,
Matthew Petros,
Colby Prince,
Aaron Stein and
Benjamin Venters.
The ECAC also announced its 2026 Gymnasts to Watch List and Petros, the reigning pommel horse and parallel bars champion, was joined on the league-wide list by junior
Daniel Gurevich and sophomore
Jonah Soltz.
The 2026 season gets underway for Navy this Saturday with a home head-to-head matchup versus Springfield College starting at 2 p.m. at Halsey Field House. The meet against the Pride is the first of eight regular season competitions for the Mids before postseason action comes into view at the end of March with the USAG Collegiate Championship on March 20-21 and the ECAC Championship on April 4. The University of Illinois will host the 2026 NCAA Championship event with the qualifying meet set for April 17 and the championship final on April 18.
2026Â ECAC GYMNASTICS PRESEASON POLL
T-1.   Army
T-1.     Navy
3. Â Â Â Â William & Mary
4. Â Â Â Â Greenville
5. Â Â Â Â Springfield
6.         Simpson
