LOUISVILLE, Ky. - For the second consecutive year Brian Solomon represented the United States Naval Academy and the Navy men's gymnastics team at the USA Gymnastics Winter Cup Championship. The junior all-arounder competed as one of 40 gymnasts from across the youth, collegiate, professional and U.S. National team ranks inside the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville on Saturday evening. At the conclusion of the extremely competitive meet, Solomon placed 17th overall in the all-around standings.

"It's a great opportunity and great experience getting to compete on the national stage with the best in the country," remarked Solomon. "It was a big improvement on my performance at the Winter Cup last year which is encouraging. I still had some ups and downs and there was a lot I learned from it to take away and use in the future for the team and for myself. The highlight for me was a ninth place finish on the floor exercise. After a rocky start to the competition to put down a big set and show that to the rest of the country felt really good. As always after returning from Elite competition I am hungrier than ever to push more for my team for the rest of the season and for myself for future elite competitions representing Navy on the big stage." 

As mentioned by Solomon, the junior's best event on Saturday was the floor exercise as he earned a cumulative score of 13.5 via a 5.1 start score and a 8.5 execution score (with a 0.1 neutral deduction). Overall that placed Solomon ninth in the field, seventh among collegiate competitors. His score was a new season-high for 2026 as he previously recorded a 13.4 at the West Point Open back on January 10. Solomon continued his performance at the Winter Cup with a strong pommel horse routine that garnered him 12.35 points, a total that ranked 18th overall and tied for 11th among collegiate opposition with Ohio State's David Ramirez. He posted a third top-20 result with a 19th place outcome on the parallel bars with 12.85 points that translated to 13th in the NCAA ranks. Additionally, he recorded scores of 13.25 on the vault, 11.35 on the rings and 10.5 on the high bar for a comprehensive all-around score of 73.85. Solomon was surrounded on the leaderboard by Penn State's Landon Simpson (75.25) and Oklahoma's Fuzzy Benas (74.25), who finished 15th and 16th, respectively and ahead of EVO's Lincoln Dubin, who placed 18th at 73.05.

"Brian performed well on the national stage," commented head coach Kip Simons. "I'm proud of the way he represented our program and this prestigious institution. I expect this experience to propel Brian to the success he wants and the team needs as we prepare for our postseason."

The 2026 Winter Cup served as a qualifying event to the 2026 Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships as well as resulted in the announcement of the initial roster for 2026 U.S. Men's Senior National Team at the conclusion of the competition. Additional National Team members will be named at a future date.

Now back in Annapolis, Solomon and his Midshipmen teammates will turn their focus to the second half of their season that picks up this Saturday with a road tri-meet at the University of Illinois. First touch between the Mids, Fighting Illini and Greenville Panthers is set for 1 p.m. (ET) at Huff Hall.