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Feb. 7, 2008

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy gymnastics team will host Army in the annual Star Meet in Macdonough Hall on Saturday at 3 p.m. The Midshipmen enter the weekend with a 5-3 record on the year, while the Black Knights come down to Annapolis with a 2-4 mark.

The two teams have met once earlier this year at the West Point Open. Navy, currently ranked 12th nationally and second in the ECAC, tallied 332.25 points in its season-opening competition to finish 2.15 points ahead of host Army, who comes into the week ranked 15th in the country and fifth in the conference.

The Midshipmen trail the all-time dual-meet series with the Black Knights, 42-29-2, but are tied in those meets held in Annapolis, 17-17-1. In the two teams' last head-to-head competition in Macdonough Hall in 2006, Navy came away with a 2.475-point victory over its service academy foe to claim the N-Star.

This year, Navy's athletic program owns a 10-2 (.833) advantage over Army in Star competitions. A win by the Navy gymnastics team would propel the Midshipmen to at least a share of the Star-competition title or, depending on Navy's rifle performance against Army on Saturday morning, claim the Star event title for the 12th-consecutive year.

The Midshipmen owns a higher average score than the Black Knights heading into Saturday's action on the floor exercise (56.817-55.133), still rings (54.8-54.0), vault (60.0-59.733) and high bar (55.35-54.3). Despite having only one home meet prior to this weekend's ranking, Navy's team average of 334.0 points this winter is 2.333 points higher than Army's 331.667-point mark.

Expected to lead the Midshipmen on the floor exercise and vault for the fourth time in as many meets this year is Brandon Cook (Sr./Longmont, Colo.). He enters the weekend as the nation's 11th-best gymnast on the floor exercise with an average mark of 14.917. The ECAC's top performer in this event has turned it on over the past-two weeks, scoring a 15.25 in the Navy Open and a 15.35 at the Temple Tri-Meet. On the vault, Cook ranks 28th nationally and is tied for top honors in the ECAC with an average of 15.45 points. He scored a 15.6 in the prelims of the West Point Open and a 15.55 last Saturday in Philadelphia.

Another significant contributor for the Mids on the pommel horse, parallel bars and still rings is Adam Stanton (Jr./Centennial, Colo.). He stands atop the ECAC rankings and 15th nationally on the pommel horse with a 14.037 average. He was recognized as the USAG Collegiate Division National and ECAC Gymnast of the Week after winning the pommel horse finals at the West Point Open. Last Saturday at the Temple Tri-Meet, he recorded an impressive 14.4-point routine from the judges. He also tops the Mids on the parallel bars with an average score of 13.7 (13th in ECAC, 59th nationally) and on the still rings with a 13.85-point ranking (11th in ECAC, 59th nationally).

All-around gymnasts Dylan Parrott (Fr./Rockwell, N.C.) and Christopher Tam (Sr./Draper, Utah) have also delivered solid marks across the board in 2008. Parrott produced a team-best 82.75-point showing over the six events last Saturday and ranks among the team's top performers on the still rings. In the same meet, Tam came through with a season-best 82.55-point effort in the all-around. Tam's best marks have come on the high bar, where he leads the team with an average score of 13.875.

Following this Saturday's Star Meet, the Midshipmen will again compete against the Black Knights, this time alongside Air Force, at the All-Academy Championship in Laguna Beach, Calif., on Sunday, Feb. 17. The annual event is slated for a 7 p.m. PT (10 p.m. ET) start.