2024 ECAC Men’s Gymnastics Championships Recap: Navy wins six straight with season-high 401.450
The ECAC men’s gymnastics teams brought the heat this year, with every team hungry for the conference title.
Though it was a tough-fought battle, Navy ultimately came away with the 2024 ECAC Men’s Gymnastics Championships title after notching their first 400+ score of the season (401.450). Greenville took second with a 393.000, and Springfield was right behind them with a 392.050. Though they were behind the Midshipmen by a large margin, the title looked to be anyone’s at the midway point.
Here’s how it happened Saturday afternoon:
In Rotation 1, Greenville had the opportunity to rotate in Olympic order, which was great for them as floor is one of their strongest. They got off on the right foot despite a mistake from Jaxon Clapper, landing them a 66.450. This put them in second, just a few tenths behind Simpson, who got started on vault (66.850). Being at home, Springfield started with a bang on parallel bars, putting them in third after a big 13.600 from Sam Kaplan. Navy began on pommel horse – an event where nerves can take over quickly – but they settled in and hit five-for-five, something that proved to be a necessity if you wanted to be a top contender at these championships. Army and William & Mary rounded out the standings after starting on their weaker events.
Army moved to their strongest, vault, where they notched a big 70.550 to bring them into to the lead. Greenville hit all five sets on pommel to keep them close behind, and a strong rotation from Navy on rings kept them in the mix. The Tribe did not want to be counted out, going lights out on floor to keep them in the mix.
At the halfway mark of the competition, it was hard to tell who would come away with the title. Navy had a huge vault rotation, highlighted by a near-perfect vault from Riley Rose (14.350) and a big 14.800 from Matthew Petros. Greenville continued to hit on rings but dropped a bit due to their low difficulty. Army hit a season-high on parallel bars (65.600), and then Springfield was creeping up with five 13+ scores on floor.
Rotation 4 started giving an idea of who was going to be at the top. Navy looked calm and ready during parallel bars, and they carried that momentum throughout the remainder of the meet. They outscored the other five teams on their final three events (parallel bars, high bar, floor), allowing them to finally reach their goal of a 400, peaking at the perfect time of the season. This was thanks in large part due to the all-around return of Isaiah Drake, who has been dealing with injury this season. Drake hit great routines across the board, earning the all-around win with an 80.300.
Grabbing second place in this meet was no easy task, but Greenville ultimately came away with it, notching a 393.000. Springfield rounded out the top three with a 392.050. Their success this weekend solidified berths to the NCAA Championships for both teams as they round out the top 12 in the nation.
Army had a great day as well, not far behind in fourth. Joseph Buselmeier made his first appearance in competition since January 12, making a strong contribution to their 390.900. The Tribe had a solid performance to take fifth with a 387.800, and Simpson rounded out the competition with a 360.950.
Results – 2024 ECAC Men’s Gymnastics Championships
Team
- Navy – 401.450
- Greenville – 393.000
- Springfield – 392.050
- Army – 390.900
- William & Mary – 387.800
- Simpson – 360.950
Individual Champions
Floor
- Zach Connelly (Greenville) – 14.350
2T. Charles Kramer (Greenville) – 14.100
2T. Isaiah Drake (Navy) – 14.100
Pommel Horse
- Peyton Cramer (Springfield) – 14.800
- Maddox Pabellon (Army) – 14.650
- Daniel Gurevich (Navy) – 13.700
Rings
- Riley Rose (Navy) – 13.550
- Isaiah Drake (Navy) – 13.350
- Niko Greenly (William & Mary) – 13.300
Vault
- Logan Watterson (Greenville) – 14.850
- Matthew Petros (Navy) – 14.800
- Beau Bice (Greenville) – 14.700
Parallel Bars
- Matthew Petros (Navy) – 14.050
- Sam Lee (William&Mary) – 13.800
- Isaiah Drake (Navy) – 13.650
High Bar
- Riley Rose (Navy) – 13.350
2T. Ricky Pizem (William & Mary) – 13.300
2T. Matthew Petros (Navy) – 13.300
All-Around
- Isaiah Drake (Navy) – 80.300
- Jaden Blank (Army) – 77.600
- Dominic Ramalho (Springfield) – 76.200