Falcons Fall to Army West Point

WEST POINT, N.Y. – Despite first-place finishes from juniors Ethan Esval and Frankie Valentin, the 16th-ranked Air Force men's gymnastics team dropped a 395.950-385.100 contest this to Army West Point afternoon (Feb. 29) in New York. Competing in their first team competition in three weeks – and their first "five up, five count" meet of the season, the Falcons accounted for 13 top-five finishes.

Esval paced Air Force to three of the top five marks on the still rings, as he scored a 13.800 to claim his second rings title of the season. Classmate Brandon Bzoskie finished second with a tally of 13.550, while fellow junior Allen Shadan tied for fourth after posting a score of 13.300. Valentin earned a first-place finish on the pommel horse, scoring a 13.750 to pace the Falcons to a sweep of the top-two scores (sophomore Noah Everett, 13.500).

In addition to his win on the still rings, Esval was also the Falcons' top finisher on the parallel bars. The junior tallied a 14.000 to finish second, while classmate Zach Polen and sophomore Nathan Reed helped Air Force to three of top-four scores by placing third (13.250) and fourth (13.150), respectively. Like Esval, sophomore Colin Hickey paced the Falcons on two event events, scoring a 13.600 to finish third on the floor exercise and a 13.900 to take fourth on the vault. Hickey was one of two gymnasts to place within the top half of the field on the floor exercise, as junior Scott McMurray added a 13.450 to finish fourth. Bzoskie and Polen rounded out the Falcons' list of top-five finishers on Saturday, as they finished second (13.350) and third (13.200), respectively, on the high bar.

Air Force returns to the Academy next Saturday (March 7), when it host top-ranked Stanford.

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Players Mentioned

Brandon Bzoskie

Ethan Esval

Noah Everett

Scott McMurray

Zach Polen

Nathan Reed

Allen Shadan

Frankie Valentin

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