Saturday, February 8
San Antonio, Texas
12:00 pm MT
Air Force Academy
at
All-Academies
Photo by: Trevor Cokley
Falcons Tally Season High at All-Academy Championships
2/8/2020 7:17:00 PM | Men's Gymnastics
Ethan Esval won the pommel horse, pacing the Falcons to half of the top eight on that event.
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – The 17th-ranked Air Force men's gymnastics team netted a season-high team score of 387.500 during a third-place performance at the All-Academy Championships, which were held this afternoon (Feb. 8) in San Antonio, Texas. Junior Ethan Esval picked up his second event title of the season, as he paced the Falcons to four of the top-eight scores on the pommel horse.
Esval equaled his career high of 13.750 to win the pommel horse and pace the Falcons to half of the top-eight finishes. Classmate Frankie Valentin improved his career high to 13.700 during a runner-up finish, while sophomore Noah Everett placed fifth (career-best 13.300) and junior Scott McMurray finished eighth (season-high 12.800). Overall, the Falcons improved their event score on the pommel horse by nearly two points, as the squad combined for a total tally of 66.000.
The men accounted for three top-10 marks on both the still rings and vault. Junior team captain Zach Polen finished eighth on the still rings after accounting for a season-high mark of 13.500 – a score just 0.050 shy of his career high, while classmate Brandon Bzoskie and Valentin finished ninth (career-high 13.450) and 10th (season-high 13.350), respectively. Freshman Sam Metzler collected a career-high score of 14.250 – the 11th-highest tally in Academy history – to finish seventh on the vault, while Polen and Everett tied for ninth with matching marks of 13.800 (career-best for Polen, career debut for Everett).
In addition to his win on the pommel horse, Esval also led Air Force to a pair of top-eight placements on the parallel bars. The junior garnered a season-high score of 13.100 to finish fifth, while McMurray tied for seventh with a personal-best score of 12.950. Bzoskie posted a team-leading, season-best mark of 12.750 to tie for fifth on the high bar, while Polen scored a 12.350 to finish 10th in his first high bar routine of the season. Sophomore Colin Hickey rounded out the Falcons' list of top-10 finishers, as he scored a season-high 13.700 to finish seventh on the floor exercise.
Sixth-ranked Navy won its second-straight team title at the All-Academy Championships with a total of 407.700, while 14th-ranked Army West Point scored a 394.100 to finish second and the Falcons finished third with a score of 387.500. Overall, the Falcons tallied season-high scores on five of the six events, while improving their team score by more than five points.
While the Falcons are off from team competition until Saturday, Feb. 29, Valentin will represent the Academy at the Winter Cup Challenge in Las Vegas on Feb. 20-22.
Esval equaled his career high of 13.750 to win the pommel horse and pace the Falcons to half of the top-eight finishes. Classmate Frankie Valentin improved his career high to 13.700 during a runner-up finish, while sophomore Noah Everett placed fifth (career-best 13.300) and junior Scott McMurray finished eighth (season-high 12.800). Overall, the Falcons improved their event score on the pommel horse by nearly two points, as the squad combined for a total tally of 66.000.
The men accounted for three top-10 marks on both the still rings and vault. Junior team captain Zach Polen finished eighth on the still rings after accounting for a season-high mark of 13.500 – a score just 0.050 shy of his career high, while classmate Brandon Bzoskie and Valentin finished ninth (career-high 13.450) and 10th (season-high 13.350), respectively. Freshman Sam Metzler collected a career-high score of 14.250 – the 11th-highest tally in Academy history – to finish seventh on the vault, while Polen and Everett tied for ninth with matching marks of 13.800 (career-best for Polen, career debut for Everett).
In addition to his win on the pommel horse, Esval also led Air Force to a pair of top-eight placements on the parallel bars. The junior garnered a season-high score of 13.100 to finish fifth, while McMurray tied for seventh with a personal-best score of 12.950. Bzoskie posted a team-leading, season-best mark of 12.750 to tie for fifth on the high bar, while Polen scored a 12.350 to finish 10th in his first high bar routine of the season. Sophomore Colin Hickey rounded out the Falcons' list of top-10 finishers, as he scored a season-high 13.700 to finish seventh on the floor exercise.
Sixth-ranked Navy won its second-straight team title at the All-Academy Championships with a total of 407.700, while 14th-ranked Army West Point scored a 394.100 to finish second and the Falcons finished third with a score of 387.500. Overall, the Falcons tallied season-high scores on five of the six events, while improving their team score by more than five points.
While the Falcons are off from team competition until Saturday, Feb. 29, Valentin will represent the Academy at the Winter Cup Challenge in Las Vegas on Feb. 20-22.
Players Mentioned
PH, SR, PB, HB
/ Men's Gymnastics
PH, SR, PB, HB
/ Men's Gymnastics
FX, PH, SR, V, PB, HB
/ Men's Gymnastics
FX, PH, SR, V, PB, HB
/ Men's Gymnastics
FX, PH, SR, V, PB, HB
/ Men's Gymnastics
FX, PH, SR, V, PB, HB
/ Men's Gymnastics
FX, PH, SR, V, PB, HB
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