USAG Collegiate Championships Recap
NCAA
After coming within reach a couple of times this season, Navy finally broke the 400 mark this past weekend. Their USAG Collegiate Championship could just be the very beginning of a productive postseason as they prepare for ECAC Championships and beyond.
Isaiah Drake competed in the all-around for the Midshipmen for the fourth time this year, finishing in second with his second highest mark of the season (81.15). Danny Clark led the way on pommel horse with a 13.75 while Alexander Brown (13.80) beat out his teammate, Josh Williams (13.70), to take the rings title. The final event winner on the day for Navy came from a talented freshman, Dhiren Lutchman, with an impressive 14.15 p bars performance.
While Navy may have won the competition, the standout performance came from the Air Force roster. Garret Braunton, who is having a breakout second half of 2022, was outstanding. Braunton won the all-around with an 81.45 to go along with the floor title (14.20). The Falcons (394.05) have now posted their third straight score above the 390 mark and there is a clear correlation between the performance of their star and their team score.
Oliver Zavel has consistently scored in the high 70s this year and solidified himself behind Braunton as the number two on this team. While Zavel only competed on four events on Friday, he still took home a title with a 12.90 on high bar. Not to be forgotten is Erich Upton, who finished third with a 77.70. The trio are coming into form at exactly the right time and will look to make some noise this weekend at MPSF Championships.
Rounding out the competition were William & Mary and Springfield. Both teams struggled a bit on pommel horse and high bar while the Pride were stung by two rough scores on high bar and rings. The highlight for Springfield was once again Kyle Lukaesko’s high bar, good enough for a third place finish (12.75). Christian Marsh strung together a solid sixth place all-around finish for the Tribe (75.95).
GymACT
This year’s USAG Championships looked different than in year’s past. Previously, this competition consisted of a club division and a varsity division in which full GymACT teams were present. However, this season the GymACT used USAG Championships as an All-Star matchup. Using a series of video submissions and meet results, the GymACT selected East and West All-Star teams to vie for the USAG Championship.
In the first ever GymACT All-Star matchup, the West took home the title 314.05-301.60. The scores for this contest may look odd as GymACT competes in a five-up, four-count format. This meet was held at the same time as the varsity USAG Championships, thus GymACT athletes were able to qualify into event finals.
During the event finals, GymACT athletes took home some hardware. Arizona’s Clayton Cunningham won Bronze on pommel horse with a 13.025. On vault, GymACT athletes took home first and second prizes. Iowa’s Amari Sewell won with a 14.575 and Minnesota’s Kellen Ryan placed second with a 14.525. Amari Sewell also took home the Bronze on high bar with a 12.775.