Navy to Compete for N-Star at Army on Saturday

The Mids won the N-Star last year and are looking for their first Star Meet win at West Point since 1997

	Christopher Tam is ranked among the nation's top 20 in the high bar and all-around

Feb. 7, 2007

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy gymnastics team will look to earn its second-consecutive N-Star when it heads up to West Point to take on Army in the annual Star Meet on Saturday at 1 p.m., in the Lou Gross Sports Center.

The Midshipmen defeated the Black Knights, 201.3-198.825, in last year's Star Meet at Macdonough Hall in Annapolis. Navy won three of the six events and claimed individual titles in four disciplines to record its first N-Star victory since the 2002 season. However, Army holds a 40-30-2 advantage in the all-time series and the Midshipmen last won the N-Star at West Point in 1997.

Navy (7-5) heads to West Point this weekend after placing third among five schools at the James Madison Invitational last Saturday. The Midshipmen tallied 188.8 points in finishing less than five points off of Illinois-Chicago's first-place total of 193.3 points.

The Mids are currently ranked 14th in the country with its average team score of 190.0 points, while the Black Knights enter with a 12th-place ranking score of 197.937 points.

One of the intriguing match-ups on Saturday looks to be in the all-around between Navy junior Christopher Tam (Draper, Utah) and Army junior Mike Assenmacher. Tam, who is ranked 20th nationally in the all-around, has scored above 49.0 points twice this season. Assenmacher ranks 17th in the country with an average score of 48.962 points, but Tam outscored the Army junior by more than two points in their previous meeting this season at the West Point Open.

Tam's best event this season has been on the high bar, where he ranks 19th in the country with an average score of 8.767 points. He earned an 8.85 from the judges last weekend to win the high bar for the second time in 2007. Tam will be tested against a pair of ranked gymnasts from Army, No. 12 George Rhynedance and No. 17 Joseph Baumann. He also owns an 8.1 scoring average on the pommel horse, where he ranks 39th nationally, and won the event during the Navy Open. Tam will be competing against Army's Brandon Whitten, who holds an 8.35-point scoring average in the discipline to rank 23rd in the nation.

Navy junior Brandon Cook (Longmont, Colo.) scored above an 8.0 in three events last Saturday and will look for similar results this Saturday. Cook, ranked 48th in the floor exercise, owns an average score of 8.733 points this season, earning an 8.5 or higher in all three meets this year. He holds an 8.45 average on the vault and posted an 8.2-point performance on the high bar last weekend. He also received a 7.6 from the judges in only his third-career performance on the still rings at the James Madison Invitational.

Following this weekend's Star Meet, the Midshipmen will head to San Francisco to compete against Army and Air Force in the All-Academy Championship on Feb. 17.