Army Black Knights Kick Off 2025 Gymnastics Season with West Point Meet

Army West Point is hosting the West Point Open to launch the new season of NCAA gymnastics.

Apr 19, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Army Black Knights gymnast Steven Manolakis competes on the vault during the NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Championships at Covelli Center. / Matt Lunsford-Imagn Images

Over the course of three days, Army West Point will host ten sessions of gymnastic events, set to kick off the 2025 gymnastics season.

Gymnasts with a varying range of skill and talent will be present at the meet; anywhere between Level 3 and Level 10, as well as those eligible for the Winter Cup Qualifier. Friday and Saturday's sessions will be held in the Holleder Center at West Point Academy and Sunday's sessions will be at the Lou Gross Center.

The West Point Open is just one of four home meets for the Black Knights, as revealed by their official schedule. Teams involved in this meet have been registered to compete since Dec. 1, 2024, with many entering their contestants as early as August.

The Army's roster includes 17 gymnasts, head coach JD Reive, and two assistant coaches, Carmine Giglio and Jake Bonnay. The senior Black Knights include Gabe Almeida, Tucker Blanchard, and Joseph Buselmeier.

Along with these Black Knights, athletes from William & Mary, Navy, Ohio State, Penn State, and Springfield will also be in attendance at the meet. Penn State is currently the defending champions of the West Point Open, and of each team in attendance, the Nittany Lions are ranked the highest.

Army will be looking to increase their NCAA ranking in their home opener. At the 2024 West Point Open the Midshipmen narrowly surpassed the Black Knights for second place. 2025 will be about outscoring the Navy at every turn and with every jump.

New NCAA rules will also be making their 2025 season debut at the West Point Open. The NCAA Men's Gymnastics Rules Committee replaced the "five up, five count" scoring format with a "four up, four count" scoring format. The committee also elected to shorten the active roster for meets from 15 athletes to 12 athletes, as described in the Navy Midshipmen's 2025 Men's Gymnastics informational press release.

Events will include the Pommel Horse, Still Rings, Vault, Parallel Bars, High Bars, and Floor Exercise. The higher level athletes will be competing in the first two days of the meet, which includes the NCAA and Senior Elite portions.