MPSF Men's Gymnastics Weekly Release, 2/11/08
Feb. 12, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
#2 STANFORD (8-1) completed the Winter Cup Challenge in Las Vegas, Nev., on a very positive note as six men finished in the top half of the 42 gymnasts in the finals. Dave Sender finished the competition sixth with a combined all-around score of 175.200 (=87.800+87.400) and was the highest placing NCAA athlete. Sender's highest score of the competition came on vault, where he recorded an outstanding 16.100. Junior Bryant Hadden also contributed a great effort for the Cardinal, achieving 12th place overall, with a combined all-around score of 167.700 (= 82.800+84.900).
#3 CALIFORNIA (2-1) freshman Kyle Bunthuwong finished 24th in the all-around at the Winter Cup Challenge while senior Tim McNeill took third overall on pommel horse, and junior Kyson Bunthuwong fished fifth on the horizontal bar. Kyle Bunthuwong was Cal's highest finisher on floor, earning 28.600 after two days of competition, which was good for 15th place overall on floor. Kyson Bunthuwong took eighth on pommel horse (28.250), 20th on still rings (28.400) and fifth on high bar (29.200). Evan Roth put forth the best performance for the Bears on rings with a 29.350 (13th place overall).
#4 OKLAHOMA (6-0) gymnasts produced several strong performances at the 2008 Winter Cup Challenge in Las Vegas, Nev. Highlights of the two-day USA Gymnastics event included top-three finishes by senior Jonathan Horton on the still rings and freshman Steven Legendre on the floor exercise. Legendre, the all-around gold-medalist for the U.S. squad at the 2007 Junior Pan Am Championships, recorded a two-day total of 30.750 on the floor to finish third. Horton, who has already secured a spot on the Senior National Team as a member of the 2007 U.S. World Championships squad, competed in only four events at the Winter Cup. In addition to his third-place finish on rings (31.150), the Houston, Texas, native also placed seventh on the p-bars (30.150) and was the highest-scoring collegiate gymnast on the event. Horton also tied for 14th on the high bar with a two-day total of 27.900 and placed 28th on pommel horse with a score of 25.350.
#12 NEBRASKA (2-5) junior T.J. Schmidt made Nebraska gymnastics history by becoming the first-ever Husker to advance to the final round of the 2008 Winter Cup. After putting up stellar numbers in the preliminary rounds on Thursday, Feb. 7, the Blair, Neb. native was one of only 42 athletes to qualify for the final round on Saturday, Feb. 9. Competing against some of the best in the nation, including former Olympians Paul Hamm and Blaine Wilson, Schmidt shined in his three events of pommel horse, still rings and parallel bars. Schmidt's best finish came on pommel horse, where he placed 15th with a combined preliminary and final score of 27.25. Schmidt also tallied a score of 28.60 on parallel bars for 18th place and 27.95 on still rings for 22nd place.
#16 AIR FORCE (2-4) did not compete last week.
HORTON NAMED MPSF GYMNAST OF THE WEEK Woodland, Calif. - Jonathan Horton of Oklahoma has been named MPSF gymnast of the week. With his spot on the U.S. Senior National Team already secured as a member of the 2007 U.S. World Championships Team, Horton still produced a strong showing at the 2008 Winter Cup Challenge, despite competing on just four events. Horton placed third on the rings with a two-day total of 31.150 and was the top collegiate finisher on the parallel bars with a final score of 30.150, placing him seventh. The OU senior also tied for 14th on high bar with a 27.900 total and was 28th on the pommel horse (25.350).