Seasons Concludes with Stanford as National Champs

4/21/2009 12:00:00 AM

April 21, 2009

#1 STANFORD scored a 362.8 to claim its fourth NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championship last Saturday in Minneapolis, MN, 1.3 points ahead of national runner-up Michigan. The Cardinal recorded season bests on still rings (61.8) and parallel bars (59.3), clinching the national title on rings, where Bryan Hadden turned in a first-place individual finish (15.55) and Tim Gentry and Nick Noone third (15.45). MPSF Gymnast of the Year Sho Nakamori won the parallel bars title (15.2) and was fourth on floor with a season-best (15.55).

#3 OKLAHOMA finished third at the NCAA Championships (361.2), behind Stanford and Michigan. Steven Legendre won the All-Around title (90.5), while Chris Brooks was sixth (88.45). Legendre and Brooks placed 1-2 on floor (16, 15.65). Bobby Shortle and Russell Czeschin tied for fourth on that event (15.55). Jacob Messina came in fifth on horse (14.95). The Sooners had three of the top-five NCAA vaulters, with Legendre taking first (16.3), Czeschin fourth (16.05), and Brooks fifth (16). Finally, Kyle McNamara placed fifth on parallel bars (14.8).

#4 CALIFORNIA placed fourth in Minneapolis with a team score of 361.15. Glen Ishino recorded a pair of second-place finishes along with one third-place. He was runner-up on parallel bars (14.95) and All-Around (90), and took the bronze on high bar (15). Kyson (89) and Kyle (88.7) Bunthuwong took fourth and fifth All-Around. Kyson also took fourth on horse (15.2). Evan Roth won the individual title on rings (15.55) and was third on vault (16.1)

#9 NEBRASKA recorded three top-15 individual finishes at the NCAA Meet. Kyle Shanahan took 11th All-Around (85.1), T.J. Schmidt was 14th on pommel horse (14.75) with his third season-best, and Anthony Ingrelli was 13th on rings (15.2) with a season-high. Shanahan also had a season-high on vault (14.9) and on floor (14.9). The Huskers as a team tallied a qualifying round score of 346.8.

#15 AIR FORCE sophomore Aaron Zaiser paced his team at the NCAA Championships by placing 18th on floor (14.75) and earning the top Falcon mark on vault (15.1). Nash Mills was 11th All-Around in the qualifying session, while his best event finish was on parallel bars (13.5). Jacob Houder, the Academy's record holder on horse, turned in a 13.6 which was seventh-best in program history.