Modi Leads Stanford at No. 2 Illinois
March 10, 2015 MPSF Men's Gym Release 9
No. 2/3 STANFORD took down No. 2 Illinois on the road (Mar. 6), 440.300-420.400. The Cardinal registered season-bests on floor (75.200) and vault (74.900). Akash Modi claimed all three of Stanford's individual event victories, placing first on floor (15.550), pommel horse (15.250) and parallel bars (15.500). Modi has earned 17 individual event victories against NCAA teams this season: all-around (4), parallel bars (4), floor (3), pommel horse (3), rings (2), and high bar (1). Stanford tallied a 425.800 to place ahead of Illinois-Chicago (408.250) and Arizona State (397.300) in the regular season finale (Mar. 8). Michael Levy led the Cardinal with individual event wins on floor (14.950) and rings (14.950). Brandon Beckhardt earned the individual victory on rings with a 14.200. Ryan Sheppard went 15.150 on high bar to place first, while Robert Neff tallied a 87.300 in the all-around to earn his first collegiate win in the event.
No. 10 AIR FORCE freshman Arinn Wade took down the all-time Academy pommel horse record against Washington (Mar. 7), scoring 15.600, beating the previous standard by 0.250. He was one of six Falcons to win an event, en route to the team total 429.900. That total ranks fourth in Academy history. Denis Aurelius recorded a pair of first-place finishes, as he posted career-best marks to win the still rings (15.250) and tie for first on the vault (14.900). Josh Ramos and Jonathon Fornoff tied for first on the parallel bars, with marks of 14.850 (career-best for Fornoff), while Aaron Nubine (floor exercise, 15.100) and senior Nick Gaudlip (high bar, season-best 14.950) rounded out the Falcon victories. Air Force visits Arizona State to close the regular season Friday (Mar. 13).
No. 1 OKLAHOMA accumulated its sixth-straight score of at least 440 this year, the only team across the NCAA to achieve the feat in 2015, most recently winning at California 443.300-430.800. The Sooners recorded at least a share of five of the six individual titles. Danny Berardini won high bar (15.400), Michael Reid on parallel bars (15.450), Allen Bower on pommel horse (14.950), Colin Van Wicklen on floor (15.750) and Michael Squires on rings (16.000). Squires has gone16-plus on rings five times this year. OU has posted 33 of a possible 36 individual crowns in 2015. The Sooners regular season finale is at home against Ohio State Saturday (Mar. 14).
No. 7 CALIFORNIA Kevin Wolting was the all-around winner at home against No. 1 Oklahoma (Mar. 8), finishing with 89.150. He won vault (15.400) and shared the floor title (15.750) along the way. His vault title was just the third time all year anyone had topped a Sooner for an outright individual crown. Kyle Zemeir hit a career-high on parallel bars of 15.250. Cal closes the regular season at home Friday (Mar. 13) against Washington.