March 25, 2005
Norman, Okla. - Sophomore Alex Schorsch placed first on rings as Stanford captured third place at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation men's gymnastics championship in Norman, OK on Friday evening. The host Sooners won the conference title with a team score of 225.650, followed by California in second place with a 219.725 mark. The Cardinal finished third with a team score of 217.925, while Nebraska took fourth with a 215.375 mark and Air Force placed fifth with a 197.200 score.
The Cardinal posted its highest team score of the evening on rings, where Schorsh's 9.8 score led the Cardinal to a 37.75 team mark. Freshman David Sender contributed to the team score with a 9.65 to finish fourth.
Stanford also excelled on the high bar, where junior Nate Downs placed third with a 9.6 and sophomore Dylan Carney scored a 9.5 to capture sixth place. Freshman Sho Nakamori was right on Carney's heels, scoring a 9.45 to finish seventh as the squad posted a team score of 37,4.
Nakamori placed second in the floor exercise, scoring a 9.6 to finish second to Oklahoma's Jonathan Horton, who recorded a 9.675 mark. Freshman Jason Shen captured eighth on the floor exercise with an 8.95 score.
Nakamori also had a solid showing on vault, finishing third with a 9.25 to lead the Cardinal to a 34.6 team score.
Sophomore Peter Derman was the Cardinal's top finisher on parallel bars with a 9.0 to finish seventh, while sophomore Brice Rolston posted the team's highest score on the pommel horse with a 9.05 to capture seventh.
Nakamori was the team's top all-around finisher, posting a score of 54.775. Shen was Stanford's only other all-around competitor, scoring a 52.850. Oklahoma's Horton won the all-around title with a score of 56.475, the top score in school history.
The MPSF championship wraps up on Saturday with individual competition to determine the six conference champions for each apparatus. Carney, Downs, Derman, Nakamori, Schorsch, Sender, and Shen will all compete in the individual conference championships that begin at 1pm.
Team Scores
1. Oklahoma- 225.650
2. California- 219.725
3. Stanford- 217.925
4. Nebraska- 215.375
5. Air Force- 197.200
Top Stanford Finishers
Floor Exercise
Sho Nakamori - 9.6 (2nd)
Pommel Horse
Brice Rolston - 9.05 (10th, tie)
Still Rings
Alex Schorsch - 9.8 (1st)
Vault
Sho Nakamori - 9.25 (3rd)
Parallel Bars
Peter Derman - 9.0 (7th)
High Bar
Nate Downs - 9.6 (3rd)