April 22, 2008
STANFORD, Calif. - Eli Alcaraz, Dylan Carney, Chris Harper, Sho Nakamori, David Sender, and Jason Shen were named to the Academic All-MPSF team as announced by the MPSF on April 22. Stanford had the second most number of athletes from any one team to be selected.
For seniors Alcaraz, Carney, Harper, and Sender, this marks the third straight Academic All-MPSF selection. Redshirt juniors Nakamori and Shen are receiving the honor for the second time.
Alcaraz competed in floor exercise and vault for the Cardinal all season and recorded his season high on vault, 15.8, against Nebraska at home to capture the event title. Harper, a specialist on the pommel horse, won three titles in that event during the course of the season against Michigan, Nebraska, and at the Pac Coast Classic and finished second against Cal. Shen contributed for Stanford on pommel horse and p-bars during the season and twice recorded his season high on 14.65 on p-bars.
Carney was a force on floor, vault, and horizontal bar for Stanford. He had his best meet against Cal on March 8, hitting a 15.5 on floor (3rd place) and a 16.05 on vault (2nd place), both season highs, and a 15.0 in high bar for first place. Unfortunately, due to an ankle injury, he was unable to take part in floor and vault during the postseason. He was named an All-American for the fifth time after tying for sixth on the high bar at the NCAA Individual Championships. Carney is also a finalist for the Walter-Byers NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, the highest postgraduate scholarship honor an NCAA athlete can receive.
Sender capped off his stellar four-year career at Stanford by picking up two more All-American awards on vault and rings, as he finished second in both events at the NCAA Individual Event Finals. The awards were his eighth and ninth overall, setting a new record for most All-American awards in Stanford gymnastics. The 2008 Senior Men's National team member earned the highest NCAA score in rings this season with 16.350 and posted a 16.4 in vault twice. Sender was also named a Nissen-Emery Award finalist.
Nakamori, like Sender, was named to the 2008 Senior Men's National Team. He performed well for the Cardinal in all-around, particularly excelling in parallel bars. He took second on p-bars and high bar at the Windy City Invite, and second on p-bars with a season high of 15.6. He finished third in the NCAA all-around finals with the help of his two season highs of 15.4 on rings and vault. He earned two All-America nods for finishing third on pommel horse, and sixth on p-bars at the NCAA Individual Event Finals.
2008 Academic All-MPSF Selections
Student-Athlete, Year, GPA, Events, Hometown / Last School
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY
Brian Boardman, Senior, 3.41, FX, PH, V, PB, Naperville, IL / Waubonsie Valley HS
Jacob Schonig, Junior, 3.19, Still Rings, Los Gatos, CA / Los Gatos HS
Brennan Wolford, Sophomore, 3.32, All-Around, Thornville, OH / Millersport HS
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
Tyler Block, Senior, 3.33, SR, PB, HB, Kensington, CA / St. Mary's HS
Kyle Brady, Senior, 3.48, SR, V, PB, Salinas, CA / Palma HS
Kyson Bunthuwong, Junior, 3.09, All-Around, El Cerrito, CA / El Cerrito HS
Colin Christ, Senior, 3.45, PH, SR, PB, HB, Palm Harbor, FL / East Lake HS
Daniel Geri, Sophomore, 3.14, PH, PB, HB, Reseda, CA / Reseda HS
Kyle Litow, Senior, 3.22, FX, Slate Hill, NY / Minisink Valley HS
Aaron Moy, Senior, 3.40, FX, V, Albany, CA / Albany HS
Evan Roth, RS Junior, 3.30, FX, SR, V, North Woodmere, NY / Temple Univ.
UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA
Eric Daigle, Junior, 3.45, FX, V, HB, Omaha, NE / Burke HS
Garret Durst, Sophomore, 3.35, V, SR, Lincoln, NE / Lincoln North Star HS
Josh Rusler, Sophomore, 3.69, FX, V, HB, Norman, OK / Norman HS North
Kyle Shanahan, Sophomore, 3.12, All-Around, Monument, CO / William Lewis-Palmer HS
Stephen Tetrault, Senior, 3.73, All-Around, Lincoln, NE / Lincoln East HS
UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA
Chris Brooks, Junior, 3.19, All-Around, Houston, TX / Cypress Creek HS
Russell Czeschin, Junior, 3.75, FX, Vault, Independence, MO / Fort Osage HS
Jonathan Horton, Senior, 3.07, All-Around, Houston, TX / Cy-Fair HS
Jacob Messina, Junior, 3.13, All-Around, Matthews, NC / East Mecklenburg HS
Reed Pitts, Sophomore, 3.66 FX, Vault, Allen, TX / Allen HS
STANFORD UNIVERSITY
Eli Alcaraz, Senior, 3.63, FX, V, Hacienda Heights, CA / Los Altos HS
Dylan Carney, RS Senior, 4.01, FX, V, HB, Dartmouth, MA / Bishop Stang HS
Chris Harper, Senior, 3.38, PH, PB, Plano, TX / Spring Creek Academy
Sho Nakamori, RS Junior, 3.21, All-Around, Albany, CA / Albany HS
David Sender, Senior, 3.07, All-Around, Arlington Heights, IL / Buffalo Grove HS
Jason Shen, RS Junior, 3.37, PH, PB, Newton, MA / Newton North HS