April 4, 2010
Norman, Okla. - After recently taking over the No. 1 ranking in the nation, the Cardinal could not prove the validity of its rank, finishing third at the MPSF Championships. The Cardinal finished with a total of 347.150 points, trailing Oklahoma with 354.550 and California with 354.450.
The Cardinal struggled on pommel horse, effectively eliminating them from contention for the team title. Stanford managed just 50.35 points on that apparatus, while California scored 57.6 and Oklahoma had 56.9.
The rest of the competition, Stanford was very competitive, including the top score on rings. Tim Gentry took the individual title on rings with a score of 16.15. Stanford scored 59.95 as a team, more than a full point better than any of its competitors. Nicholas Noone also fared well in the event with a score of 14.8.
The Cardinal also had a strong showing in the floor exercise with a score of 60.85, which trailed only Oklahoma in the event. Eddie Penev continued his strong season in the event leading Stanford with a score of 15.75.
Other top finishers for Stanford were Gentry on vault (16.15), Ryan Lieberman on parallel bars (14.6), John Martin on horizontal bar (14.7) and Greg Ter-Zakhariants on pommel horse (13.2).
It was a disappointing day as the Cardinal were not able to defend the MPSF title, but the goal of defending the NCAA title still remains. The Cardinal will look to clean up the pommel horse routines and should still be a strong contender for the national title in two weeks.
The NCAA Championships kick off on Thursday, April 15, in West Point N.Y. with the prelims. The team and all-around finals are Friday, April 16, while the event finals are Saturday, April 17.