STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford continued to showcase its status as one of the nation’s elite programs in 2016, earning its 10th top-three finish at the NCAA Championships in the past 11 seasons.
The Cardinal completed the season with a second-place finish at the national championships. Stanford went 24-3, registering 18 wins over top-10 opponents, including nine ranked in the top five. Three Cardinal gymnasts combined for seven All-America honors and two earned NCAA titles.
There were plenty of highlight team performances throughout the season, including defeating the reigning World Gymnastics Champion Japan for the first time in decades. The Cardinal also tied its highest finish since winning the 2011 NCAA title, while also breaking the 440-point mark four times on the year.
Stanford continued to dominate individually, with Akash Modi taking home two more NCAA titles in high bar and parallel bars and Dennis Zaremski taking home the NCAA title in still rings. Modi also laid claim to four National Gymnast of the Week awards, two MPSF Gymnast of the Week awards as well as being named the MPSF Gymnast of the Year for the third consecutive year, the first gymnast to do so since Oklahoma’s Jon Horton (2006-08).
The Cardinal graduates two key seniors in Brian Knott and Dennis Zaremski, but retain a plethora of talent, with 16 of the 19 letterwinners returning to make the 2017 season and the future bright.
Congrats to Dennis Zaremski on his NCAA Championship in still rings! pic.twitter.com/JQGdaBp7UU
— Stanford Gymnastics (@StanfordMGym) April 17, 2016
Among the returners is Modi, who in addition to his Mountain Pacific Gymnast of the Year honor, led the nation with four Collegiate Gymnastics Association Gymnast of the Week awards and paced the MPSF with two Gymnast of the Week honors. Modi now holds the all-time Division I record in CGA Gymnast of the Week awards with 14.
Congrats to Akash Modi, NCAA Champion in parallel bars and high bar! pic.twitter.com/gvuy2t4RFK
— Stanford Gymnastics (@StanfordMGym) April 17, 2016
In addition, the Cardinal saw Brian Knott become Stanford’s 23rd Nissen-Emery Award Finalist after a year which saw him claim two event titles (10 career event titles overall) while posting scores of 15.000 or higher in both pommel horse and parallel bars nine times.
The following is a rundown of honors accumulated by the team from the 2016 season:
· Second-place NCAA Championships finish
· 18th consecutive NCAA Championships appearance, 33rd overall
· 11th straight appearance at the NCAA Championships Finals
· 10th top-three finish in the past 11 years at the NCAA Championships
· Fifth second-place finish in program history
· Three NCAA event titles: Akash Modi (PB, HB), Dennis Zaremski (SR)
· Four Cardinal gymnasts combined for eight All-America honors
· 121 All-America honors since 2002 (Head coach Thom Glielmi’s first season.)
· Three MPSF Championships individual event titles (Grant Breckenridge: HB, Akash Modi: FX, Dennis Zaremski: SR)
· Conference-best 11 MPSF All-Academic awards
· Brian Knott became Stanford’s 23rd Nissen-Emery Award Nominee
· Thom Glielmi was awarded the Honor Coach Award in recognition of his service in coaching and developing gymnastics for over 25 years