STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford will get a fourth look at No. 11 California this week, but the No. 2 Cardinal will also compete against No. 14 Arizona State and No. 17 Washington on Saturday at 1 p.m. PT at the 2019 Pac-12 Invitational held in Tempe, Ariz.
Stanford has topped Cal in convincing fashion in each of the first three meetings, including registering its highest team score of the year last week in Berkeley, Calif. There, freshman Brody Malone won the all-around title with a mark of 84.550 – the second-best all-around score in the nation this year – while Stanford posted a combined 417.800 team score.
For his efforts, Malone was named MSPF Gymnast of the Week and CGA Rookie of the Week for the first time in his career. More notably, Malone is the first freshman in five years to be named MPSF Gymnast of the Week (Colin Van Wicklen-Oklahoma; March 18, 2014).
? All-around title at California
— Stanford Gymnastics (@StanfordMGym) January 30, 2019
? 2nd-best all-around score in the nation this year
? @MPSFMensGym Gymnast of the Week
? @CollegeMGym Rookie of the Week@brody1700 had himself a week!#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/OSBlajs1aB
In addition to the all-around title, Malone won the high bar with a career-best 14.250. He would also add second-place finishes in the parallel bars (14.150) and pommel horse (13.600), and claimed third in the floor exercise (14.500) and still rings (13.650). Rounding out his night, Malone captured fourth overall in vault (14.400) behind three of the best vaults this year from his Cardinal teammates.
Fellow freshman Ian Gunther also shined last week, capturing the pommel horse and still rings titles while placing no lower than sixth in any of his four events.
Freshman Ian Gunther matches Thomas Lee's 14.300 on the rings for the highest Cardinal score this year! Lee has a chance to one-up his teammate now as he takes to the rings. #GoStanford
— Stanford Gymnastics (@StanfordMGym) January 28, 2019
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As a team, Stanford registered new team-highs in every event outside of parallel bars, including a 72.550 in the vault – the top score in any event this year for the Cardinal, and the third-best vault score in the nation. Equally as impressive, the Cardinal registered the second-best floor score in the NCAA this year with a mark of 71.900. Junior Connor Lewis guided the way for the Cardinal in the event, notching his second 14.700 of the season – equaling the best mark in the nation.
Following the Pac-12 Invitational this weekend, Stanford will once again make the short trip to Cal, facing the Golden Bears on Saturday, February 9 at 6 p.m. from Haas Pavilion.
Stanford in the Team Rankings (Season Average)
Parallel Bars: 1st, 69.733
Floor: 2nd, 70.767
Vault: 2nd, 71.683
Rings: 2nd, 68.783
High Bar: 2nd, 66.367
Pommel Horse: 9th, 64.450
Stanford in the Individual Rankings (National Qualifying Average)
All-Around
Brody Malone – 9th, 80.700
Grant Breckenridge – T-10th, 80.300
Bailey Perez – 21st, 78.900
Ian Gunther – 24th, 78.450
Floor
Ryan Sheppard – 1st, 14.600
Bailey Perez – 6th, 14.367
Connor Lewis – 7th, 14.333
Bryan Perla – T-8th, 14.250
Andrew Bitner – T-23rd, 13.900
Pommel Horse
Brody Malone – 19th, 13.300
Still Rings
Ian Gunther – 6th, 14.117
Josiah Eng – T-10th, 13.950
Grant Breckenridge – 19th, 13.725
Thomas Lee – 21st, 13.683
Vault
Brody Malone – T-10th, 14.467
Bryan Perla – T-10th, 14.467
Bailey Perez – 19th, 14.333
Grant Breckenridge – 24th, 14.233
Parallel Bars
Grant Breckenridge – 3rd, 14.425
Blake Sun – 8th, 14.133
Ryan Sheppard – 9th, 14.000
Brody Malone – 12th, 13.850
Ian Gunther – 13th, 13.817
Thomas Lee – 21st, 13.650
High Bar
Ryan Sheppard – 6th, 13.750
Andrew Bitner – 22nd, 13.333
Jacob Barrus – 24th, 13.300
Grant Breckenridge – 25th, 13.283