CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Competing in the first of two qualifying sessions with a spot in Saturday's 2019 National Championship meet on the line, Stanford finished second with a score of 407.588 on Friday to advance to the Championship final.
Michigan, which won the session with a score of 408.389, will join Stanford and Nebraska (405.723) in Saturday's final. The other three teams that will compete in the Championship Final will be determined later today.
We will see you tomorrow! Stanford qualifies for the National Championship by placing second in today's session. #GoStanford pic.twitter.com/mty6gpf5mB
— Stanford Gymnastics (@StanfordMGym) April 19, 2019
The Cardinal got off to a bit of a slow start on Friday afternoon, logging a season-low 65.631 while counting two falls on the parallel bars – an event that Stanford leads the nation in terms of average score at 70.725. Despite the low team score, Blake Sun managed to win the event with a 14.400 as the anchor. Senior Jacob Barrus, who led off for the Card, scored a 14.066 to place third overall.
Senior Ryan Sheppard took top honors in the high bar, scoring a 13.833 to guide Stanford to a 66.298 team score. Junior David Jessen placed third overall in the event with a 13.666, but the Cardinal sat sixth after two rotations.
@djessen96 with the STICK! ... ??: Craig Pessman/Illinois Athletics
A post shared by Stanford Men's Gymnastics (@stanfordmensgymnastics) on Apr 19, 2019 at 12:09pm PDT
Sheppard would ultimately finish third in the all-around competition, registering a score of 80.897.
Entering as the top team in the nation on floor, Stanford proved its worth in the event, scoring a 70.398 to move into second place and begin the push to advance. Three Cardinal gymnasts recorded scores of 14-plus, with Bailey Perez notching a 14.266, followed by Connor Lewis (14.200) and Sheppard (14.166). Bryan Perla (13.900) and Grant Breckenridge (13.866) rounded out the lineup for the Cardinal.
Joey Ringer, who anchors the Cardinal pommel horse lineup, had a stellar set in rotation four, scoring a 13.966 to win the event title. Sheppard and freshman Brody Malone followed with scores of 13.200 and 13.000, respectively, to help guide Stanford to a team score of 64.365 and leave the Cardinal in third place in the team standings.
Looking to close the meet strong on the final two events, Stanford got a huge boost from the still rings lineup, with Josiah Eng taking first overall with a score of 14.266. Freshman Ian Gunther finished second at 14.233, while Thomas Lee (13.700), Sheppard (13.666) and Andrew Bitner (13.600) all turned in solid scores. Sheppard's 13.666 was a new season high for the senior, as the Cardinal registered a 69.465 team score to remain safe in third place.
. @Josiah_Eng ??? "GET ON MY LEVEL!"
— Stanford Gymnastics (@StanfordMGym) April 19, 2019
Eng caps a solid team effort on rings with a 14.266!
The Card posts a 69.465 on the event! pic.twitter.com/EOuA2ayuCp
Finishing on vault on Friday afternoon, the Cardinal registered a team score of 71.431 to eventually climb into second place in the standings. Breckenridge, Perla and Sheppard all scored 14.466 to earn shares of seventh in the event. Lewis and Malone also scored 14-plus, with Lewis posting a 14.300 to Malone's 14.233.
"We saw a lot of nerves today," head coach Thom Glielmi said after the meet. "We looked tentative, but you usually see that the team is better on the second day after getting through day one and some of those nerves. We also didn't have the same lineup that we'll use tomorrow, as Grant will be in the five-man lineup rather than the all-around spot on pommel horse and Brody will compete in all six."
The Cardinal will compete for its sixth National Championship on Saturday, with competition beginning at 4 p.m. PT. from the State Farm Center.