SAN JOSE, Calif. – Stanford sophomore Asher Hong claimed his first U.S. Championships national title inside SAP Center, headlining a group of nine Cardinal named the Senior Men's National team on Saturday evening. Hong turned in an event-best 30.560 mark on vault, and a second-place finish on rings (30.098) en route to the all-around crown.
A narrow battle from start to finish in the two-day competition, Hong led the field with an overall score of 170.930, finishing just ahead of fellow Stanford teammate Khoi Young who finished with a 169.455. Young impressed with a pair of silver medals in vault (30.404) and pommel horse (28.601) to take second in the all-around. Walker also recorded a top-five finish, tallying a 168.811 mark to finish fourth.
Following the competition, the Senior Men's National Team and Senior Development Team were announced through the 2024 Winter Cup. Joining Hong, Young, and Walker for the initial bids to the Senior National Team was Taylor Burkhart, whose weekend was highlighted by a silver medal in floor with a 29.048 score to round out the group of current Stanford representatives on the squad. Cardinal alumni Curran Phillips also earned an initial national team bid, registering a second-place finish on parallel bars with a 30.891 mark after only competing in three events throughout the weekend (vault, parallel bars, and high bar).
Rounding out Stanford's national team representative's were Jeremy Bischoff, Brandon Briones, Riley Loos, and Brody Malone, who were added to the team later in the night via discretionary criteria. Loos and Bischoff each displayed solid performances in the all-around, finished 10th and 13th, respectively. Briones only competed in three events throughout the weekend, but notched two top-five finishes in both high bar and rings.
Brody Malone, who won the previous two U.S. Championships, did not compete this weekend as he continues to recover from an injury he suffered last March. The 2020 Olympian recently shared his timeline to return to competition on a limited basis, as he has his eyes set on the Winter Cup next February.
Stanford head coach Thom Glielmi was also recognized at the U.S. Championships as the Men's Coach of the Year. Glielmi led Stanford to its fourth straight national title in 2023, the sixth championship of his illustrious career. The 2023-24 season will be Glielmi's 22nd at the helm of the men's gymnastics program.