STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford once again stood atop the college gymnastics world in 2024, enjoying yet another dominant season en route to its fifth consecutive NCAA championship, becoming only the second program in NCAA history to accomplish such a feat.
Head coach Thom Glielmi has now led the Cardinal to seven NCAA titles, which ranks third overall among active Stanford head coaches and trails only Lele Forood of women's tennis (10) and John Tanner of women's water polo (9).
THE DYNASTY CONTINUES
The Cardinal won its fifth consecutive NCAA championship in late April, pulling away in the fifth of sixth rotations to score 425.324 to runner-up Michigan's 419.689 inside Ohio State's Covelli Center. It was Stanford's highest team-score since beginning it's national title streak in 2019.
Leading the Cardinal was sophomore Asher Hong, who captured an incredible three individual titles – on vault (15.266), parallel bars (15.100), and rings (14.966) -- and Khoi Young, who captured the all-around championship with 86.098 points.
With the all-around crown, Young become the fifth different Stanford gymnast to win an NCAA all-around title and the ninth overall crown by a Cardinal. Previous all-around champions from Stanford were Steve Hug (1972-74), Jon Louis (1986), Akash Modi (2015, 2017), and Brody Malone (2019, 2021).
It was the Cardinal's 10th NCAA men's gymnastics championship in school history, winning each national title since 2019 (there was no NCAA championship in 2020). The others were won in 1992, 1993, 1995, 2009, and 2011.
ELITE EIGHT
In addition to Stanford brought home an impressive haul of 13 All-America honors between eight individual gymnasts in 2024. Young led the way with four honors in all-around, parallel bars, pommel horse, and vault. Hong became an All-American in each of his three title-winning events, while Colt Walker, Jeremy Bischoff, Mark Berlaga, Arun Chhetri, J.R. Chou, and Brandon Nguyen each earned recognition in one event.
Of the Cardinal's class of honorees, Arun Chhetri was the only athlete to become an All-American for the first time in his career. Stanford has now tallied 81 different individual All-Americans in program history, garnering 307 total honors.
NISSEN-EMERY WINNER
The Nissen-Emery award, the highest honor in college gymnastics, made its return to The Farm in 2024 as Colt Walker became Stanford's seventh recipient of the award this season.
Walker joins Brody Malone (2022), Akash Modi (2017), Eddie Penev (2013), Dan Gill (2004), Josh Stein (1995) and Steve Hug (1974) in the list of Cardinal winners, and is the fifth honoree under head coach Thom Glielmi.
Walker enjoyed a decorated career at Stanford as a four-time NCAA championship team member and a three-time MPSF conference team champion. Individually, Walker was a two-time NCAA All-American on parallel bars (2022, 2024) and a two-time All-MPSF honoree.
CONFERENCE DOMINANCE
Stanford won the MPSF conference championship for the third consecutive season, posting a season-high 422.700 to knock off host Oklahoma, California, and Air Force. It was the Cardinal's ninth conference championship in program history, with seven of them coming under the MPSF banner.
It was a back-and-forth affair between the nation's top two programs, as Stanford jumped out to an early lead fueled a 72.100 vault score in the opening rotation. Oklahoma climbed back to take the lead after four rotations with solid performances on still rings and vault, but Cardinal performed at its best down the stretch with season-best scores on pommel horse (71.950) and still rings (70.750) to prevail with the meet victory.
Following the meet, Jeremy Bischoff, Arun Chhetri, Asher Hong, Luke McFarland, Colt Walker, and Khoi Young were all named All-MPSF team selections. Asher Hong was also named MPSF Gymnast of the Year, his second consecutive season receiving the award.
STANFORD SENDS THREE TO PARIS
Olympic dreams were realized following the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Minneapolis, Minnesota as sophomore Asher Hong and alum Brody Malone each earned bids to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Junior Khoi Young was also selected as a traveling alternate following the trials.
For Malone, it marked his second trip to the Olympic Games after placing fifth with Team USA in the team final in the Tokyo Olympics. After winning the all-around crown at the U.S. Championships just four weeks ago, Malone followed it up with another stellar performance, finishing second in the all-around with a 170.300, just 0.200 points behind winner Fred Richard.
Hong, a native of Tomball, Texas, qualifies for his first Olympic team after finishing fifth in the all-around race. Entering the weekend with a chip on his shoulder after an uncharacteristic 10th-place finish at the U.S. Championships, Hong paced the field with a 29.150 weekend score on still rings, as well as a second-place finish on vault that included a 15.250 routine on Sunday to help secure his place on the Olympic squad.
EIGHT NATIONAL TEAM MEMBERS
Prior to the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, eight past, present, and future Cardinal earned National Team at the U.S. Championships as Jeremy Bischoff, Asher Hong, Brody Malone, Kiran Mandava, Curran Phillips,Kai Uemura Colt Walker, and Khoi Young earned the opportunity to represent Team USA for the current national team cycle.
Malone headlined the group with his third career U.S. Championships all-around title, pacing the field by over two points in the all-around race after returning from a two-year injury due to injury. Young rounded out the podium with a third-place effort in the all-around race.
INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS
In October, Asher Hong, Colt Walker, and Khoi Young helped lead Team USA to a team bronze medal at the 2023 FIG Artistic World Championships, helping the United States claim just it's fourth-ever World medal and its first since 2014.
Individually, Young claimed silver medals in both pommel horse and vault after a pair of world-class performances, becoming the first American male since 1979 to win multiple apparatus medals in a single World Championships.
Later in the fall, Walker traveled with Team USA to the Pan American Games where he helped the United States team gold. After qualifying for the event finals on rings, parallel bars, and horizontal bar, Walker won individual silver on parallel bars.
STANFORD INKS 2024 SIGNING CLASS
Stanford welcomed another stellar incoming class to The Farm ahead of next season, as head coach Thom Glielmi announced the signing of six of the top junior gymnastics recruits this season.
A group full of national team and international experience, the incoming freshman contingent included Xander Hong, Cooper Kim, Kiran Mandava, Wade Nelson, Marcus Pietarinen, and Kai Uemura.
"I am very excited to have this stellar incoming class joining us next season," Glielmi said. "Several of this class, Kai, Cooper, Xander, and Kiran have been on the USA Junior National Team, which bodes well for their preparedness moving into the senior ranks. Marcus brings tremendous international experience competing for his home country of Finland, and seeing Wade's progress this year shows he will also be vying for a national team spot."
The incoming class is set to arrive on The Farm looking to help Stanford become the only program in NCAA history to win sixth consecutive national titles.
AWARDS AND ACCOLADES
| Name | Honors |
|---|---|
| Mark Berlaga |
NCAA All-American (Still Rings) CSC Men's Division I At-Large Team Member of the Year CSC At-Large First Team Academic All-American Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll MPSF All-Academic Team |
| Jeremy Bischoff |
USA Senior National Team Member NCAA All-American (Floor Exercise) All-MPSF Team (Floor Exercise) Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll MPSF All-Academic Team |
| Taylor Burkhart |
Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll MPSF All-Academic Team |
| Arun Chhetri |
NCAA All-American (Still Rings) All-MPSF Team (Still Rings) Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll MPSF All-Academic Team |
| J.R. Chou |
NCAA All-American (Pommel Horse) CSC CSC At-Large Second Team Academic All-American Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll MPSF All-Academic Team |
| Asher Hong |
United States Olympian USA Senior National Team Member 2023 World Bronze Medalist (Team) NCAA Champion (Parallel Bars, Still Rings, Vault) NCAA All-American (Parallel Bars, Still Rings, Vault) MPSF Champion (Still Rings) All-MPSF Team (Still Rings) MPSF Gymnast of the Year Two-time CGA Gymnast of the Week (Jan. 17, Jan. 31) Three-time MPSF Gymnast of the Week (Jan. 16, Jan. 30, March 19) |
| Kaien J-Spencer |
Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll MPSF All-Academic Team |
| Luke McFarland |
All-MPSF Team (Pommel Horse) Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll MPSF All-Academic Team |
| Brandon Nguyen |
NCAA All-American (Horizontal Bar) MPSF Gymnast of the Week (Feb. 5) Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll MPSF All-Academic Team |
| David Shamah |
CGA Freshman of the Week (Jan. 31) MPSF Freshman of the Week (Jan. 30) |
| Colt Walker |
USA Senior National Team Member 2023 Pan-American Gold Medalist (Team) 2023 Pan-American Silver Medalist (Parallel Bars) Nissen-Emery Award Winner NCAA All-American (Parallel Bars) All-MPSF Team (Parallel Bars, All-Around) Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll All-MPSF Academic Team |
| Khoi Young |
United States Olympic Traveling Alternate United States Senior National Team Member 2023 World Silver Medalist (Pommel Horse, Vault) 2023 World Bronze Medalist (Team) NCAA National Champion (All-Around) NCAA All-American (All-Around, Parallel Bars, Pommel Horse, Vault) MPSF Champion (All-Around, Parallel Bars, Vault) All-MPSF Team (All-Around, Floor Exercise, Pommel Horse, Parallel Bars, Vault) MPSF Gymnast of the Week (March 12) |