COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - No. 1 Stanford men's gymnastics won the Rocky Mountain Open in dramatic fashion on Saturday evening, overcoming a 1.750-point deficit in the final rotation to secure the victory.
The Cardinal paced the field with a 328.850 team score, followed by No. 2 Oklahoma (327.200), No. 5 Nebraska (327.200), No. 11 Air Force (311.550), and No. 15 Simpson (291.150).
Leading things off on vault, Taylor Burkhart posted an event-winning 14.750 in the first routine of the night to take the event crown. Asher Hong posted a 14.300 score to finish in a share of third, while a 14.250 from Colt Walker rounded out a 56.750 team score in the opening rotation.
In rotation two, Stanford put on a dominant showing on parallel bars by posting the top three scores of the night. Walker turned in a 14.350 to earn his team-leading fourth event title of the season, followed by Brandon Nguyen (14.250) and Ian Lasic-Ellis (14.200).
The floor rotation was highlighted by 13.800 routines by both Walker and Taylor Burkhart, while Kaien J-Spencer turned in a season-best 13.500 to lead Stanford to a narrow lead at the halfway point.
Stanford struggled a bit on high bar and pommel horse, as Oklahoma would close the gap in rotation four and ultimately pass the Cardinal after five events. Jeremy Bischoff posted the Cardinal's highest high bar routine with 13.750, while Burkhart turned in a 14.050 on pommel horse in a third-place effort.
Trailing by nearly two points heading into still rings, Hong turned in the most clutch performance of the young season with a 14.850 routine to cruise to an event title. Arun Chhetri finished fifth in the event with a 13.800 and Mark Berlaga anchored the rotation with a 13.650, enough to seal the comeback victory for Stanford.
After Saturday's win, Stanford remains the top-scoring program in the country after improving upon Monday's Cal Benefit Cup performance by over 10 points.
The Cardinal returns to action for the home opener on Saturday, Jan. 25 as it hosts the Stanford Open at 7 p.m. PT.