STANFORD, Calif. - No. 1 Stanford is back on the road this weekend, heading to Colorado Springs, Colo. for the Rocky Mountain Open on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 5 p.m. PT.
Hosted by No. 9 Air Force, the Rocky Mountain Open will feature the nation's top programs including No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 4 Nebraska, and the reigning GymACT national champions, Arizona State.
The meet will be aired live on Air Force Athletics YouTube, while fans can also follow along on Twitter/X at @StanfordMGYM.
LAST TIME OUT » Stanford claimed six event titles en route to a convincing 320.100-309.700 victory over No. 9 California in Friday's season-opening meet at Haas Pavilion. Nick Kuebler and David Shamah highlighted the Cardinal with a pair of event titles each, while Kiran Mandava and Wade Nelson earned victories on pommel horse and vault, respectively.
AWARD SWEEP » Following the season-opneing win, Stanford swept the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) weekly awards. Redshirt senior Nick Kuebler was named Gymnast of the Week, while Jun Iwai earned Freshman of the Week honors and Kiran Mandava collected Specialist of the Week recognition. It was the first career MPSF honor for each of the three Cardinal, and the first time since March 11, 2025 that Stanford won all three weekly awards. Mandava was also named the National Specialist of the Week by the College Gymnastics Association (CGA).
2025 REWIND » Stanford came up just short in its bid for a historic sixth consecutive national title last season, finishing the season as the national runner-up at the 2025 NCAA Championships. The Cardinal posted a season-best score of 332.061 to finish second at the NCAA Championships, finishing less than two-tenths behind Michigan, which claimed the national title with a 332.224. Asher Hong brought home individual NCAA titles on floor exercise and still rings, and was joined by was joined by Mark Berlaga, Jeremy Bischoff, Taylor Burkhart, Ian Lasic-Ellis, Colt Walker, and Khoi Young in earning a combined 11 All-America honors.
KEY RETURNERS » Stanford will have some new faces in the lineup in 2026, as the Cardinal returns just three of 11 gymnasts that competed at the NCAA Championships last season. Six-time NCAA champion Asher Hong highlights the key returners for Stanford, along with 2023 floor national champion Nick Kuebler, still rings All-American Arun Chhetri, and two-time NCAA team champion Marcus Kushner.
INCOMING CLASS » In addition to 14 total gymnasts returning from last season's runner-up team, Stanford welcomes another stellar freshman class to the squad this season. Bringing an abundance of national team and international experience, the newest class of Cardinal includes Jun Iwai, Joey Nieves, Divier Ramos-Delgado, Deano Roberts, and Michael Scheiner.