As a Senior (2018)
• NCAA Champion in high bar (14.766)
• NCAA All-American in high bar and all-around
• Nissen-Emery Award finalist
• CoSIDA Academic All-America Second Team (at-large)
• NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient
• CGA First Team All-America Scholar-Athlete
• MPSF All-Academic Scholar-Athlete
• Claimed team-best nine event titles (five on high bar, two on all-around, one on pommel horse, one on vault)
• At NCAA Championships (April 21), became fifth Cardinal gymnast to claim back-to-back NCAA titles since Akash Modi in 2016-17
• Produced at least two-season performances in three different meets
As a Junior (2017)
• NCAA Champion in high bar (14.850)
• NCAA All-American in the all-around, parallel bars and high bar
• CGA First Team All-America Scholar-Athlete
• MPSF All-Academic Scholar-Athlete
• At World University Games, helped U.S. to a seventh-place finish and placed 12th in the all-round
• Finished sixth overall at the Winter Cup (Feb. 18) - named to the U.S. Men's Senior Team - seventh on parallel bars, ninth on floor and 10th on high bar
• Claimed all-around title at the Pac-12 Challenge (Feb. 11)
• Claimed event title in high bar (14.600) in the season opener at Cal (Jan. 15)
• Claimed event title in vault (14.600) at Air Force (Feb. 4)
• Took second in the all-around (83.050) and floor (14.700) and third in high bar (14.050), rings (14.050) and parallel bars (14.100) at the Stanford Open (Jan. 21)
• Claimed the event title in high bar (15.500) and set the highest score in the new scoring system in the NCAA vs. No. 1 Oklahoma (March 4)
As a Sophomore (2016)
• CGA First Team All-America Scholar-Athlete
• MPSF All-Academic Scholar-Athlete
• Claimed event titles in all-around (87.750) and high bar (15.250) at the Stanford Open (Jan. 30)
• Added career bests on parallel bars (15.050) and all-around (87.750) at the Stanford Open (Jan. 30)
• Finished sixth on high bar at the Winter Cup
As a Freshman (2015)
• Earned All-America honors on high bar by placing seventh (14.625) and finished 10th on parallel bars (14.225) at the NCAA Championships (April 11)
• CGA Second Team All-America Scholar-Athlete
• Tied for third on high bar (15.050) at the NCAA Championships Finals (April 10)
• Placed first in the all-around (87.300), second on parallel bars (14.100) and high bar (14.900), and tied for second on vault (14.650) at Illinois-Chicago (March 8)
• Finished second on high bar (15.100) and third on vault (15.050) at Illinois (March 6)
• Made his collegiate debut, competing in the all-around, at California (Jan. 10)
• National qualifier - finished third on high bar, eighth on parallel bars and 10th in the all-around
• Earned bronze at the Winter Cup on high bar, finishing 10th on floor
Prior to Stanford
• A 2014 graduate of Brookfield Academy in Brookfield, Wis.
• Trained with Swiss Turners Gymnastics Academy (West Allis, Wis.), Zurcher Turnverband (Zurich, Switzerland) and South Essex Gymnastics Club (Basildon, United Kingdom)
• Has trained with the British Junior National Team, Swiss Junior National Team and the U.S. Junior National Team
• Won national championships with the Swiss Turners in 2012-14
• Placed second on high bar and sixth in the all-around at the 2014 Junior Olympic National Championships
• Finished second on high bar, third on pommel horse, fourth on floor and fifth in the all-around at the 2013 P&G Championships
• Earned a fourth-place finish on high bar and a seventh-place result in the all-around at the 2013 Junior Olympic National Championships
• Claimed a victory in the all-around at the 2013 Region IV Championships
• Competed at the 2013 and 2014 Winter Cup in Las Vegas, Nev.
• Four-time Academic All-America First Team selection (2012-14)
Personal
• Son of Richard and Jo-Ann
• Has an older sister, Carolyn, and younger brother, Brian
• Mother played basketball at New England College
• Uncle Greg Sanchez played hockey for Ramapo College
• Cousin Chris Sanchez played lacrosse for Widener Universit
• Grandfather Lester Backhaus competed for the men’s gymnastics team at Syracuse and finished first on parallel bars, second on horizontal bar and third on rings at the 1953 National Championships
• Four-time All-America first team selection (2012-14)
• Lived outside the U.S. for nine years, spending time in Australia, Switzerland and England
• AP Scholar with Distinction
• Volunteered as a German language instructor at a school in Milwaukee
• Speaks English, German, French
• Three-time first-team Academic All-American in high school
Career Scores | |||||||
Year | Floor | Pommel | Rings | Vault | P-Bars | H-Bar | All-Around |
2015 | 15.200 | 14.750 | 14.400 | 15.050 | 14.900 | 15.100 | 87.300 |
2016 | 15.100 | 13.850 | 14.300 | 14.550 | 15.050 | 15.250 | 87.750 |
2017 | 14.700 | 14.350 | 14.250 | 14.700 | 14.700 | 15.500 | 86.400 |
2018 | 14.250 | 14.300 | 13.950 | 14.450 | 14.200 | 14.766 | 83.450 |
Career Highs | 15.200 | 14.750 | 14.400 | 15.050 | 15.050 | 15.500 | 87.750 |