Jan. 24, 2013

STANFORD, Calif. - The No. 2 Stanford men's gymnastics team (4-0) will leave California for the first time this season as it heads to Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday for a dual meet against No. 3 Michigan (5-0).

What: Dual Meet at No. 3 Michigan

When: Saturday, Jan. 26 at 4 p.m. (PT)

Where: Cliff Keen Arena, Ann Arbor, Mich.

Teams: Stanford, Michigan

Follow the Action: Live stats will be available via gostanford.com. Follow @SUMensGymnastic on Twitter for photos and live updates.

Cardinal Update: Stanford is coming off a Stanford Open quad meet victory, scoring 438.250 to finish ahead of No. 4 Oklahoma (433.450), No. 10 California (425.900) and No. 9 Nebraska (421.900). Stanford's team score is the second-highest in the NCAA this season, behind only No. 1 Penn State (444.375).

Stanford in the Top Five: The Cardinal has competed with a balanced team performance and is the only program in the country ranked in the top five in every event. Stanford ranks third on still rings and parallel bars, fourth on floor exercise and high bar and fifth on pommel horse and vault.

Cardinal to Watch:

Eddie Penev - The senior and five-time All-American won his second consecutive all-around title scoring 87.200, along with second-place finishes on floor exercise (15.600) and parallel bars (14.700) last week. Penev currently ranks second in the NCAA on floor and third in the all-around. He will see both gymnasts ranked ahead of him in the all-around (Adrian de los Angeles and Rohan Sebastian) as both compete for Michigan.

Penev was named the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Gymnast of the Week for the second week in a row and was the NCAA Gymnast of the Week for the week of Jan. 7-13. Michigan boasts the current and only other NCAA Gymnast of the Week so far this season in de los Angeles.

Sean Senters - The sophomore All-American has been impressive on vault this season, claiming two individual titles in as many meets. Senters scored 15.350 at the Stanford Open - the only gymnast at the meet to score in the 15.000's - and is ranked third in the NCAA with a 15.200 average.

Brian Knott - Coming off a shortened freshman season due to injury, the sophomore has wasted no time making his presence known, winning two consecutive parallel bars titles. Knott has posted a new career-best on the event in each meet this season and is ranked No. 8 in the NCAA with an average score of 14.725.

Chris Turner - The junior from Fremont, Calif., has been one of the Cardinal's most consistent performers this season, scoring in the mid-to-high 14.000's on four events in each meet. Turner recorded season highs on vault (14.400) and parallel bars (14.700) at the Stanford Open.

Seniors Strong on Still Rings: Stanford is led on still rings by seniors James Fosco and Jordan Nolff who rank third and seventh in the NCAA with average scores of 15.225 and 15.100, respectively. The Cardinal is one of only two teams to have two gymnasts ranked in the top 10 on the event (Penn State being the other).

Freshman Impact: Freshmen David Frankl and Dennis Zaremski made their collegiate debuts at the Stanford Open. Frankl competed on just one event but made the most of it, delivering a solid pommel horse routine that scored 14.800 - good for a second-place finish. Zaremski contributed a 14.700 on still rings to help Stanford record the highest team total on the event.

Freshmen Kevin Baker and Jon Deaton made their collegiate debuts in the season-opener against California. Baker earned a second-place finish on vault (14.600) and fourth-place finish on still rings (14.200). Deaton delivered a strong floor exercise routine that scored 14.850, good for a fourth-place finish. Both competed and contributed scores at the Stanford Open.

Saturday's Opponent: No. 3 Michigan

Last Meeting: Stanford last saw Michigan on Feb. 26, 2012, when the Cardinal put together an impressive performance at the Stanford Showdown to defeat the Wolverines, 351.050-341.700. The Cardinal swept all six events and recorded (then) season-highs on floor exercise, still rings, vault and parallel bars. Eddie Penev won the all-around with an 87.350.

Stanford won its most recent meeting in Ann Arbor on Feb. 26, 2011, by a score of 351.250-346.200. The Cardinal scored higher on five of six events to defeat the (then) defending NCAA champion Wolverines.

In Its Season Opener: The Wolverines are coming off a Windy City Invitational victory scoring 431.300 to finish ahead of No. 6 Illinois (427.750), No. 5 Ohio State (427.750), No.7 Minnesota (425.750), No. 8 Iowa (422.350) and the University of Illinois-Chicago (401.600).

Michigan was led by de los Angeles who claimed the all-around title, posting an NCAA season-high 88.400. The sophomore set career highs on pommel horse, parallel bars and the all-around. Teammate Rohan Sebastian recorded the second-highest all-around score in the nation with an 86.750.

Freshman Stacey Ervin made his collegiate debut for the Wolverines and earned his first individual title on vault. His score of 15.400 currently ranks No. 1 in the NCAA - a full tenth of a point ahead of second place.

Current Stanford Statistics