Feb. 21, 2008

STANFORD, Calif. - The top-ranked Stanford men's gymnastics team is gearing up for this weekend's competition in the fifth annual Pacific Coast Collegiate Classic taking place on February 23 at 7:30 p.m. at the Oakland Convention Center in Oakland, Calif. The Collegiate competition is part of a larger event, The Pacific Coast Classic, which is an open competition that runs from Friday to Sunday.

The Pacific Coast Classic is a benefit event that strives to provide direct assistance in preserving men's collegiate athletic programs and increase scholarship and competitive opportunities in the United States. Proceeds from the Pacific Coast Classic benefit organizations that significantly impact the expansion of men's sports opportunities in the United States.

Stanford will be participating in the Pacific Coast Collegiate Classic as a team on Saturday night and will be going up against No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 6 Michigan, No. 5 Illinois, No. 4 California, and No. 11 Iowa. The Pacific Coast Collegiate Classic is widely considered a preview of the NCAA Championships, which will be held this year at Maples Pavilion on the Stanford campus from April 17-19.

The Cardinal, currently ranked No. 1 in the nation as of February 18, has recorded two first place finishes in tournaments this year, and is 1-1 in dual meets. Stanford is led by senior David Sender, of Arlington Heights, Ill. and red shirt junior Sho Nakamori, of Albany, Calif. Both men are current members of the Senior Men's National Team and are Olympic hopefuls for the 2008 games in China.

Stanford, although a young team with 11 underclassmen, has much depth with both all-around athletes and event specialists. Sender is in the top five in four events. Freshman Ryan Lieberman is ranked No. 11 in all-around and fellow first-year teammate Josh Dixon is ranked in the top 20 in three events. Red shirt senior Dylan Carney is currently ranked fourth in the nation in high bar, and is joined by five other teammates (two being freshmen) ranked in the top 20 in that event.

The Cardinal last competed on Saturday in a dual meet against Nebraska, in which Stanford defeated the Huskers 357.600 - 341.150. The score gave the Cardinal its second highest team score of the year, and boosted its average team score to 357.800, enough to recapture the No. 1 rank from Penn State, who moves to second with an average of 355.667.

The Pacific Coast Collegiate Classic is an anticipated sellout. Online ticket sales are no longer available and tickets will only be available in limited quantities at the door. The event will be televised on tape-delay on Fox Sports Net and is currently scheduled to air March 22 at 5 p.m., March 23 at 2 p.m., March 24 at 12 p.m., and March 29 at 12 p.m. These times could change pending FSN's live event schedule.

For more detailed information on the Pacific Coast Classic, please visit https://usa-sports.org/. For more info on the 2008 NCAA Men's National Championships, please visit http://gostanford.cstv.com/sports/m-gym/spec-rel/012808aaa.html or http://www.ncaasports.com/gymnastics/mens/schedules