Feb. 27, 2013

STANFORD, Calif. - The fifth-ranked Stanford men's gymnastics team will play host to four teams as part of the Collegiate Challenge at 7 p.m. (PT) on Saturday, March 2, at Burnham Pavilion.

It will be the fifth consecutive year Stanford (6-1) takes on the Japanese Collegiate National Team, which is comprised of Japan's top collegiate gymnasts.

The meet will also mark the first competition in which the new "five-up, five-count" scoring system is enacted, with five gymnasts performing in each event and all five scores counting toward their team's score. The previous system saw six gymnasts compete, with only the five highest scores counting toward the team's total.

Rounding out the Collegiate Challenge field is No. 9 California, the Arizona State club team and the University of Washington training team.

What: Collegiate Challenge
When: Saturday, March 2, at 7 p.m. (PT)
Where: Burnham Pavilion, Stanford, Calif.
Admission: Free

Follow the Action: Follow @SUMensGymnastic on Twitter for photos and live updates.

Cardinal Update: Stanford is coming off an exciting 428.800-424.550 comeback victory against Cal, in which the Cardinal trailed until the final event but completed an impressive high bar performance to earn the win.

The meet was the second in a stretch that includes four competitions in four weeks for Stanford. Head coach Thom Glielmi used the weekend to rest a couple athletes and give opportunities to gymnasts who had been on the cusp of lineup positions.

It marked Stanford's fourth victory of the season over the Golden Bears. Stanford outscored Cal in five of six events and recorded a season-high on pommel horse with a 71.900.

Stanford claimed individual titles in the following events:

Pommel: John Martin, 14.950 (season best)
Rings: Chris Turner, 15.000 (tied career best)
Vault: Kevin Baker, 14.800 (career best); Paul Hichwa, 14.800 (career best)
Parallel Bars: Cameron Foreman, 14.750
All-Around: Chris Turner, 86.650 (career best)

Stanford Top Ten in All Events: The Cardinal has competed with a balanced team performance and is ranked in the top-10 in all six events. Below are the rankings determined by the average of the team's three best scores in each event:

High bar: 2nd, 73.333
Parallel bars: 4th, 72.083
Vault: 5th, 73.717
Pommel horse: 6th, 71.167
Still rings: 6th, 73.633
Floor exercise: 7th, 73.500

Cardinal in the Top 20: Stanford currently boasts eight gymnasts in the top-20 among the six events, based on their highest three scores. Eddie Penev is ranked second on floor and in the all-around, while Sean Senters is second on vault.

Below is a list of Cardinal ranked in the top-20:

Floor:
Eddie Penev, 2nd, 15.633
Michael Levy, 20th, 14.933

Rings:
James Fosco, 13th, 15.217
Jordan Nolff, 15th, 15.100
Chris Turner, 20th, 14.867

Vault:
Sean Senters, 2nd, 15.267

Parallel Bars:
Eddie Penev, 9th, 14.883
Cameron Foreman, 10th, 14.833
Chris Turner, 20th, 14.600

High Bar:
Cameron Foreman, 9th, 14.817
Paul Hichwa, 10th, 14.750

All-Around:
Eddie Penev, 2nd, 86.867

Saturday's Opponents

No. 9 Cal

This Season: Despite leading after each of the first five rotations, Cal fell to Stanford for the fourth time on the season, 428.800-424.550. The Golden Bears are led by Jeffrey Langenstein, Kevin Wolting, Steven Lacombe, Johnathan Liu and Kyle Zemeir.

Familiar Foe: Stanford will see Bay Area rival Cal (1-6) for the third consecutive week. It will be the fifth and final regular season meetings between the two teams. The Cardinal has claimed victories in all four competitions on the season.

Stanford has won five consecutive meets against Cal, dating back to the 2012 MPSF Championship Tournament on April 7.

Japanese Collegiate National Team

It will be the fifth consecutive year the Japanese Collegiate National Team makes the trip to California to take on Stanford. The team consists of Japan's top collegiate gymnasts including Ryuzo Sejima who won the World Cup gold medal on floor exercise, Kazuyuki Takeda who took bronze at the World Cup on horizontal bar and 2009 Japanese All-Around National Champion Chihiro Yoshioka.

University of Washington

The Washington men's gymnastics team is a competitive men's gymnastics program that includes both collegiate and long-term elite competitive opportunities for gymnasts who are committed to pursuing their personal gymnastics goals.

Washington men's gymnastics began in 1950 as a club team and was funded as a collegiate team from 1960-1979. The team organized as an independent training and competitive entity in 1979.

Arizona State

The Arizona State Men's Gymnastics Team was registered as a club sport in May of 1993 and is a self-funded team. The Sun Devils have competed in three meets this season, including the Rocky Mountain Open (4th), West Point Open (6th) and at home against Washington.

Current Stanford Stats