Stanford, without a doubt, is one of the best collegiate men’s gymnastics teams to touch the sport, proving this once again by winning its sixth National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) trophy in the last seven years. According to the NCAA, Stanford has won its 50th NCAA title in a row across 19 sports dating back to 1976 with a water polo match against UCLA.
The competition was set in Illinois, where the Division one colleges were split into two sessions, both taking place on Friday, April 17. According to the NCAA, the six colleges in session one qualifiers, along with scores were Oklahoma 322.825, Ohio State 320.294, Nebraska 320.059, California 312.026 (-1.0 Neutral Deduction), Greenville 307.059, Springfield 306.426. Session two scores were as follows: Stanford 327.992, Michigan 324.623, Illinois 319.658, Penn State 311.357, Army 308.593, Navy 306.726. The top six college team scores went on to the finals which would ultimately be claimed by Stanford.
Hard work and dedication can be seen by the achievements of some of the team members of Stanford. For example, Cooper Kim won floor while using a rare artistic element in his routine, known as the double twisting jump to prone. Kim also excelled on his landings, sticking three out of five total tumbling passes. Asher Hong can also be recognized for his performance, not only from this year, but also last year. Hong was a part of the 2024 summer olympic games, helping the United States win their first team medal in 16 years.
For the first time in a long time, two athletes tied for first place on the vault apparatus. The two athletes were Oklahoma’s Tyler Flores and Stanford’s Jun Iwai. Both gymnasts competed the same vault which consisted of a kazimatsu entree, and two-and-a-half twists. Usually when gymnasts tie, the winner goes to the vault with the higher difficulty, but since the vaults were the same, there was only fate to decide. The athletes put it on themself to decide who got the trophy by a game of rock paper scissors. The fast thinking, simple solution made for a great scene of two competitors having fun. Flores from Oklahoma, ultimately came victorious, and received the trophy. After the competition however, Iwai also ended up getting a trophy as well.
The amazing display of events that took place in this single competition was phenomenal, and could possibly lead to another Stanford winning streak in the near future.
