STANFORD, Calif. - No. 2 Stanford has qualified for the NCAA Championships and will compete in the first of two pre-qualifying sessions conducted Friday, April 19, at the State Farm Center on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The Cardinal has earned the No. 2 seed overall, entering the meet with a 418.025 qualifying score. Stanford will be grouped with No. 3 Michigan (410.863), No. 6 Minnesota (406.525), No. 7 Nebraska (404.638), No. 10 Navy (400.738) and No. 11 California (398.788). Session I is set to begin at 11 a.m. PT.
Friday's other session will feature four-time defending NCAA champion and No. 1 Oklahoma (421.163), No. 4 Illinois (410.125), No. 5 Penn State (409.138), No. 8 Iowa (403.350), No. 9 Ohio State (402.550) and No. 12 Army (395.100).
The top three teams from each preliminary session will advance to the finals session on Saturday, April 20.
Stanford produced a runner-up finish at the MPSF Championships in its most recent competition, totaling a 418.550. Oklahoma recorded a 420.500 to capture its eighth consecutive MPSF crown. Following the Championships, Stanford freshman Brody Malone was named MPSF Gymnast of the Year, while head coach Thom Glielmi captured MPSF Coach of the Year.
While competing at the MPSF Championships, Stanford managed to become the only team this season to hit for 70-or-better on five events in a single competition, reaching the plateau in every event except pommel horse.
The Cardinal has captured five NCAA titles, most recently taking home the hardware in 2011.
Stanford enters the meet ranked among the nation's top-10 in every event, including first on floor (70.975) and parallel bars (70.725). The Cardinal is second in still rings (70.200) and high bar (68.863), fourth in pommel horse (67.338) and sixth on vault (71.200).