STANFORD, Calif. - No. 3 Stanford men's gymnastics looks to become the first program in NCAA history to win six consecutive national championships as it heads to Ann Arbor, Mich., to compete in the NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships on April 18-19 at the Crisler Center.
Action begins with two qualifying sessions on April 18 at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. PT on ESPN+, before a champion will be crowned on April 19 at 4 p.m. PT on ESPN2.
CATCH THE CARDINAL » Entering the NCAA Championships as the No. 3 overall seed, the Cardinal will compete in the second championship qualifier session on April 18 at 4 p.m. PT and will be grouped with No. 2 Michigan, No. 6 Illinois, No. 7 Ohio State, No. 10 Navy, and No. 11 Army. The top three teams and the top three all-around competitors not on one of the qualifying teams from each qualifying session, plus the top three individuals on each event not already qualified on a team or as an all-around competitor, will advance to the championship finals. Individual and team champions will be determined during the NCAA Championship finals on Saturday, April 19 beginning at 3:30 p.m. PT.
CHAMPIONSHIP PEDIGREE » The 2025 Stanford program heads to Ann Arbor with plenty of experience on the NCAA's biggest stage, with all but three student-athletes on the roster winning at least one team championship during their time on The Farm. Additionally, the Cardinal squad boasts five individual NCAA titles and 24 All-America honors, with eight different gymnasts reaching the podium at least once during their career - Mark Berlaga, Jeremy Bischoff, Taylor Burkhart, Arun Chhetri, Asher Hong, Brandon Nguyen, Colt Walker, and Khoi Young.
WHAT'S AT STAKE » A win for the Cardinal on Saturday makes Stanford the first program in NCAA history to win six consecutive national championships in men's gymnastics. Before this weekend, only Stanford and Nebraska (1979-83) have accomplished the feat of five straight titles. The streak would also make men's gymnastics just the second program in Stanford history to win six in a row, joining women's tennis from 1986-91 under head coach Frank Brennan.
2024 NCAA REWIND » The Cardinal became just the second program in NCAA history (Nebraska to win its fifth consecutive NCAA championship last season, pulling away in the fifth of sixth rotations to score 425.324 to runner-up Michigan's 419.689 inside Ohio State's Covelli Center. It was Stanford's highest team score since beginning its national title streak in 2019. Leading the Cardinal was Asher Hong, who captured an incredible three individual titles – on vault (15.266), parallel bars (15.100), and rings (14.966) -- and Khoi Young, who captured the all-around championship with 86.098 points. With the all-around crown, Young became the fifth different Stanford gymnast to win an NCAA all-around title and the ninth overall crown by a Cardinal. Previous all-around champions from Stanford were Steve Hug (1972-74), Jon Louis (1986), Akash Modi (2015, 2017), and Brody Malone (2019, 2021). It was the Cardinal's 10th NCAA men's gymnastics championship in school history, winning each national title since 2019 (there was no NCAA championship in 2020). The others were won in 1992, 1993, 1995, 2009, and 2011.
ELITE EIGHT » In addition, Stanford brought home an impressive haul of 13 All-America honors between eight individual gymnasts in 2024. Young led the way with four honors in all-around, parallel bars, pommel horse, and vault. Hong became an All-American in each of his three title-winning events, while Colt Walker, Jeremy Bischoff, Mark Berlaga, Arun Chhetri, J.R. Chou, and Brandon Nguyen each earned recognition in one event. Of the Cardinal's class of honorees, Arun Chhetri was the only athlete to become an All-American for the first time in his career. Stanford has now tallied 81 different individual All-Americans in program history, garnering 307 total honors.
LAST TIME OUT » No. 2 Stanford men's gymnastics posted a season-high 328.950 to finish as conference runners-up at the MPSF Championships, unable to retain the conference championship after winning each of the previous three. Stanford led the four competing teams with 10 individual podium finishes, with Taylor Burkhart (floor exercise) and Asher Hong (still rings) winning individual titles. The MPSF title instead returned to Oklahoma, as the top-ranked Sooners edged out Stanford with a 329.250 team score. California finished third with a 315.450, followed by a 313.350 by host Air Force.
MPSF GYMNAST OF THE YEAR » Stanford senior gymnast Taylor Burkhart was named Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Gymnast of the Year, becoming the Cardinal's seventh consecutive winner following an announcement from the conference title on Thursday. The Arvada, Colo., native becomes the 14th gymnast in program history to earn the conference's highest honor and the 11th Cardinal winner in the last twelve seasons, joining Asher Hong (2023-24), Brody Malone (2019-22), Akash Modi (2014-17), Tim Gentry (2011), Sho Nakamori (2009) and Dan Gill (2004).
SIX ALL-MPSF HONOREES » Six Cardinal gymnasts earned a total of ten Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) all-conference honors, as announced by the MPSF office. The top performing gymnast from each school in each event at the MPSF Championships earned automatic all-conference selections, along with one additional at-large selection per event based on the highest-scoring gymnast remaining, regardless of team. Taylor Burkhart and Asher Hong led Stanford with three honors each, while Jeremy Bischoff, Brandon Nguyen, Colt Walker, and Khoi Young earned one selection.
AKASH MODI TO CGA HALL OF FAME » Stanford alumni Akash Modi, one of the most accomplished men's gymnasts in NCAA history, has been selected to the 2025 College Gymnastics Association (CGA) Hall of Fame class and is set to be inducted in mid-April. Modi's decorated Cardinal career included five individual NCAA titles and a Stanford record 17 NCAA All-America honors. The 2017 Nissen-Emery winner won the NCAA all-around title in 2015 and 2017 and is one of just 17 gymnasts in NCAA history to become a multiple-time all-around champion. Modi is the second inductee in program history, joining Steve Hug, who was celebrating with the inaugural CGA Hall of Fame Class of 2024.
TWO NISSEN-EMERY NODS » Stanford seniors Taylor Burkhart and Khoi Young have been named finalists for the 2025 Nissen-Emery Award, as announced by the College Gymnastics Association. Stanford was the only program with multiple finalists for the award, as Burkhart and Young join Taylor Christopulos (Nebraska), Emre Dodanli (Oklahoma), Patrick Hoopes (Air Force), Josh Karnes (Penn State), and Kameron Nelson (Ohio State). The Nissen-Emery award is given annually to the top senior gymnast in the nation and is widely recognized as the highest honor in the sport. The Cardinal boasts seven previous Nissen-Emery winners, including Colt Walker (2024), Brody Malone (2022), Akash Modi (2017), Eddie Penev (2013), Dan Gill (2004), Josh Stein (1995), and Steve Hug (1974).
LAST TIME OUT » No. 2 Stanford men's gymnastics closed out the regular season with a victory, knocking off tenth-ranked California 324.250-313.200 on March 15. The meet also served as the program's Senior Day, during which the Cardinal honored its five seniors: Taylor Burkhart, Mark Berlaga, Ian Lasic-Ellis, Luke McFarland, and Khoi Young. Burkhart led the Cardinal with a pair of event titles on floor exercise and vault, while Asher Hong added two titles of his own on still rings and the all-around. Cooper Kim (VT), Ian Lasic-Ellis (HB), and Brandon Nguyen (PB) rounded out the event winners for Stanford.
STANFORD FALLS TO NO. 7 PENN STATE » No. 2 Stanford had four individual event winners but it was not enough for the victory, as the Cardinal suffered a 321.350-314.450 upset loss to No. 7 Penn State. Asher Hong was the Cardinal's leading performer in the meet, scoring a 14.4000 to secure the still rings crown and a 14.050 to earn a share of the parallel bars title. Joining Hong at the top of the parallel bars field was Brandon Nguyen, who recorded his fifth 14+ routine of the season. Kaien J-Spencer posted a season-best 13.800 routine on floor exercise to earn the first event title of his collegiate career, while Arun Chhetri added a pommel horse title with a 13.750 effort.
STANFORD SENDS NINE TO NATIONAL TEAM » Cardinal alum Riley Loos broke through for his first Winter Cup all-around title, highlighting a total of nine past, present, and future Cardinal named to the U.S. Senior National Team. Taylor Burkhart, Colt Walker, and incoming freshman Jun Iwai were also named to the National Team after their performances, joining joins Asher Hong, Brody Malone, and Khoi Young, who each retained their National Team spots after Team USA's bronze medal performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics last summer. Current freshman Kiran Mandava and Kai Uemura were also named on the U.S. Development Team.
OU OUTLASTS STANFORD » It came down to the final routine, but No. 2 Stanford ultimately fell on the losing end of the back-and-forth affair in a tri-meet against top-ranked Oklahoma and No. 12 Greenville. Asher Hong highlighted the meet with a trio of event titles on the night, pacing the field on floor exercise, still rings, and vault. Hong's efforts on floor (14.150) and vault (14.350) were both season-bests, earning his first title of the season on each event. Brandon Nguyen continued his success with yet another parallel bars title in Norman, this time turning in a 14.100 routine, while Taylor Burkhart enjoyed a pair of podium finishes on high bar and vault (14.350).
BIG WIN AT THE BIG FLIP » Five different Cardinal gymnasts earned event titles in Sunday afternoon's meet, as No. 2 Stanford knocked off No. 8 California, 316.250-309.150, for its third win over the Golden Bears this season. Freshman Cooper Kim (floor) and Kiran Mandava (vault) earned their first career event titles in the victory, while Mark Berlaga (still rings), Ian Lasic-Ellis (high bar), and Brandon Nguyen (parallel bars) rounded out the Cardinal event winners.
BURKHART SHINES IN STANFORD OPEN » Taylor Burkhart kicked off the home slate by posting the nation’s top all-around score in front of a sold-out crowd at Burnham Pavilion, as No. 1 Stanford finished second in the Stanford Open. No. 6 Ohio State won the event with a 323.000 team score, followed by the Cardinal (319.850) and No. 9 California (319.850). Stanford had a handful of key performers missing from the collegiate lineup, as Asher Hong, Jeremy Bischoff, Kai Uemura, and Kiran Mandava all competed under the "Team USA" banner. Brandon Nguyen also registered his third event title of the season with a 14.000 routine on parallel bars.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN CHAMPS » No. 1 Stanford men's gymnastics won the Rocky Mountain Open in dramatic fashion on Saturday evening, overcoming a 1.750-point deficit in the final rotation to secure the victory. Taylor Burkhart led things off with an event title on vault, while Colt Walker earned his team-leading fourth event title on parallel bars. Trailing by nearly two points heading into still rings, Asher Hong turned in the most clutch performance of the young season with a 14.850 routine to lead Stanford to a comeback victory.
BIG NIGHT IN BERKELEY » Stanford posted the highest team score in the nation so far this season and collected six individual event titles en route to a 318.450-303.950 victory over No. 8 California on Monday evening. Fifth-year Colt Walker highlighted the field with three event titles on the night (AA, FX, VT), already surpassing his total of two from a season ago. Taylor Burkhart also held a share of the all-around title, while Brandon Nguyen (HB, PB) and Asher Hong (SR) rounded out the event winners for the Cardinal.
TWO CARDINAL CLAIM OLYMPIC BRONZE » The United States returned to the Olympic medal stand in Paris this past summer, as Asher Hong and alum Brody Malone helped Team USA claim bronze for its first team medal since 2008. Team USA scored a 257.793 during Monday's competition, finishing behind Japan (259.594) and China (259.062). Asher Hong was consistently great in the team final, scoring in the 14's in each of his four events. After finishing just outside the top 8 on still rings and vault as an individual during the qualification round, Hong posted 14.533 and 14.833 routines in those events, respectively, to help propel USA into the medal hunt. The Tomball, Texas native also posted a 14.133 on floor exercise and closed out his Olympics with a 14.400 on parallel bars. Hong and Malone become just the 2nd and 3rd Olympic medalists in program history, joining 1996 parallel bars silver medalist Jair Lynch.