No. 5 Cal Hosts No. 1 Stanford in Season Opener

Jan. 15, 2008

BERKELEY, Calif. -

Heated Season Opener
The No. 5 Bears host their rival and top-ranked Stanford in Cal's season opener on Jan. 18. Last season, the Cardinal defeated Cal at Haas Pavilion, 205.100-196.000. Kyson Bunthuwong and Aaron Moy led the Bears taking first on parallel bars (9.250) and floor exercise (9.200), respectively. California will see Stanford at four other meets this season - Stanford Open (1/26), Winter Cup Challenge (2/9), Pacific Coast Classic (2/23) and the Big Flip (3/8) - before Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships in April. Stanford leads the all-time series, 117-49-2.

A Look at the Golden Bears
With 12 experienced lettermen and five outstanding additions, the 2008 men's gymnastics team will rely on experience and depth on every event for success this season. In year pasts, the Bears have struggled with depth but according to Weiner, that is not the case this year. The 2008 squad has multiple athletes capable of giving meet-winning performances on any given day. Despite the incredible depth on every event, one of the season's biggest challenges will be keeping the team healthy during the long and rigorous season.

Preseason Rankings
Cal has been tabbed the No. 5 team in the country, according to the College Gymnastics Association's preseason poll. The Golden Bears finished seventh in the nation last season after taking third place in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. At last year's NCAA Championships, Tim McNeill became the second-ever Golden Bear to win two men's gymnastics national titles in the same year - winning his first national championship on the parallel bars and repeating on pommel horse. Kyson Bunthuwong and Colin Christ also advanced to the NCAA finals and earned All-America honors. Christ tied for second place on high bar and took third on parallel bars.

Scouting the Cardinal
Stanford opened its season victoriously last weekend at the Windy City Invitational in Chicago, defeating Michigan, Ohio State, Minnesota, Illinois-Chicago and Iowa. Senior David Sender led the Cardinal, winning rings (15.350), horizontal bar (14.950) and the all around with a 89.600. Redshirt junior Sho Nakamori performed well for Stanford, taking second on high bar (14.500) and tying for second on parallel bars (14.750) with teammate Bryant Hadden. In five of the six events, Stanford boasted at least two gymnasts in the top five. The Cardinal returns 11 letterwinners from last season's team which took third place in the MPSF and third at the NCAA Championships.

Senior Power
A veteran core of nine seniors provides Cal with a solid base from which to build. Leading the seniors is three-time NCAA individual champion Tim McNeill, who won titles on pommel horse and parallel bars last season making him the second Golden Bear men's gymnast ever to win two NCAA championships in the same year and the first to repeat as a national champion on a particular event (pommel horse). Senior Colin Christ, a three-time All-American, also gave a great performance in the individual competition at NCAAs and tied for second on the parallel bars. Senior Tyler Block is expected to return with a vengeance after injury last season and be strong on rings, parallel bars and high bar. Seniors Kyle Brady and Sean Brady will also join Block on rings. Other members of the talented senior class include Mark Freeman, Aaron Moy, Kyle Litow and Hiroki Yokoyama. Moy, who is preparing a new vault of the highest difficulty, and Freeman will both be key contributors on vault while Kyle Litow specializes on floor exercises and vault. Yokoyama is co-captain with McNeill for the second year, and was a finalist on rings at the MPSF Championships.

The Middle Classes
With its roster laden with seniors, Cal has two juniors - Kyson Bunthuwong and Justin Franklin - and three sophomores - Bryan del Castillo, Daniel Geri and Evan Roth. Bunthuwong took eighth place on parallel bars at the NCAA Championships and earned his third All-America honor on the event. Franklin has potential to become a great all-around competitor and is a very talented gymnast, according to the coaches. Weiner notes that Roth has the potential to be an NCAA champion on vault, and hopes that del Castillo will compete in the all-around for the Bears. Geri was last season's most improved gymnast and fit in seamlessly with Cal's top-notch parallel bars unit.

New on the Scene
Weiner has added three promising recruits in freshmen Kyle Bunthuwong, Eric Haeussler and Michael del Junco. Kyle, Kyson's younger brother, is a U.S. junior national team member, and Weiner calls him an explosive and dynamic gymnast. Haeussler chose Cal over several other schools and is expected to contribute immediately on floor and vault. Weiner has termed del Junco the sleeper of this year's freshman class and reports that he has impressed the team on pommel horse and parallel bars.

The McNeill Report
Senior and three-time NCAA Champion Tim McNeill will be updating a blog this season. In his entries, McNeill gives updates regarding the happenings of the men's gymnastics team as the Bears progress through the season. To read McNeill's blog, go to the men's gymnastics page on CalBears.com

Cal Inks One Newcomer for 2009
Glen Ishina, one of the top recruits in the country, will be joining the California men's gymnastics team for the 2009 season after signing a National Letter of Intent. Ishina finished second at the 2007 Junior Olympic Nationals in the all-around competition and took fifth on floor exercise. At the 2007 U.S. Championships, he earned a position on the U.S. Junior national team after taking second in the all-around and finishing first on rings. Beginning Nov. 20, Ishina will be representing the United States at the Junior Pan American Games in Guatemala. Ishina, a senior at Foothill High School, trains at SCATS Gymnastics Huntington Beach and is coached by Grigor Chalikyan and Albert Avchian.