April 15, 2009
Complete Postseason Guide in PDF Format 
This Week in Cal Men's Gymnastics
The No. 5 California men's gymnastics team heads across the country to Minneapolis, Minn., for the 2009 NCAA Championships. The Bears will take on Stanford, Michigan, Penn State, Nebraska and Navy on Thursday, April 16, in the team qualifying round. To advance to Friday's team championships, Cal must finish as one of the top three in its qualifying session. The individual event finals are scheduled to take place on Saturday, April 18, at 7 p.m. EST.
Recently in Men's Gymnastics
The No. 3 Golden Bears finished in third place at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships at Stanford on April 4. With a 352.550 team score, the Bears finished in front of No. 9 Nebraska (fourth) and No. 15 Air Force (fifth) but behind No. 1 Stanford (first) and No. 2 Oklahoma (second). Cal won parallel bars as a team with a 60.200, almost two full points ahead of the host Cardinal. Cal finished third on floor (60.100), still rings (59.700), vault (62.050) and high bar (56.900). The Bears were fifth on pommel horse with a 53.600. Sophomore Kyle Bunthuwong finished third in the all-around with an 89.000. The clear highlight of the meet for Cal came on parallel bars, with the Bears winning the event and taking second through fifth place. Kyson Bunthuwong was second (15.300) and Ishino was just behind him with a 15.200. Freshman Jim Kerry was fourth (14.900) and Brady was fifth (14.800).
Last Time at the NCAAs
At the 2008 championships, Cal advanced to the team finals of the NCAA Championships with its performance in the qualifiers Maples Pavilion. The Golden Bears placed third with 357.1 points behind qualifier-winner and top-ranked Stanford (363.850) and second-place No. 5 Illinois (359.300). The Bears finished fifth at the NCAA Championships. Despite finishing the meet on a high note with four Golden Bears finishing in the top 10, Cal got off to a rough start and could not recover. Senior Tim McNeill won NCAA individual championships on pommel horse and parallel bars, which were his third title on pommel horse and second on parallel bars in four years at California, bringing his career total to five -- the most in Cal school history. Senior Colin Christ earned All-America honors on parallel bars, where he took eighth with a 14.275. Kyle Brady also advanced to Saturday evening's individual championships on parallel bars and just missed earning All-America honors with a ninth-place finish of 13.475. Kyson Bunthuwong was 10th on p-bars with a 13.200. Tyler Block qualified on still rings and finished ninth, scoring a 15.000, which was just 0.050 short of All-America status.
Cal's History in the NCAA Championships
California has a rich history in the NCAA Championships. The Bears have had 184 individual top-10 finishers since 1948, including 28 individual national champions. Cal has finished in the top five at NCAAs 17 times since 1959, including five times this decade. The Bears boast four national championships - 1968, '75, '97 and '98. Cal has 28 individual national championship titles, 13 with Barry Weiner as the head coach. His most recent national champion was crowned last year when Tim McNeill took top honors on pommel horse and parallel bars, to bring McNeill's career total to five. Since their back-to-back NCAA titles in `97 and `98, the Bears' best finish in the NCAA Championships was third, which they accomplished in 2001 and 2002. The best team score Cal has earned in the Weiner era is 233.825, a total the Bears earned in the `97 championship year. Since 1996, Cal has qualified for the NCAA Championships every year except one (1999). The lowest the Bears have placed in the national championships under Weiner was a seventh-place finish in 2003.
Kyson Bunthuwong Honored as Nissen-Emery Award Finalist
Senior Kyson Bunthuwong has been named one of the eight finalists for the Nissen-Emery Award. The winner of the award, which is presented annually to the nation's most outstanding senior male collegiate gymnast, will be announced at the College Gymnastics Association Awards Banquet on Wednesday, April 15, in Minneapolis, Minn., the site of the 2009 NCAA Championships. Looking to be the first Golden Bear to receive the "Heisman Trophy" of gymnastics, the El Cerrito, Calif., native is the 17th Cal gymnast to be listed as a finalist in the award's 43-year existence. Bunthuwong is an All-American on parallel bars and finished eighth in the country in the all-around at the 2008 NCAA Championships.
Where the Cal Team Ranks Nationally
Team: No. 5
Floor: No. 6
Pommel: No. 6
Rings: No. 5
Vault: No. 6
Parallel Bars: No. 1
High Bar: No. 5
Where the Cal Gymnasts Rank Nationally
Floor: Kyson Bunthuwong - No. 9; Kyle Bunthuwong - No. 10
Pommel Horse: Glen Ishino - No. 20
Rings: Even Roth - No. 7; Kyle Brady - No. 12; Kyle Bunthuwong - No. 13
Parallel Bars: Kyson Bunthuwong - No. 2; Glen Ishino - No. 3; Kyle Brady - No. 11; Jim Kerry - No. 17
High Bar: Kyle Bunthuwong - No. 5; Kyson Bunthuwong - No. 17
All-Around: Glen Ishino - No. 6
Cal's 2009 MPSF Gymnasts of the Week
Glen Ishino - Jan. 20, 2009
Ishino won the all-around in his first collegiate meet to help the No. 5 California men's gymnastics team upset No. 1 Stanford, 342.200-338.400, on Feb. 16 at Haas Pavilion. Ishino took first in the all-around with a 86.200, which was 0.600 ahead of the second-place finisher. The Santa Ana, Calif., native won pommel horse (15.400) almost a full point ahead of his closest competitor. He was second on parallel bars, missing the tie for first-place with teammate Kyson Bunthuwong by 0.100 points.
Kyle Bunthuwong - Jan. 27, 2009
Kyle Bunthuwong won the all-around competition at the Stanford Open on Jan. 24, scoring an 88.700. Bunthuwong's score was a new career high on the all-around. He took third place overall on floor exercise at 15.200. Bunthuwong's 15.200 on floor was a new personal best for him as was his 14.550 on still rings.
Kyson Bunthuwong - March 10, 2009
Kyson Bunthuwong won the all-around competition against Ohio State on March 6. In his last meet as a Golden Bear, Bunthuwong helped lead Cal to a 352.700-337.250 victory over the Buckeyes on senior night at Haas Pavilion. Bunthuwong earned an 88.800 to win the all-around and also took home three event titles. He finished first on parallel bars (15.000) and high bar (15.000). Kyson and his brother Kyle Bunthuwong tied for first on vault, each scoring a 15.650. Bunthuwong's performances helped the Bears win all six events as well as the meet. His all-around score was a new personal best.
Beaks Ink Three Recruits
The California men's gymnastics team signed three recruits to national letters of intent - Donothan Bailey, Jeffrey Langenstein and Steven Lacombe will join the Golden Bears in fall of 2009. Bailey is a current member of the U.S. Junior National Team and a three-time national champion on pommel horse. He was runner-up to current Cal freshman Glen Ishino at the 2007 championships of the U.S. junior division. Langenstein will join the Bears as a solid all-around competitor and his best event is floor exercises. Lacombe can do a double front on vault, and his great strength on rings will make him a fierce collegiate competitor.
Golden Bears Versus the NCAA Field
Opponent Series Last Meeting Winner Score (Cal-Opp) Illinois 16-10 2-21-09 Cal 355.350-350.550 Illinois-Chicago First meeting Iowa 12-4 4-17-08 Cal 351.100-339.850 Michigan 18-6 2-21-09 Cal 355.350-354.200 Minnesota 4-3 2-21-09 Cal 355.350-344.500 Navy First meeting Nebraska 20-2 4-4-09 Cal 352.550-341.850 Ohio State 8-4 3-6-09 Cal 352.700-337.250 Oklahoma 13-26 4-4-09 UO 352.550-358.350 Penn State 6-5 3-14-09 Cal 355.150-353.800 Stanford 122-57-2 4-4-09 Stan 352.550-363.750Scouting Reports
No. 1 Stanford
In both teams' opening meet of the season, the Bears upset then-No. 1 Stanford, 342.000 - 338.400. The following week, the Cardinal again fell to California in the Stanford Open, 356.450 - 352.300. In their third match-up of the season, Cal narrowly edged Stanford at the Gold Country Classic, 354.250 - 354.000. At the Pacific Coast Collegiate Classic, the Cardinal finished second with a score of 356.400, while the Golden Bears placed third out of seven teams with a score of 355.100. At the MPSF Championships at Stanford, the Cardinal won the conference title, while Cal finished third. California currently leads the all-time series, 119-55-2. Stanford finished the regular season with an 11-4 record against NCAA opponents and won the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championship. Josh Dixon led the nation in floor exercises with a 15.770 national qualifying average, while Bryant Hadden had the highest average for still rings with 15.450. Senior Sho Nakamori had the top parallel bars average with 15.410 and was named MPSF Gymnast of the Year.
No. 4 Michigan
The Wolverines and Golden Bears only faced each other once this season - at the Pacific Coast Collegiate Challenge - where Cal finished third with a score of 355.100 and Michigan finished fourth with a 354.200. Cal currently leads the all-time series 17-6 against Michigan. Michigan finished the regular season 15-5-1 (12-2-1 Big Ten) and won the Big Ten title, tied with Illinois. Sophomore Chris Cameron is one of the key leaders on the squad, finishing in the top twenty in the nation in floor exercises, pommel horse, still rings, parallel bars, high bar and the all-around. Sophomore Thomas Kelley had the highest average in the nation on the high bar with 15.235. Michigan finished the regular season with the number four overall ranking.
No. 8 Penn State
In their only meeting of the season, No. 3 Cal beat No. 8 Penn State 355.150 - 353.800. Cal currently leads the all-time series, 6-5, against the Nittany Lions. Penn State finished the regular season 6-4 (2-2 Big Ten) and finished fifth in the Big Ten Championships. At the West Point Open, Penn State earned a first place finish with score of 345.200. Senior Casey Sandy finished in the top twenty in floor exercises, pommel horse and parallel bars and is a finalist for the Nissen-Emery trophy.
No. 9 Nebraska
Nebraska and Cal faced each other twice this season. At the Stanford Open, Cal finished in first with a score of 356.450, while Nebraska finished third, with a 334.700. In the MPSF Championships at Stanford, Cal finished third with a 352.550, and the Cornhuskers placed fourth out of five teams with a score of 341.850. California currently leads the all-time series 18-2. Senior T.J. Schmidt is seventh in the nation on pommel horse with an average of 14.760.
No. 12 Navy
Cal has never faced Navy in its gymnastics history. The Midshipmen beat Army in the only dual meet of Navy's season, 330.050-318.300. Overall, they finished the regular season 15-4 and are ranked 12th nationally. Navy finished in first at the All-Academy Championship in Portland, Ore., they defeated Army and Air Force with a mark of 335.600. The Midshipmen finished the season ranked first in the ECAC on high bar. Navy is led by sophomore Daniel Parrott who won the all around competition (85.25) and floor exercise (14.9) at the ECAC Championships. Senior Joseph Atzenbeck won both the pommel horse (14.35) and high bar (14.2) events at the same competition.
No. 2 Oklahoma
Team Record: 15-1
2009 Record vs. Cal: 1-0
No. 3 Illinois
Team Record: 23-11
2009 Record vs. Cal: 0-1
No. 6 Ohio State
Team Record: 6-8
2009 Record vs. Cal: 0-0
No. 7 Minnesota
Team Record: 15-12
2009 Record vs. Cal: 0-1
No. 10 Illinois-Chicago
Team Record: 10-9
2009 Record vs. Cal: 0-0
No. 11 Iowa
Team Record: 2-14
2009 Record vs. Cal: 0-0
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