SHOCK: Stanford Wins The 2019 NCAA Championship (Quick Recap)
It couldn’t be done. It wasn’t supposed to be done
But it was done.
For the first time since 2011, the Stanford Cardinal claimed the NCAA National Title.
What else is there to say except for these two words: Brody Malone.
“I’m feeling great right now,” said the freshman who was donning a “National Champions” hat. “This is what we’ve been working for all season and we made it happen.”
It doesn’t feel over-the-top to say that this was an other-worldly performance tonight from the MPSF Gymnast of the Year. Fresh-faced and new to this whole NCAA Championships thing, Malone is now an NCAA team champion, as well as all-around, floor exercise and high bar.
This wasn’t all the work of Malone, despite the borderline heroics. A high bar rotation featuring three All-American performances (Grant Breckenridge, Malone and David Jessen) put this team in a position to win. The final rotation, rings for for Stanford and high bar for Oklahoma, was an unbelievable back-and-forth. An unfortunate Yul Moldauer mistake gave way to the Cardinal being able to capitalize. Then Josiah Eng, the hulking senior, shook his way into an inverted cross. An audible gasp sprawled across the State Farm Center.
It was then up to Levi Anderson, who, credit to him, had what felt like the routine of his life. It wasn’t enough, and the Cardinal corral erupted and the celebration began.
For the second time in a decade, Stanford raised a golden trophy at the NCAA Championships.