NCAA Championships Preview
Stanford Primed to 4Peat as NCAA Champions, Freshman Duo Look to Shine in All-Around Competition
In qualifying Stanford holds the #1 seed where the Cardinal will face off against Illinois at #4, #5 Nebraska, #8 Airforce, #9 Navy, #12 Army. In the second session of qualifying, #2 Oklahoma will face off against #3 Michigan, # 6 Penn State, #7 Ohio State, #10 Cal, and #11 Springfield. In each session the top 3 teams will advance to the NCAA team championship final held on Saturday April 15th.
As the season wraps up with NCAA championships this weekend, we are likely to see Stanford come through with their 4th straight NCAA title. If scores across the country were consistent at conference championships, then Stanford is far and away the favorite to win.
The Big Ten conference showed that they are not to be messed with. Each team seems to be peeking at the right time. The spread from 1st to 4th place was only 3 points. This could lead to some surprises out of the qualifying round at NCAAs.
The All-around competition is likely to be thrilling as well. Freshman standouts, Fred Richard and Asher Hong are poised to make their mark. We have yet to hear whether or not Stanford senior Brody Malone will compete. His presence will only increase the excitement.
We also have a slew of individual event competitors to look out for. On floor, Illinois’ Connor McCool has been dominant and will look to take home his first NCAA title.
On pommel horse there is likely to be a battle. Oklahoma’s Ignacio Yockers, Air Force’s Patrick Hoopes, and Illinois’ Ian Skirkey have all shown massive routines and big scores this year. Stanfords’ Khoi Young put up a big number at MPSFs as well. This pommel horse title is truly up in the air and will be fun to watch.
The rings have been dominated by Stanford this year. The Cardinal strongmen are clean and consistent all the way down their lineup. Mark Berlaga, Nick Kuebler, Riley Loos, Ian Gunther, Brandon Briones, and Asher Hong all have a shot depending on who makes the lineup and their performances on game day. If anyone is going to take the rings title from Stanford it will be two time reigning Big Ten rings champions from Illinois, Ashton Anaya.
Vault is always a toss up. The cleanest vaults typically win. In the Big Ten, Taylor Christopulos took top honors with a clean 5.2 SV vault that scored 14.9. A number like that will be hard to beat, but there are a few athletes who have impressive vaults who may be able to top that. Cal’s Jasper Smith-Gordon competes a Kaz 2/1 which has a 5.6 SV as does Stanford’s Zach Martin. Asher Hong has shown a Ri Se Gwang on multiple occasions this year, which has a 6.0 SV. These three vaulters could all top the podium with clean performances.
Parallel bars is another event with a huge field of strong competitors. 2023 Big Ten Champion Josh Karnes is in the mix, along with the two Freshman All-Around sensations, Fred Richard and Asher Hong. Michigan’s Evgeny Siminiuc and Stanford’s JR Chou have also had some big showings this season and will likely contend for the title.
In the high bar competition Fred Richard comes in as the favorite. Not only does he hold the second highest high bar score of the season, but he holds the top average score and he’s coming off of a Big Ten title winning performance on the high bar. Right behind Richard in the hunt for the NCAA high bar title is Michigan captain Adam Wooten followed by Nebraska duo, Donte McKinney and Zac Tiderman. Garrett Braunton of Air Force also has a shot at the high bar title. He comes into this competition holding the season high score on the event. However, inconsistency has plagued him this year. If he can put it all together he will undoubtedly challenge for the top spot.
Schedule:
Location: Penn State University
How to watch: NCAA.com
Friday, April 14th: Prelims
Session 1 at 1pm ET (Stanford, Illinois, Nebraska, Navy, Air Force, Army, W&M Individuals)
Session 2 at 7pm ET (Oklahoma, Michigan, Penn State, Cal, Springfield, Ohio State, Greenville & Simpson Individuals)