March 6, 2008

STANFORD, Calif. - The top-ranked Stanford men's gymnastics team will be taking on No. 4 California in the the 2008 Big Flip Off on March 8 in Maples Pavilion beginning at 7 p.m. The meet, which also will serve as Senior Day, is the final event in which Stanford will face another school before beginning the post-season. Stanford will honor seniors Eli Alcaraz, Dylan Carney, Chris Harper, Jason Shen, Sho Nakamori, and David Sender for their contributions during their time on The Farm.

The Big Flip Off marks the second time this year that Cardinal are facing the Golden Bears in a dual meet, and the fourth time overall. In the last head-to-head competition, Cal narrowly defeated Stanford, who was without top performers Sender and Nakamori, by five-tenths of a point. In the two other meetings, Stanford took first at both the Stanford Open and the Pacific Coast Collegiate Classic, where Cal took second and third, respectively. At last year's Big Flip Off, Stanford defeated Cal 241.450 - 210.550. Stanford topped Cal in every event except parallel bars.

The Cardinal most recently defeated No. 5 Michigan in Ann Arbor last weekend. The Wolverines kept it close throughout, taking a .25 lead into the final event. It was Stanford who prevailed though, thanks in part to a first place finish in parallel bars by MPSF Gymnast of the Week, freshman Ryan Lieberman, who scored a 15.500 to take the event title. Shen, freshman Josh Dixon, and Harper also provided solid scores in the event to help the Cardinal take the victory.

Stanford has a number of nationally-ranked individuals in each of the six events, but their dominance is most evident in floor exercise, where six athletes are ranked in the top-20. Red-shirt sophomore Greg Ter-Zakhariants carries top honors, with a three-score average of 15.633, while Sender checks in at the fifth spot. Dixon, Nakamori, Buscaglia, and Carney are in No. 10, No. 13, No. 14, and No. 16, respectively.

Harper has been outstanding in pommel horse this season, and is currently ranked second in that event. Additionally, Sender is the second-ranked gymnast in still rings and all-around, while Carney has been stellar in high bar, also earning a No. 2 distinction.

Sender and Nakamori will return to the team for this weekend's meet after participating in a World Cup event in Doha, Qatar, but it is unlikely they will compete, as they will be fresh off of their cross-continent flight. Sender narrowly missed medaling in vault by .05 points and took fourth place overall in the event.

The Big Flip Off is the final intercollegiate meet event for the Cardinal before The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships in Lincoln, Neb. on April 5. Stanford will have one additional event on March 29, where they will compete against former Cardinal gymnasts in the Alumni Meet.

Fans should note that this weekend's competition is being held in Maples Pavilion, not Burnham Pavilion as per the usual, in order to gain a preview of the equipment setup for the upcoming 2008 National Collegiate Men's Gymnastics Championships being held at Stanford on April 17-19. Admission to the Big Flip Off is free. Tickets for the 2008 Championships are available for purchase through the Stanford Athletics Ticket Office (online at gostanford.com, by phone at 1-800-STANFORD, or at the box office located at Stanford Stadium).