Monday, February 6
Berkeley, Calif.
7:00 PM
California
vs
Iowa
No. 8 Cal takes on No. 11 Iowa in a longstanding rivalry Monday. (Photo: Peter Fukumae)
Photo by: Peter Fukumae
2/3/2017 6:18 PM | Men's Gymnastics
BERKELEY – Ahead of California men's gymnastics alumni weekend, the team will host a rare Monday meet against No. 11 Iowa in Haas Pavilion.
Scheduled for a 7 p.m. (PT) start, the eighth-ranked Golden Bears will face their longtime rival who they routed 20-years ago in Iowa City, Iowa, in 1997 to win then-head coach Barry Weiner's first NCAA title.
Now, 20 years later, the Bears under the leadership of Brett McClure, in his fourth season, are poised to find their footing in hopes of a more favorable result than a season ago. In Norman, Okla., the Hawkeyes bested the Bears 426.950-425.850 to earn their first win against Cal in at least a decade.
Cal leads the overall series 16-7.
Scoring updates for the meet will be provided on the @CalMensGym Twitter account with live stats also available during the meet.
Cal will hosts its first quad of the season on Feb. 11 when the team welcomes No. 2 Stanford, No. 7 Nebraska and No. 14 Arizona State. The Bears have fallen to the Cardinal twice this season and hope to get their first victory against their Bay Area rival. It will be the first meeting against the Cornhuskers since April 15, 2016 where the Bears fell 423.550-421.350, but still lead the series 29-3. The Bears upended the Sun Devils 407.300-397.400 a week ago at the SC United Open in Los Angeles, where Cal earned its first meet title of the season.
Also on Saturday, the Bears celebrate the 20th anniversary of the 1997 NCAA Championship team, while welcoming former gymnasts and program supporters for alumni weekend.
Oh Captain, My Captains
Head Coach Brett McClure has announced that redshirt junior Michael Rauchwerger and senior Capri Sano have been selected as California's captains for the 2017 season.
Bay Area Rivalry
The California Golden Bears and Stanford Cardinal meet up for the first time this season in one of the most storied rivalries in collegiate men's gymnastics. Despite posting an 0-5 record against Stanford in 2016, the Bears hold a 128-101-2 record all-time in the series. Both teams are currently ranked among the country's best, with Stanford coming in at number two nationally, and Cal ranking eighth in the 2017 College Gymnastics Association Preseason Poll. Cal earned its last team win over Stanford at Burnham Pavilion on the road on Jan. 25, 2014.
Familiar Faces
Cal Head Coach Brett McClure is in his fourth season at the helm of the Golden Bears' program in 2017, but definitely will see some familiar faces in red this season. McClure was an assistant coach for three seasons (from 2011-13) under current Stanford Head Coach Thom Glielmi. Some of the student-athletes on the Stanford side were coached by McClure, so he definitely knows what to expect from the Cardinal. In addition, Stanford assistant Karl Ziehn is a former Cal gymnast, having competed for the Blue and Gold from 1999-2003.
MPSF Strength
Home of the defending team national champion Oklahoma Sooners, the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation boasts four of the top teams in the country, and the league is poised to produce national contenders again this season. Oklahoma enters the 2017 season where it finished the last, ranked first in the College Gymnastics Association Preseason poll, while Stanford, the 2015 and 2016 national runner-up, is right behind them at second. Cal ranks eighth and Air Force is 11th. The Golden Bears finished third in the MPSF for consecutive seasons, and are looking for their first conference championship since 2004.
Sophomores Stacked
The 2017 Golden Bears have seven sophomores on their roster. That number reveals a very young squad. But, youth does not equate to inexperience for Cal with all-arounder Aaron Mah returning after a competitive year. Teammates Bailey Chang, Harrison Plate and redshirt sophomore Nathaniel Ramil also saw some significant action in their first year of competition. While Mitchell Awisus and Roshan Toopal did not compete, they along with Haden McCarey who competed in one meet, gained valuable experience vying for a spot in the lineup against some of the best in the country a season ago. This group is focused on helping the Bears into national title contention, while developing on an individual level.
Freshman Trio from the East
Newcomers Anton Vorona (Sunrise, Fla.) Kyte Crigger (Manassas, Va.) and Jonathan Wang (Newton, Mass.) have all taken a journey across the country to compete for the Bears. As bold as the leap to join the Blue and Gold, is their potential with each having competed at the P&G Championships prior to joining Cal. Wang notched a P&G Championship title on parallel bars and also participated in Junior Olympic Nationals where he finished third on parallel bars.
Log On
Fans are encouraged to follow along with Cal Men's Gym on social media throughout the season. Get live updates during meets on Twitter @CalMensGym, or look for recaps and photos on Facebook at Facebook.com/CalMGym and @CalMensGym on Instagram. Fans can also log on to CalBears.com for full meet recaps and the latest news.
Scheduled for a 7 p.m. (PT) start, the eighth-ranked Golden Bears will face their longtime rival who they routed 20-years ago in Iowa City, Iowa, in 1997 to win then-head coach Barry Weiner's first NCAA title.
Now, 20 years later, the Bears under the leadership of Brett McClure, in his fourth season, are poised to find their footing in hopes of a more favorable result than a season ago. In Norman, Okla., the Hawkeyes bested the Bears 426.950-425.850 to earn their first win against Cal in at least a decade.
Cal leads the overall series 16-7.
Scoring updates for the meet will be provided on the @CalMensGym Twitter account with live stats also available during the meet.
STORYLINES FOR THE SEASON
Next UpCal will hosts its first quad of the season on Feb. 11 when the team welcomes No. 2 Stanford, No. 7 Nebraska and No. 14 Arizona State. The Bears have fallen to the Cardinal twice this season and hope to get their first victory against their Bay Area rival. It will be the first meeting against the Cornhuskers since April 15, 2016 where the Bears fell 423.550-421.350, but still lead the series 29-3. The Bears upended the Sun Devils 407.300-397.400 a week ago at the SC United Open in Los Angeles, where Cal earned its first meet title of the season.
Also on Saturday, the Bears celebrate the 20th anniversary of the 1997 NCAA Championship team, while welcoming former gymnasts and program supporters for alumni weekend.
Oh Captain, My Captains
Head Coach Brett McClure has announced that redshirt junior Michael Rauchwerger and senior Capri Sano have been selected as California's captains for the 2017 season.
Bay Area Rivalry
The California Golden Bears and Stanford Cardinal meet up for the first time this season in one of the most storied rivalries in collegiate men's gymnastics. Despite posting an 0-5 record against Stanford in 2016, the Bears hold a 128-101-2 record all-time in the series. Both teams are currently ranked among the country's best, with Stanford coming in at number two nationally, and Cal ranking eighth in the 2017 College Gymnastics Association Preseason Poll. Cal earned its last team win over Stanford at Burnham Pavilion on the road on Jan. 25, 2014.
Familiar Faces
Cal Head Coach Brett McClure is in his fourth season at the helm of the Golden Bears' program in 2017, but definitely will see some familiar faces in red this season. McClure was an assistant coach for three seasons (from 2011-13) under current Stanford Head Coach Thom Glielmi. Some of the student-athletes on the Stanford side were coached by McClure, so he definitely knows what to expect from the Cardinal. In addition, Stanford assistant Karl Ziehn is a former Cal gymnast, having competed for the Blue and Gold from 1999-2003.
MPSF Strength
Home of the defending team national champion Oklahoma Sooners, the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation boasts four of the top teams in the country, and the league is poised to produce national contenders again this season. Oklahoma enters the 2017 season where it finished the last, ranked first in the College Gymnastics Association Preseason poll, while Stanford, the 2015 and 2016 national runner-up, is right behind them at second. Cal ranks eighth and Air Force is 11th. The Golden Bears finished third in the MPSF for consecutive seasons, and are looking for their first conference championship since 2004.
Sophomores Stacked
The 2017 Golden Bears have seven sophomores on their roster. That number reveals a very young squad. But, youth does not equate to inexperience for Cal with all-arounder Aaron Mah returning after a competitive year. Teammates Bailey Chang, Harrison Plate and redshirt sophomore Nathaniel Ramil also saw some significant action in their first year of competition. While Mitchell Awisus and Roshan Toopal did not compete, they along with Haden McCarey who competed in one meet, gained valuable experience vying for a spot in the lineup against some of the best in the country a season ago. This group is focused on helping the Bears into national title contention, while developing on an individual level.
Freshman Trio from the East
Newcomers Anton Vorona (Sunrise, Fla.) Kyte Crigger (Manassas, Va.) and Jonathan Wang (Newton, Mass.) have all taken a journey across the country to compete for the Bears. As bold as the leap to join the Blue and Gold, is their potential with each having competed at the P&G Championships prior to joining Cal. Wang notched a P&G Championship title on parallel bars and also participated in Junior Olympic Nationals where he finished third on parallel bars.
Log On
Fans are encouraged to follow along with Cal Men's Gym on social media throughout the season. Get live updates during meets on Twitter @CalMensGym, or look for recaps and photos on Facebook at Facebook.com/CalMGym and @CalMensGym on Instagram. Fans can also log on to CalBears.com for full meet recaps and the latest news.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's GymnasticsSaturday, March 23
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