STANFORD, Calif. – The Golden Bears returned to action after a bye week with grit and determination as they entered the back half of the season and the five up, five count scoring system at the International Collegiate Open.
 
And once again, California found individual improvement on a notable night in Stanford as the 10th-ranked Bears faced not only a notable second-ranked Cardinal squad, but got a peek into the international scene with the Japan National Team in the field.
 
Cal was paced by three career bests and three season highs to continue its trend of week-to-week progress.
 
Freshman Matthew Randolph led the Bears on the pommel horse with a collegiate best 13.650, while fellow freshman Caleb Rickard recorded a career note 13.300 on the high bar.
 
The high bar was also lucrative for junior Kyte Crigger who demolished his previous career best of 12.800 with a team-high 13.400 on the apparatus.
 
Joseph Dixon, a sophomore, notched a 2019 high on the pommel, pulling in a 13.250, while Jonathan Wang matched his season note on rings of 12.700. Aaron Mah tied his season best with a floor score of 14.100.
"Today was a good fight," said head coach JT Okada. "We have to make the adjustment to the five up, five count part of the season and today was the first step toward that. The rest of the season will be an absolute battle for us and the team will have to have a tremendous amount of focus to continue to compete with the best this year."
 
The Bears were unable to overcome Japan who won the meet with a score of 424.500, while Stanford finished as the runner-up (419.350). Cal totaled 395.850, shy of its previous score of 404.00.
 
Cal heads to Seattle to face Washington on Sunday, March 10 at 2 p.m. (PT).
 
For more information on Cal men's gymnastics, follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @CalMGYM.