CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – As a pair of Golden Bears reach the final point of the collegiate season, the moment also represents the proverbial passing of the torch.
 
Senior Aaron Mah will face a familiar field as he competes for an all-around title at the NCAA Championships on Saturday after he finished fifth in Session I with a 78.831 score.
 
He will be joined by Cal's standout freshman Darren Wong who finished just ahead in fourth with a 79.09, and looks to take the reins from the departing Bear.
 
Cal will be in good hands with Wong, who went into the post season with a pair of CGA Rookie Gymnast of the Week and MPSF Gymnast of the Week honors, as a future leader.
 
Undoubtedly, having Mah alongside him will give the newcomer confidence going into the championship round. Mah, who has anchored the Bears all season, heads into the final day with momentum behind a season-high 14.266 on vault.
 
The pair will have a chance at several individual titles, as a top finish in any of the six events on Saturday at 4 p.m. (PT) will earn them a spot on the stage.
 
"It's only fitting that the two all-around gymnasts and childhood friends, who in large part helped our team to the NCAA Championships have now qualified to the all-around finals together," said head coach JT Okada. "I'm happy for both Darren and Aaron and see this as a great beginning for Darren's and a perfect conclusion for Aaron's NCAA careers."
 
Cal also had a spark in the team competition as the Bears led after three rotations. Unfortunately, Cal was unable to hold onto its lead to finish in sixth with a 390.859.
 
Despite the result, the Bears boasted a season-high 70.265 on the vault, the fourth-best team score on the apparatus.
 
Junior Jonahtna Wang pulled in a top-10 finish on the parallel bars behind a 13.233 mark, while Angel Haro recored a season-high on the high bar with a 12.700 score to tie for 26th.
 
"Today was a great battle and the team started off strong," said Okada, who nears the end of his second complete season at the helm of the program. "Although we continued to fight through the last three events, we weren't able to keep a hold of a spot in team finals.
 
"The team represented well and showed everyone that Cal is a force to be reckoned with."
 
The Bears finished behind Michigan (408.389), who won the session, Stanford (407.588), Nebraska (405.723), Minnesota (396.059), and Navy (393.123. The Wolverines, Cardinal and Huskers will advance to the team final.  
  
For more information on Cal men's gymnastics, follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @CalMGym.