NORMAN, Okla. – California got its first taste of postseason Saturday against the toughest field in the country.
 
Vying against the nation's top-two teams, the Golden Bears, currently ranked 11th – enough for an NCAA bid, looked to find its place among the best at the MPSF Championships hosted by reigning national champs Oklahoma in Norman.
 
With five individuals posting scores in the top 10, the Golden Bears made a case for themselves heading into the final stretch of the season.
 
Led by senior Aaron Mah's fifth-place finish in on the floor, three Bears posted top-10 marks on the event Saturday. Mah recorded a 14.300, a bit shy of his season best of 14.700, and was followed by freshman Darren Wong's 14.100 and Jonathan Wang's ninth-place 13.950. Wong tied for seventh overall, while Wang missed out on a career note by .50 points.
 
Senior Mitchell Awisus made his way to the top 10 on the parallel bars with a team-high 13.600, while freshman Caleb Rickard impressed on the horizontal bar behind a career-best 13.700. In his first MPSF appearance, Rickard, a Chino Hills, Calif., native, surpassed his previous mark of 13.400.

"We started of really strong and did a great job battling through adversity on this trip," said head coach JT Okada. "I'm really proud of the team and all the work we've put in this year, but we're not done yet. We have NCAAs around the corner and we are going to let it all fly there."
 
While individuals made a case, the Bears finished third overall for the ninth consecutive year with an overall score of 394.700, ahead of 13th-ranked Air Force (382.200) which needed to best Cal in order to become NCAA eligible. No. 1 Oklahoma (420.500) took its eighth consecutive league title, while No 2 Stanford's 418.550 was enough for second.
 
Cal did manage to best its 2018 team score of 393.650 to add to the upward tick.
 
The Bears will head to Champaign, Ill., on April 19 for the NCAA Championship Qualifier next.
 
For more information on Cal men's gymnastics, follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @CalMGym.