STANFORD – The California men's gymnastics team has manifested a collective focus on putting together a standout performance on Saturday night as they prepare to take the floor once more with both Stanford and Team USA at the Stanford Open. First rotation is scheduled for 7 p.m. PT at Burnham Pavilion.
 
The stakes are high for a regular-season meet, as the top-three all-around gymnasts, as well as those successfully completing a World Championships-caliber routine (determined by start value), will be invited to compete at the prestigious USA Gymnastics Winter Cup in late February. Senior and team captain Noah Newfeld will be attempting to qualify for the third straight year by competing in the all-around, with freshmen Carter Kim and Tucker Yasunaga also appearing on all six apparatuses in hopes of clinching a spot.
 
As for the team as a whole, many Golden Bears are expected to make an impact, including a pair of new faces. Junior Jasper Smith-Gordon is expected to appear for the first time this season on floor, while freshman Brendan Strom will make his collegiate debut.
 
 "We'll see different guys in the fold this week, different lineups than we had for our season opener," Newfeld said. "We're looking to improve this weekend, definitely ready to get some higher scores."
 
The Bears will find many of Team USA's competitors familiar, as nine of the roster's 19 members are current or former Stanford gymnasts. Five of those athletes – Jeremy Bischoff, Taylor Burkhart, Asher Hong, Colt Walker and Khoi Young – competed in Berkeley two weeks ago at the Cal Benefit Cup.
 
In the Bears' season opener, Cal posted a team score of 388.200 with a combined 64.200 on pommel horse, the latter of which tied the 10th-best score in modern program history. Kim was named the MSPF Freshman of the Week for his performance, which included a team-leading vault score of 14.000 as well as a 13.450 on floor and a 12.750 on horizontal bar.
 
STAY POSTED
For complete coverage of Cal men's gymnastics, please follow the Bears on Twitter (@CalMGym), Instagram (@CalMGym), Facebook (@Cal Men's Gymnastics) and TikTok (@CalMGym).