Nearly two weeks after its season opener, California men's gymnastics will leave Berkeley for the first time this season, heading to Stanford Saturday evening for the Stanford Open. The meet will also feature host Stanford and Ohio State, both top-five squads nationally.
 
Stanford Open (Saturday, 7 p.m. PT – Burnham Pavilion)
Live Stream/Live Scoring (Virtius)
 
ACROSS THE GYM – STANFORD
Stanford is coming off its fifth-straight national title and is led once more by eight-time CGA Coach of the Year Thom Glielmi in his 23rd season at the helm. The Cardinal are once again the nation's top team with an average score of 323.850 and a roster that includes 2024 Olympic Bronze Medalist and four-time individual NCAA Champion Asher Hong as well as Olympic alternate Khoi Young, the 2024 NCAA all-around champion who has yet to compete this year. Hong has been the NCAA's top gymnast on floor and rings this season, while teammates Ian Lasic-Ellis and 2024 Nissen-Emery Award winner Colt Walker lead the nation on parallel bars and the all-around, respectively.
 
The Golden Bears last met Stanford on Jan. 13, posting a score of 303.950 to the Cardinal's 318.450.
 
ACROSS THE GYM - OHIO STATE
Ohio State placed sixth at the 2024 NCAA Championships and are the nation's current No. 5 team, averaging a score of 317.750. The Buckeyes are led by 14-year Head Coach Rustam Sharipov and field a total of four All-Americans (Kameron Nelson, Caden Spencer, Parker Thackston and Chase Davenport-Mills), as well as top rookies Noah Copeland and David Ramirez, who have qualified for the U.S. Championships a combined five times.
 
Cal last shared the floor with Ohio State as a team at the 2023 NCAA Championships.
 
NEW RULES
The NCAA has introduced several rule changes to the sport, effective in the 2025 season. Each team will only be allowed to enter four athletes per lineup, down from the previous five, while only 12 total gymnasts (down from 15) will be eligible to compete each week. Additionally, each routine will now only need to feature eight skills instead of 10.
 
ONE MORE YEAR
Graduate student Aidan Li, who majored in mechanical engineering, returns to the Bears for his fifth and final season in 2025. As a senior, he posted four of Cal's top-10 pommel horse scores in the previous scoring era. Following an all-conference nod for his second-place finish on horse at the MPSF Championships, he broke the program record in the NCAA Championships Qualifier and tied for sixth place in the final, earning Cal's first All-America honor since 2021 and the first on pommel horse since 2014. Two months later, he entered his first senior Canadian Championships and won the pommel horse title.
 
TOP PERFORMERS RETURN
In addition to Li, several other Bears with top-level experience will be competing for Cal this season, including five more returning NCAA finalists. Theodor Roald Gadderud, who competed for the Norwegian National Team on the world stage prior to enrolling at Berkeley, was named Team MVP after an outstanding season that included an MPSF Gymnast of the Week nod and an appearance in the NCAA All-Around final. Joining him in the latter category is Tyler Shimizu, a two-time All-MPSF honoree who competed in the all-around at the 2023 U.S. Championships. Fellow two-time All-MPSF honoree Khalen Curry reached the NCAA finals in two different events in 2024, while Jasper Smith-Gordon – the 2019 World Junior bronze medalist on vault and a two-time CGA Regular-Season All-American – reached his first NCAA final after a season in which he posted five scores in Cal's top-10 list (previous scoring system). Rounding out that group is sophomore Jaxon Mitchell, who was one of just three freshmen to earn 2024 All-MPSF honors; he was also Cal's only rookie to earn a spot in the NCAA final that year, where he competed on rings.
 
WELCOME NEW BEARS
Seven freshmen joined the Bears in 2025, headlined by top international gymnasts Matteo Bardana and Trigg Dudley. Bardana, who hails from Oakville, Ontario, appeared with the Canadian Junior National Team at the 2023 Junior World Championships, while London native Dudley has eight British medals to his name. The rookie class also includes Emilio Bracken Serra (Berkeley), Sam Cirlincione (Huntington, New York), Brendan Friele (Henderson, Nevada), Troy Nuesca (Thousand Oaks) and Evan Wenstad (Santa Clarita). Cal additionally added Ohio State transfer Tomo Kawada, brother of former Cal gymnast Takahiro Kawada, for one final year of eligibility.
 
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