Although the California men's gymnastics team is not scheduled to compete again until Feb. 28, two members – graduate student Aidan Li and freshman Matteo Bardana – will be traveling home to Ontario this weekend to appear at Elite Canada and vie for a spot on the Canadian National Team. The men's senior artistic gymnasts will compete Friday and Sunday at the Markham Pan-Am Center in Markham, Ontario, with national team announcements following the conclusion of Sunday's session.
 
Friday's rotations will begin at 3:30 p.m. PT while Sunday's competition will start at noon PT. The meet will be streamed on the HomeTeam Network and scored live on the LiveMeet app.
 
Should either gymnast be selected for the Canadian National Team, they would join alumni Warren Long, Aaron Mah and Darren Wong as the only Cal representatives to do so.
 
Li ranks fifth in the NCAA on pommel horse this season, following an All-American nod in 2024 – the Bears' first since 2021 – and the Canadian title in the event. He posted his best score of the season (14.650) two weeks ago at Stanford in The Big Flip dual meet, winning his third event title of the season and subsequently earning Specialist of the Week awards from both the College Gymnastics Association (CGA) and the MPSF.
 
Bardana, who will compete in the all-around at Elite Canada, is the Bears' only rookie to appear in every Cal meet this season. The reigning MPSF Freshman of the Week leads the team on floor with a personal best of 13.800, which he recorded over the weekend at Air Force to notch his first event win, and is currently ranked 11th in the nation in that event while also boasting a No. 17 ranking on parallel bars. Bardana has previous national team experience as a junior gymnast, appearing with Team Canada at the 2023 Junior World Championships.
 
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