MINNEAPOLIS, Minn., April 16, 2021 – Stanford University’s 413.855 led all teams on Day 1 of the 2021 NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Championships at the Maturi Pavilion in Minneapolis. The defending national champions advanced to Saturday’s team final from the day’s second semifinal session along with the University of Michigan (411.455) and the host University of Minnesota (404.623). The University of Nebraska (408.623), University of Oklahoma (406.190) and University of Illinois (400.721) each punched their tickets to the finals earlier in the day.
The team, individual event and all-around finals will air live Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on BTN.
The Golden Gophers were led by 2021 Nissen-Emery Award winner, Shane Wiskus, who topped the all-around field with an 86.464. Minnesota edged Penn State University (402.356), the University of Iowa (401.120) and the University of California – Berkeley (392.055) to claim a spot in the finals. Earning the opportunity to compete on Saturday is especially meaningful for the home side, as the university is expected to dissolve its 118-year-old program following the season’s conclusion. Nebraska, Oklahoma and Illinois advanced over Ohio State University (394.956), the United States Naval Academy (390.990) and the College of William & Mary (371.256) during the first semifinal session.
Wiskus recorded the day’s high score on floor exercise (15.100) and parallel bars (14.600). Michigan’s Cameron Bock led the way on pommel horse (14.166) and still rings (14.533), while teammate Paul Juda topped the field on horizontal bar with a 14.366. Illinois’s Michael Fletcher posted a 14.800 on vault to lead all competitors.
The Cardinal hope to defend their 2019 team title following the cancellation of the 2020 NCAA Championships due to the coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, the No. 1 ranked Sooners are looking for their fifth championship in six seasons.
The scores from qualifying sessions will not carry over to Saturday’s finals. In addition to the top-three teams from each semifinal session, the top-three all-around competitors and top-three individuals on each event who are not members of one of the qualifying teams will compete for individual titles.
More information is available on the NCAA’s official website.