Cardinal Wins Big Flip Open

STANFORD, Calif. – Competing head-to-head with No. 9 California, top-ranked Stanford posted a national-best team score of 415.350 to win the Big Flip Open on Sunday from Burnham Pavilion.

California posted a team score of 391.300.

Freshman Khoi Young won the all-around title with a combined 82.750, followed by Colt Walker (81.450) and Riley Loos (81.350).

Young's highest finish on the afternoon came on vault where he posted a 14.500. Sunday's all-around marked just the second time that Young had officially competed for Stanford – and the first time since the opening meet where he only participated on pommel horse.

Senior Brody Malone made his season debut for the Cardinal on Sunday, winning the pommel horse (14.000) and horizontal bar titles (14.300). Senior Bryan Perla won the floor crown with a season-best 14.700, while Loos topped all comers on still rings with a career-best score of 14.600. Curran Phillips (14.650) and Blake Sun (15.150) won the vault and parallel bars, respectively.

Stanford as a team registered season-bests on floor (71.750), still rings (71.450) and high bar (65.950) in the victory.

Beginning the day on floor, Stanford claimed each of the top five spots in the event, led by Perla at 14.700. Loos took second with a season-best score of 14.600, followed by the nation's top floor gymnast in Blake Wilson (14.300) and Young (14.150). Walker followed in fifth with a career-high 14.000.

After Malone's 14.000 to win the pommel horse title, the Cardinal managed to claim third and fourth in the event, with Walker (career-best 13.800) and Sun (13.550) finishing in those spots.

The nation's top still rings team showed its strength in the third rotation, with Loos (14.600), Ian Gunther (14.450), Thomas Lee (career-high 14.400), Mark Berlaga (14.100) and Malone (13.900) finishing first through fifth, in that order.

Like Malone, Gunther was making his season debut for the Cardinal on Sunday.

Ranked No. 2 on vault nationally, Phillips paced the way on vault with his 14.650. Walker (14.550) and Young (14.500) took second and third, respectively, as the Cardinal finished 1-2-3 in the event.

The Cardinal managed to place four gymnasts over 14+ on parallel bars, with Sun's 15.150 winning the event. Phillips, who owns the highest start value on the event in the nation, took second at 14.700, followed by Malone (14.500) and Young (14.100).

Finishing the meet on high bar, Malone hit a 14.300 to win the event. The 2021 bronze medalist on high bar at the World Championships was followed by sophomore Brandon Nguyen (season-best 13.550), senior Andrew Bitner (13.350), Walker (career-high 13.200) and Young (13.000) in second through fifth.

Stanford gymnasts will now prepare for the 2022 Winter Cup from February 24-26 in Frisco, Texas.