2026 NCAA Finals Recap

By Peri Goodman, Isaac Erickson, and Peter Hristozov

STANFORD WINS THE 2026 MEN'S GYMNASTICS NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP FOR THE 5th TIME in 6 YEARS!

Final Team Results

1. Stanford, 329.825

2. Oklahoma, 328.495

3. Michigan, 324.857

4. Nebraska, 324.662

5. Illinois, 322.224

6. Ohio State, 316.093

Team Recaps

Stanford

The Stanford Cardinal were lights out in finals with 24/24 hit routines and many exceptional performances. Stanford won the national championship Saturday night with a solid 329.825, edging the Sooners out by a little over a point. The Cardinal started on the vault, where they were led by a stuck Kasamatsu 1 ½ by freshman Jun Iwai for a 14.433. Iwai tied for the national championship individual title with this spectacular vault. The parallel bars and the floor were events where the Cardinal distanced themselves the most from the rest of the field. On the parallel bars, Asher Hong and David Shamah put on a clinic with a variety of upper-arm, underbar, and support elements. Hong won the bronze medal with a 14.4, and Shamah was right behind him in fourth with a 14.333. Cooper Kim had a fantastic high bar routine featuring a unique full Takamoto-to-Winkler combination, earning him a 14.0 and an All-American Honor. Kim continued his clean execution and great difficulty on the floor exercise, where he scored a 14.633 and won the individual floor exercise title after sticking his stylish double pike dismount. The pommel horse was the only event where Stanford showed slight errors, but routines from Arun Chhetri and Kiran Mandava helped save the rotation. Chhetri scored a 13.433 in the lead-off position,  while Mandava scored a 13.166 in the anchor position. The ring's rotation was a fantastic finish to a fantastic meet for the Cardinal. Nick Kuebler and Asher Hong demonstrated perfection in their strength positions, and both completed their difficult double-twisting double-layout dismounts on the rings. Hong scored a 14.3 for the silver medal, while Kuebler was right behind him with a 14.133 for the bronze. Hong’s precise and well-executed routine secured Stanford's sixth title in seven years and even secured the 50th year of national championships for Stanford Athletics.

All Americans:

1. Cooper Kim (1st FX, 8th VT, 3rd HB)

2. Nick Kuebler (3rd FX, 3rd SR, 6th HB)

3. Asher Hong (2nd SR, 3rd PB)

4. Jun Iwai (T-1st VT)

5. David Shamah (4th PB

6. Zach Green (7th PB, 7th HB)    

Oklahoma

The Oklahoma Sooners are your 2026 National Runner Ups, after fighting for every last tenth going into the last rotation of the competition. After an undefeated season, they just missed out on catching Stanford, with a 328.495, just 1.333 from the Cardinal. The Sooners started on the parallel bars, where Tas Hajdu and Nathan Roman performed difficult routines with ease and both stuck their double front dismounts, which brought the energy to the Sooner corral in the first rotation. Hajdu scored a 14.2 for sixth place, and Roman scored an enormous 14.8 for the national title on the event. Highbar was the next event for Oklahoma, with a lot on the line going into this risky apparatus. Kelton Christiansen anchored the high bar with a flawless routine including intricate Jaegar releases and a stuck double twisting double layout, which is now the standard for Christiansen after drilling them all season. Christiansen scored a 14.4, securing the individual national title on the event. The Sooners lost a little bit of ground to the Cardinal on the floor exercise, only scoring a 53.699, compared to Stanford's 55.365. However, at this point, the Sooners were keeping it close, fighting for landings and knowing they would be ending on the high scoring vault in the last rotation. Pommel horse went well for Oklahoma with 4/4 hits. Ignacio Yockers was a great lead-off in this rotation, with a 13.866 and a fifth-place finish. Redshirt freshman Colby Aranda anchored the lineup with a clutch routine for Oklahoma, as he has done all season in the all-important anchor position. Aranda showed great extension and difficulty on the horse and scored a 14.133, earning him a bronze medal. The rings were a stable event for Oklahoma, anchored by Tas Hajdu and Francisco Velez Belendez. Hajdu scored a 13.9 for sixth place, and Velendez just behind in seventh with a 13.7. The Sooners went into the final event in third place, down by 2.797 from the Cardinal. However, they knew they could make up ground on the vault, and they gave it everything with a  lights-out vault rotation. Fuzzy Benas started the rotation with a stuck Kasamatsu 1 ½ vault for a 14.2 and sixth place. Tyler Flores was last up on the vault, and he also stuck his Kasamatsu 1 ½ for the second day in a row for a 14.433 and a share of the individual event title. It was a great competition for the Sooners, with only one missed routine. Winning half of the event titles was also very big for Mark Williams and Oklahoma, showing the great potential this team and program have on the biggest stages. Oklahoma looks hungry, and they will be back at it again next year at a home national championship, which will be exciting to watch. 

All-Americans:

1. Colby Aranda (3rd PH)

2. Ignacio Yockers (6th PH)

3. Tas Hajdu (6th SR, 6th PB)

4. Francisco Velez Belendez (7th SR)

5. Tyler Flores (T-1st VT)

6. Fuzzy Benas (6th VT, 8th PB)

7. Sasha Bogonosiuk (7th VT)

8. Nathan Roman (1st PB)

9. Kelton Christiansen (1st HB)

Michigan

Entering the 2026 NCAA Championships, Michigan had the glorious burden of chasing a repeat victory. With reigning NCAA All-around champion, Fred Richard in his senior season, the Wolverines had a real shot of earning their first back-to-back championship titles since the 2013 and 2014 seasons. A missed routine on pommel horse to begin the competition put the Wolverines in a hole early, but the team fought to stay in contention. Aaronson Mansberger, put the team on his back to anchor the pommel horse lineup achieving a score that would stand until the very last competition on the event. Another fall on the last event nearly gave the third place podium spot to Nebraska, but Fred Richard was the hero of the day as he stuck his final NCAA landing to earn a second place finish on floor and seal his third career All-Around title. Richard claimed 5 of Michigan’s 11 All-American honors. Landen Blixt chipped in with two All-American honors, Floor and Vault,  to close out his high powered NCAA career 

All Americans:

1. Fred Richard (1st AA, 2nd FX, 7th PH, 5th SR, 2nd PB)

2. Landen Blixt (7th FX, 3rd VT)

3. Aaronson Mansberger (2nd PH)

4. Akshay Puri (4th SR)

5. Charlie Larson (4th VT)

6. Carson Eshleman (2nd HB)

Nebraska

The 2026 season was bound to be a sentimental one from the very start. Legendary coach, Jim Hartung, passed away unexpectedly a week prior to the first competition of the season. This could’ve broken the spirit of many teams, but not this 2026 Nebraska squad. Throughout the season, the Huskers were adamant about doing right by Jim. This team honored Hartung’s legacy in every moment an opportunity arose. A fourth place finish at this year’s NCAA Championship, just tenths behind reigning NCAA Champion, Michigan, shows just how competitive this team was. Senior Nathan York had a slew of impressive performances across 4 events including All-American honors on pommel horse and parallel bars. Max Odden made a name for himself as an All-Arounder, finishing the competition in 2nd place. Asher Cohen, the 2026 CGA Special of the Year, made history by claiming the rings title - the first rings title for Nebraska since Hartung claimed the rings title in 1982. This team showed heart, grit, and a sense of determination that epitomizes the sport.

All-Americans:

1. Max Odden (2nd AA, 8th HB)

2. Chase Mondi (5th FX)

3. Luke James (6th FX)

4. Nathan York (5th PH, 5th PB)

5. Asher Cohen (1st SR)

Illinois

After finishing in 5rd in qualifications, Illinois started their finals competition on Rings. The rotation wasn’t their strongest, but routines were kept above 13.000, and leaders Preston Ngai, who finished 8th, held them in the fourth place spot early. Garrett Schooley led the Illini as they competed on vault, his vault being one of the highest difficulties in the competition, leading him to a 14.233 and a top five finish. Parallel Bars is a strong event for the Fighting Illini, and they showed why. The junior, Dylan Shepherd, finished in 9th place and led the scoring for the team with a 13.866. Shepherd executes underbar skills with flaw and elegance. High bar was a redemption story for Sam Phillips. On day one, he posted a low 11.233, after crashing into the bar and requiring stitches, but came back scoring a 14.000 and earning a 3th place finish, sticking his beautiful double double, a great comeback and ending to his final season after rupturing his achilles last year. The team moved to the floor for their fifth rotation and senior Tate Costa left with bronze hardware scoring a 14.166 after being injured in his 2025 season. The team finished on Pommel Horse, which was historic. Brandon Dang won the national title on pommel horse - the first of his career, after winning the B1G pommel horse title. He has been competing internationally for Team USA throughout the season and proved his representation and spot this weekend. The team beat out Ohio State for fifth place in the finals and improved their team score by almost 3 points on day two. 

All-Americans:

1. Preston Ngai (8th AA, 8th SR)

2. Tate Costa (3rd FX, 8th PH)

3. Brandon Dang (1st PH)

4. Garrett Schooley (5th VT)

5. Sam Phillips (3rd HB)

Ohio State

The Buckeye’s talent packed roster showed up in a big way on the first day of competition, finishing 4th in qualifications, but struggled to repeat the performance in finals. The Buckeye’s finished the year in sixth place, after an impressive season. Starting on high bar in a consequential competition is challenging because scores on high bar tend to be lower than other events, so building momentum while starting on high bar is an uphill battle. An early fall on the event made for additional adversity. Kristian Grahovski cared little about the unique situation his team was in, and put up a routine that earned a 5th place finish. This team never gave up, even with errors on key routines, the Buckeyes continued to fight. Grahovski went on to claim third in the all-around competition with all six of his scores counting toward the team total.

All-Americans:

1. Kristian Grahovski (3rd AA, 5th HB)

2. Chase Davenport-Mills (7th FX)

Additional Noteworthy Performances

• Springfield’s Peyton Cramer finished 4th on pommel horse, earning All-American honors for the pride for the first time in over a decade

• Two Penn State gymnasts earned All-Around All-American honors. Landon Simpson finished 4th and Kellen Ryan placed 7th

• Navy’s Brian Solomon placed 5th All-Around, the highest All-Around finish for a Navy gymnast in history

• William & Mary’s Luke Tully placed 6th All-Around to claim the Tribes first ever All-Around All-American nod. 

CGA AWARD WINNERS

Nissen Emery Award

Michigan Wolverine Frederick Richard was your 2026 Nissen Emery Award Winner. The Nissen Emery Award is one of the highest honors in men’s gymnastics. This year’s group finalists were among the most competitive, including Asher Hong, Fuzzy Benas, Ignacio Yockers, Parker Thackston, and Asher Cohen. Richards is one of the most decorated NCAA gymnasts, with three NCAA all-around titles and four Big Ten all-around titles. His international contributions to Team USA at the Paris Olympics and World Championships help add to his accolades. Most importantly, Richard’s efforts to grow the sport of men’s gymnastics through social media and to get it in front of more people are among his most notable contributions. His goal is to show how truly great and underappreciated this sport is, and he is accomplishing this more and more as the years go on. 

Most Valuable Player

This year’s Most Valuable Player was historic. Greenville University, a Division III program, started men’s gymnastics right after the shutdown year, and this season the program broke historic team records, winning the Eastern College Athletic Conference championship and qualifying to its first NCAA Championships as a team. The team was led by many, but there is one notably dominant young force, Kyler Hinson. Hinson, the sophomore from North Carolina, did not see much competition last year, but this year was a major reason the Panthers qualified to their first NCAA Championships. Throughout the season, he claimed individual honors, winning the all-around at the ECAC Championships, the first Panther to do so, and was awarded regular season All-American honors. He won several all-around titles at meets throughout the season, earned Gymnast of the Week honors, and emerged as an all around breakout athlete. His rise helped lead the most historic season in program history, making him a fitting choice for this year’s Most Valuable Player.

Rookie of the Year

Oklahoma’s Sasha Bogonosiuk won this year's Rookie of the Year Award. Coming in as a freshman, Bogonosiuk has made an immediate impact on the Sooners’ lineups. He competed regularly in the floor exercise, vault, and parallel bars, while being ranked in the top ten on all three throughout the regular season. Before coming to Oklahoma, Bogonosiuk has competed internationally for Team USA and has been on the Junior US national team. His international experience and amazing credentials helped foreshadow a great freshman season for him and head coach Mark Williams. It will be great to see how Bogonosiuk will continue to contribute to the Sooner team with the remainder of his collegiate eligibility.