Men’s NCAA Qualifying Sessions Under Way

No real surprises in today's first, sparsely-attended qualifying session at the men's NCAA Championships in Norman, with top seeds Michigan, Penn State and Stanford advancing in an error-filled meet. All three teams had their troubles, with Michigan starting soft on horse (three misses), but rocking floor and vault to come out ahead of the No. 2-ranked Nittany Lions, who put up the day's best rings total, but had multiple misses on p-bars and high bar.

Defending champs Stanford were a distant third, but still finished a comfortable three points ahead of fourth-place Ohio State. Low team tallys on rings and high bar contributed to the Cardinal's 348.5 total--almost five points behind Michigan.

Despite an uneven day that included a 13.5 start on pommel horse (missed his hand on dismount), National Team member Sam Mikulak, the 2011 NCAA Champ, led the AA standings for the session with an impressive 89.3. Bulgarian World Team member Eddie Penev (Stanford) and Mikulak's teammate and fellow U.S. team member Adrian de los Angeles (with falls on pommels and rings) rounded out the top three, but both finished well below Mikulak's mark.

The second session, featuring No.1-ranked hosts Oklahoma, and Championship-hopeful Illinois, should see a larger crowd and plenty of action between the two teams that most consider favorites to take it all tomorrow tonight. Competition resumes in Norman at 7:00 PM CT. Live, streaming web coverage with commentary from Olympic medalist Raj Bhavsar is available online at ncaa.com/liveschedule.

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