Two weeks after placing second at the MPSF Championships, No. 2 Stanford men’s gymnastics (15-3) will travel to West Point, New York this weekend to rally for its sixth national title at the NCAA Championships.

Stanford will compete in session one against No. 3 Ohio State, No. 6 Penn State, No. 7 Nebraska, No. 10 Air Force and No. 11 Michigan. The top three teams in each of the Friday sessions will advance to Saturday’s finals.

The Cardinal’s major competition will come should they reach Saturday’s finals. No. 1 Oklahoma remains the only collegiate team to have beaten Stanford this season, edging out a victory in a March 4 dual meet and in the recent MPSF Championships. Taking down the nation’s number one team will be a tough task, and Stanford will rely heavily on senior star Akash Modi over the weekend.

Modi is coming off a record-breaking season. The senior took the MPSF all-around title with a score of 88.000 and was later named the MPSF Gymnast of the Year for the fourth consecutive season. Modi became the first gymnast in MPSF history to receive the award all four years of his collegiate career.

Modi is joined by a strong Cardinal team, which has several gymnasts ranked in the top 10 nationally on events. Sophomore Josiah Eng has earned five event titles on still rings this season, placing him second in the country on the apparatus. Junior Robert Neff, a member of the U.S. Senior National Team, has shown consistency as well this season, holding the third ranking on high bar. Stanford will also rely on senior Taylor Seaton, who has dominated this year, currently ranked in the top 25 in four of six events.

With what will be the final competitive weekend for seniors Modi, Seaton, Jordan DeClerk, Andrew Misiolek and Drew Willoughby, Stanford will hope to deliver a top team score in order to have a chance to take down the top-ranked Oklahoma Sooners.

The Cardinal will compete in session one of the NCAA Championships on Friday at 10 a.m.

Contact Laura Anderson at lauraand ‘at’ stanford.edu.