It all came down to a single vault. 

In Saturday’s NCAA Championships, No. 3 Stanford men’s gymnastics entered its final event – the parallel bars – with a 0.537 lead over No. 2 Michigan on vault. But after a flurry of dramatic sticks and standout performances, the fate of both teams rested on Michigan’s Paul Juda, who needed a vault over 13.803 to clinch the national title for the Wolverines. 

Juda posted a 13.966, and Stanford fell just 0.163 short of winning its sixth-straight NCAA Championships. With 332.224 points, Michigan ended its decade-long title drought in front of its home crowd in Ann Arbor after finishing as runner-ups to the Cardinal for the past two years. 

Stanford, finishing with 332.061 points, boasted the highest team difficulty score of the six-team field, which was decided in pre-qualifying sessions the day before. No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 4 Nebraska, No. 5 Penn State and No. 6 Illinois finished third through sixth, respectively.

Junior Asher Hong led the Cardinal’s upset over Oklahoma, earning first place on floor with a 14.600 and claiming his second-consecutive individual event title in the still rings. Senior Khoi Young (pommel horse, 14.333), senior Mark Berlaga (still rings, 14.200) and fifth-year Colt Walker (parallel bars, 14.133) secured top-three finishes in their respective events. With strong performances by senior Taylor Burkhart, senior Ian Lasic-Ellis and fifth-year Jeremy Bischoff, Stanford racked up 11 All-American honors.

The Cardinal opened their night on the high bars and floor, and after two rotations, trailed just 0.331 points behind Michigan in second place. Like most of the teams there, Stanford struggled the most on pommel horse, recording two falls, the lowest team score in the event and a drop to fourth place. 

As head coach Thom Glielmi said on the ESPN broadcast, “It’s not over until it’s over.” Strong showings on the still rings and vault kept Stanford in the hunt for the national title. On vault, Walker stuck the landing and Hong executed his signature Ri Se-Gwang — considered one of the most difficult vaults in the world — to propel Stanford into the lead, ready for its final showdown against Michigan. However, Michigan, led by 2024 Paris Olympians Juda and Fred Richard, maintained a level of precision and vigor that ultimately outpaced the defending champions.