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April 3, 2006

BERKELEY - WHAT'S AHEAD
The fifth-ranked California men's gymnastics team travels to the NCAA Championships this week, which are being held Thursday through Saturday at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Okla. The 64th annual event will be held at the Lloyd Noble Center. Team qualifying rounds begin at 1 p.m. CT on Thursday with the finals beginning on Friday at 7 p.m. CT. For more information about the competition, log onto www.soonersports.com.

THE OPPONENTS
The top 12 teams in the national rankings qualify to compete at the NCAA Championships based on their team average. The teams include MPSF Champions No. 1 Oklahoma (217.680), No. 2 Stanford (216.775), No. 3 Ohio State (214.620), No. 4 Illinois (213.910), No. 5 Cal (213.240), No. 6 Penn State (212.005), No. 7 Iowa (211.740), No. 8 Michigan (210.070), No. 9 Nebraska (206.580), No. 10 Minnesota (206.335), No. 11 William and Mary (205.990) and No. 12 Temple (202.990).

LAST YEAR'S COMPETITION
Cal finished fifth at last year's NCAA Championships with a team score of 220.275. Oklahoma captured the team title with an overall score of 225.675. The Sooners were followed by Ohio State (225.450), Illinois (223.750), Penn State (222.400), Cal and Michigan (219.775).

NCAA TRADITION
California has a rich history at the NCAA championships. The Bears have had 170 individual top 10 finishers since 1948, including 23 national champions. Cal has finished in the top five at NCAAs 15 times since 1959, including four times this decade. The Bears boast four national championships - 1968, '75, '97 and '98.

AGAINST THE NATION
On a national scale the Bears boast the top-ranked parallel bars average (36.265) and have the fourth highest average on the still rings (36.290). They also rank sixth on the high bar, with a team average of 36.030.

MPSF CHAMPIONSHIPS
Cal finished third at the 2006 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships March 25 at the Air Force Academy in Colorado. The Bears, with a team score of 216.450, finished behind top-ranked Oklahoma which came in first (219.175), followed by No. 2 Stanford (217.075). Nebraska took fourth (209.725), while Air Force placed fifth (184.725).

MCNEILL WINS ALL-AROUND COMPETITION
Tim McNeill won the all-around competition at the MPSF Championships with a combined score of 55.325 and posted above a 9.000 on five of six events. The sophomore took two individual event titles, winning the pommel horse with a score of 9.325 and he took top honors on the parallel bars (9.700). McNeill's parallel bars score was the highest total of the night on any event.

BEARS SET MEET-HIGH SCORE
On the parallel bars at the MPSF Championships, the Bears posted a meet high score of 37.350. Tim McNeill led Cal with a 9.700, while Kyson Bunthuwong recorded a 9.275 and placed third. Sophomore Tyler Block tallied a 9.250, while senior co-captain Shawn Mowry chipped in with a 9.125. On the high bar, four Cal gymnasts recorded a 9.000 or above. Colin Christ led the Bears with 9.375 and placed fourth. McNeill and Bunthuwong both recorded a 9.050, while Jason Pierce chipped in with a 9.000.

PARALLEL BAR POWER
Cal enters the NCAA competition with the highest parallel bar average in the country (36.265) and three gymnasts ranked among the top 10 athletes in the nation on that apparatus. McNeill ranks third on the parallel bars (9.290), while Block is sixth (9.060) and Mowry comes in at 10th (8.935).

CAL SETS SEASON-HIGH TEAM SCORE
Cal posted its highest team score of the season (219.100) on March 11 against Penn State (216.575), to conclude the regular season. The Bears placed first on four of six events. Block posted a top finish with a career high on the rings (9.725). Freshman Kyson Bunthuwong came in first on the parallel bars with a career high (9.525) and was the runner-up on the high bar (9.45) behind teammate, sophomore Colin Christ (9.500). McNeill took top honors on the pommel horse with a season best (9.55).

BEARS CONTINUE TO IMPROVE
Since their first competition (Jan. 13), the Bears have continued to improve their team score each week. In their home opener against Stanford on Jan. 13, the Bears tallied a 205.550. Since then, the Bears have recorded a 206.425, 209.950, 210.700, 212.650, 212.750, 219.100 and recorded a 216.450 at last weekend's MPSF Championships.

FABULOUS FRESHMAN
Freshman Kyson Bunthuwong has had a standout year since putting on a Golden Bear uniform in January, competing on five of six events for Cal. The El Cerrito native has posted high scores for the Bears and contributed significantly to their success this season. Bunthuwong's career-highs include a 9.100 on the floor exercise, 8.675 on the pommel horse, 8.550 on vault, 9.525 on the parallel bars and a 9.450 on the high bar.

BEST ON THE BLOCK
Sophomore Tyler Block, a native of Berkeley, currently boasts the seventh highest still rings average in the nation (9.430) as well as the sixth highest parallel bars average (9.060).

STAND OUT SENIOR
Senior co-captain Shawn Mowry, has contributed significantly on the floor exercise, pommel horse, vault and parallel bars for the Bears this season. Mowry currently holds the 10th highest parallel bar average in the country, at 8.935.

MCNEILL NAMED NATIONAL GYMNAST OF THE WEEK
McNeill was named the NCAA Division I Men's Gymnast of the Week, for March 13 after his performance against Penn State. The nomination is voted on by Division I head coaches. McNeill recorded above a 9.000 on five out of six events for the Bears during Cal's competition against Penn State on March 11. McNeill won the pommel horse with a season best (9.55), took second on vault (9.3) and placed third on the still rings (9.5). The native of Falls Church, Va., recorded a 9.175 on the floor exercise. That marked the first time he had ever competed on the floor exercise as a Bear. McNeill also posted a 9.050 on the parallel bars, leading the Bears to their highest team score of the season and first-place finish over the Nittany Lions, 219.100-216.575.

HEAD COACH Barry Weiner
Head coach Barry Weiner, who is in his 15th year at the helm for Golden Bear gymnastics, currently boasts an impressive 216-61-1 (.780) career record. Weiner led the Golden Bears to national championships in 1997 and 1998, a total of six Top 5 national finishes and has produced eight NCAA individual champions in his 14 seasons at Cal. Weiner was named National Coach of the Year in 1997 after leading the Bears to a perfect 17-0 regular season and the team's first NCAA team title since 1975. Cal then swept through the entire '98 season without a loss en route to its second-consecutive team championship. Following that season, Weiner was named Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Coach of the Year for the third time (he won the award for the fourth time in 2004) and National Coach of the Year for the second straight campaign.

ASSISTANT COACH Aaron Floyd
Aaron Floyd joins the Golden Bear coaching staff after spending four seasons (1999-2003) as a member of the Cal gymnastics team. Upon graduating from Cal with a degree in applied mathematics, Floyd began coaching with Golden Bear Gymnastics Club. In his two years there, he coached two Junior National Team members and was named Northern California Coach of the Year in 2005.