Men’s NCAA Gymnastics Week 1 Meet Snapshot

Written By Shelli Koszdin

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Nick Kuebler of Stanford gets ready for high bar.

The men’s NCAA and broader gymnastics community lost Nebraska assistant coach Jim Hartung, who entered into rest on January 10, 2026, at the age of 65, after 19 years with the program.

Husker Legend Jim Hartung Passes Away - University of Nebraska - Official Athletics Website

The Big Picture

Stanford starts the season ranked number 1 with both the highest team total score (320.1) and team D score (121.2), followed by Penn State (311.3, team D 113). Stanford achieved this without the services of Asher Hong and using only two routines from U.S. Sr. National Team member Junnosuke Iwai. Defending champion Michigan starts ranked fourth (behind California). Michigan stars Fred Richard, Jr., national team member Adam Lakomy, and floor standout Charlie Larson did not compete. Michigan also started last season in the 4th spot but ended up winning the NCAA Championship.

David Shamah of Stanford scored 79.15, and Brian Solomon of Navy scored 79.05 in the AA. Their 2025 highs were 75 for Shamah and 77.8 for Solomon, so they are off to a great start and could break into the 80+ range.

In alignment with the Federation formerly known as FIG, each element group requirement will now have to be D (as opposed to C as in 2025) to be awarded 0.5 by the D-Jury - except for EG I for all apparatus, where any letter element will still be awarded 0.5 EGR points. The question is how this will affect the exciting parity that we saw last season. My prediction is that it might increase the gap between the powerhouse teams and the others. On the other hand, much of the parity we saw last season was due to the drop from 10 to 8 skills and, most importantly, the 4-up-4-count format. Early signs indicate the change may not be too dramatic, as California and Stanford achieved higher total scores for their first meet this year than they did in 2025. Shamah and Solomon made significant improvements in their all-around score compared to last season.

DIII Greenville competed the third highest team D score week one, behind Stanford and Penn State, and ahead of Michigan and California.

Full results, rankings, and the upcoming schedule can be found at Road to Nationals - NCAA Gymnastics Rankings

Overview of pre-season rankings and roster changes - CGA 2026 Season Preview — College Gymnastics Association

2026 NCAA Week 1 Recap + Winter Cup Qualifiers Preview - Neutral Deductions | Podcast on Spotify

The Details

Teams with no neutral deductions - Greenville, Navy

Highest Team D score - Stanford (121.2)

Highest Team E score - Springfield (205.3)

14 + Club (excluding VT)

Nick Kuebler (Stan) - FX 14/5.1

Kiran Mandava (Stan) - PH 14.2/5.3

Zachary Green (Stan) HB - 14.1/5.3

Devon Felsenstein (Springfield) PH - 14.1/4.8

14.5 + Club (VT)

Kaleb Palacio (Springfield) 14.5/4.8

Achieved Winter Cup individual event specialist required D score for petition or higher

David Shamah (Stan) PB 5.5/13.77

Home scores are in red. Please point out any errors.

Full results, school official releases, and full video (if available) are linked below the score breakdowns.

Stanford @ California 1/9/26

Full results - Scoresheet 1.9 (PDF) - California Golden Bears Athletics

Bardana Sets School Record; Cal Wins Two Event Titles - California Golden Bears Athletics

Stanford Rolls to Season-Opening Win - Stanford Cardinal - Official Athletics Website

Virtius Official Stream - California vs Stanford - Men's NCAA Gymnastics

2023 NCAA floor champion Nick Kuebler returned to competition after missing all of 2025 and won floor with a score of 14.00.

Nathan Underhill, brother of Penn State’s Matt Underhill, made his debut for California on still rings.

Simpson, Greenville @ Michigan 1/10/26

Full results - Results: #1 Michigan 308.400, #13 Greenville 305.200, #15 Simpson 292.500 - University of Michigan Athletics

Wolverines Down No. 13 Greenville, No. 15 Simpson in 2026 Opener - University of Michigan Athletics

Men's gymnastics opens season at Michigan - Greenville University

Jones, Rollison lead Storm in opening meet - Simpson College (IA)

Full replay - Greenville and Simpson College vs. Michigan Men's Gymnastics (1-10-26)

Springfield @ Navy 1/10/26

Full results - 0110 Navy vs Springfield-MeetResults (PDF) - Naval Academy Athletics

Navy Opens Season with Hard Fought Victory over Springfield - Naval Academy Athletics

Navy Bests Men's Gymnastics - Springfield College

Full replay - Navy vs Springfield

Keep an eye on Kaleb Palacio. Springfield freshman Devon Felsenstein made his PH debut with a score of 14.1 to rank second in the nation, just behind Stanford’s Kiran Mandava’s 14.2.

Army @ Penn State 1/11/26

Shelli Koszdin
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Men’s NCAA Gymnastics rule Changes 2026