By JACOB JOHNSON

Red and white dominated Burnham Pavilion last Saturday as Stanford men’s gymnastics took on Nebraska. In its first home dual meet of the season, the No. 2 Cardinal easily dispatched the Cornhuskers, 357.600-341.150.

Stanford’s score was the team’s second highest point total of the season. They even did it without their top two competitors, U.S. National Team members redshirt junior Sho Nakamori and senior Dave Sender.

“Considering Nakamori and Sender were out, I think the depth and character of this team really showed,” said head coach Thom Glielmi. “They competed well and stayed focused throughout.”

Senior Chris Harper echoed his coach’s comments.

“I think this weekend showed that we really have depth, it showed that we don’t just rely on Dave and Sho to get us through meets.”

Although Nebraska lacks the talent to challenge the Stanford gymnasts, the meet did serve as a warning to the rest of the NCAA: The Cardinal is loaded with talent and nothing less than a national championship will do.

The Cardinal men began competition on floor exercise, where redshirt sophomore Greg Ter-Zakhariants topped all scores with an outstanding routine. His score of 15.750 was a season best.

Freshman Josh Dixon followed up with another great performance, but was unable to land his tuck full-out dismount. The rest of the lineup produced solid performances on floor, including junior Bryant Hadden (14.850), freshman Ryan Lieberman (15.000), redshirt senior co-captain Dylan Carney (15.000) and senior Eli Alcaraz (14.900). Stanford swept the event, as Nebraska was only able to muster a high score of 14.800.

Pommel horse was next, and Stanford once again dominated. Hadden placed second with a routine that Glielmi described as “smooth” and “unhurried.” His score of 15.000 was surpassed only by Harper, who scored a 15.150.

“I’m at the point of the season where I’m settling into my rhythm,” said Harper. “I think that’s true of everybody; I think everybody is starting to get more comfortable with their sets heading into the middle of our season.”

It certainly seemed that way on Saturday. Sophomore Eric Hergenrader led off for the Cardinal on pommel horse with a good set, and the team continued to build momentum as they moved on to still rings.

Despite a relatively low start value to his routine, freshman Alex Buscaglia executed a solid routine and stuck his landing to earn a final score of 14.250. It was the first time he scored higher than a 14 on the season. Fellow freshman Tim Gentry had a good set as well. Hadden tied for first in the event with a score of 14.900.

Alcaraz, after a disappointing performance at the Winter Cup just one week earlier, nailed his vault to give the Cardinal some much-needed energy going into the last two rotations. He scored a meet and season best of 15.800.

On parallel bars, Harper got the ball rolling with a solid routine. Due to early season shoulder problems, it was his first parallel bars competition this season. Even though he received a three tenths deduction for an extra swing in the middle of his set, he was happy with the result.

“[Tonight] was my best horse routine of the year,” he said. “I had a few issues on [parallel bars] but I got through it and finished pretty strong.”

Hadden had the highest score on parallel bars with a score of 15.200, while Dixon, Lieberman and redshirt freshman Nick Noone all hit their sets. High bar was also a strong event for the Card. Josh Dixon’s routine was the highlight of the event, and his score of 15.000 was the highest of his collegiate career.

Without a doubt, the MVP of the meet was Hadden. With Nakamori and Sender absent, the junior was asked to compete in five of six events. He responded by placing first in parallel bars and still rings, and coming in second on pommel horse and high bar.

The Stanford men compete again this Saturday at the Pacific Coast Classic in Oakland. Some of the top collegiate programs from around the country will be competing, including Cal, Illinois, and 2007 NCAA runner-up Oklahoma. The meet begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Oakland Convention Center.

Contact Jacob Johnson at twoj@stanford.edu.