April 12, 2003
Salt Lake City, Utah - Top-seeded Stanford finished second at the North Central Regional tonight in the John M. Huntsman Center on the campus of the University of Utah with a 196.625. The hosting Utes finished first with a 196.975 as both teams advance to the NCAA Championships in two weeks. Freshman Natalie Foley finished the night with a 39.350 to take second in the All-Around.
Stanford took a bye in the first rotation, but came out ready to perform in the second rotation with strong set of performances on the floor. Junior Caroline Fluhrer (Seattle, WA) topped the Cardinal group with a 9.825 as the Cardinal posted a 48.850.
In the third rotation Stanford moved to vault where freshman Natalie Foley (Englewood, CO) posted a 9.900 to lead the squad and tie for first on the evert, while fellow freshman Glyn Sweets (Reston, VA) backed her up with a 9.875 and a tie for third place. With a 49.225 team total on vault, the Cardinal held second place halfway through the competition with a 98.075.
After a bye, the Cardinal moved to the uneven bars for the fifth rotation. After a long delay due to equipment difficulties with the uneven bars, Stanford began competition. Despite the waiting period, the Cardinal posted its highest team total so far of the night with a 49.175. Fluhrer, Sweets and junior Lindsay Wing (Cypress, TX) each posted a 9.850. Utah closed out their final rotation with senior Theresa Kulikowski notching a 10.000 on the balance beam, securing a first place finish for the Utes who posted a Regional-high team mark of 49.600.
Stanford wrapped up competition on the beam in the final rotation. The Cardinal started off with junior Kendall Beck (San Antonio, TX) scoring a 9.875. Sweets followed with a 9.850 before Foley recorded a second 9.875 for the Cardinal. Wing then tallied a 9.900 as she tied for third place before senior Kelsey Stillinger (Los Gatos, CA) ended the night with the third 9.875 on beam for the highest team total at 49.375.
The Cardinal's strong performance on beam secured second place and a berth to the NCAA Championships in Lincoln, Neb. On April 24-26 along with Utah. Complete results from the North Central Regional can be found at www.utahutes.com.
NCAA North Central Region Championship
April 12, 2003
Salt Lake City, Utah
Final Team Standings:
*1. Utah, 196.975
*2. Stanford, 196.625
3. Denver, 195.350
4. California, 195.025
5. Minnesota, 193.125
6. Brigham Young, 192.400
*advance to NCAA Championships in Lincoln, Nebraska (April 24-26)
Top Finishers and Stanford Results:
Vault: 1t. Melissa Vituj (Utah) 9.900; 1t. Natalie Foley (Stanford) 9.900; 3t. Annabeth Eberle (Utah) 9.875; 3t. Glyn Sweets (Stanford) 9.875
Kendall Beck 9.850, Lise L?veill? 9.825, Shelly Goldberg 9.775, Caroline Fluhrer 9.750
Stanford Total: 49.225
Uneven Bars: 1. Theresa Kulikowski (Utah) 9.900; 2t. Kim Allan (Utah) 9.875; 2t. Annabeth Eberle (Utah) 9.875
Caroline Fluhrer 9.850, Glyn Sweets 9.850, Lindsay Wing 9.850, Natalie Foley 9.825, Lise L?veill? 9.800, Alissa Cooper 9.725
Stanford Total: 49.175
Balance Beam: 1. Theresa Kulikowski (Utah) 10.000; 2. Melissa Vituj (Utah) 9.950; 3t. Gritt Hoffman (Utah) 9.900; 3t. Lindsay Wing (Stanford) 9.900
Kendall Beck 9.875, Natalie Foley 9.875, Kelsey Stillinger 9.875, Glyn Sweets 9.850, Lise L?veill? 9.375
Stanford Total: 49.375
Floor Exercise: 1. Melissa Vituj (Utah) 9.925; 2t. Karyssa Ancellotti (Denver) 9.900; 2t. Emily Bankhead (Denver) 9.900; 2t. Alicia Opsahl (Minnesota) 9.900.
Caroline Fluhrer 9.825, Lindsay Wing 9.775, Mandy Delgado 9.750, Natalie Foley 9.750, Lise L?veill? 9.750, Shelly Goldberg 9.675
Stanford Total: 48.850
All-Around:
1. Annabeth Eberle (Utah) 39.450; 2. Natalie Foley (Stanford) 39.350; 3. Michelle Kasuga (Denver) 39.325