Feb. 20, 2004
STANFORD, Calif. - On senior night, the seniors didn't disappoint, leading the Stanford University women's gymnastics team to a 198.875-195.750 win over the Cal Bears, breaking the previous school record of 197.850. The 198.875 is the highest national single meet score in the country. The Cardinal also set many other team records, earning national season highs of 49.600 on the uneven bars, 49.750 on the balance beam and 49.925 in the floor exercise.
A crowd of 1,212 packed Burnham Pavilion to witness the record setting performance. With the win, the Cardinal improve to 6-3 on the year, while the Bears fall to 7-4 on the season.
"When I think of the five seniors, I think of unbelievable leadership, an amazing amount of heart, and an absolute love for the sport," said Stanford Head Coach Kristen Smyth.
In fitting fashion, it was the seniors who led the Cardinal from the opening rotation to the final performance of the evening. Senior All-American Lise L?veill? earned perfect 10.000s on the balance beam on the floor exercise, while fellow senior All-American's Caroline Fluhrer and Lindsay Wing each recorded a perfect 10.000 on floor. The perfect scores were the first for Fluhrer and L?veill?, while Wing earned her second on the season.
Senior Shelly Goldberg set the tone for the Cardinal by registering a season-high 9.900 on the vault. The Cardinal received other outstanding performances on vault from sophomores Natalie Foley and Jessica Louie who each earned 9.925, marking a new career high for Louie. L?veill? captured first in the event with a 9.950, helping Stanford set a new program record on vault with a score of 49.600.
Leading Cal 49.600-49.025 after the first rotation, the Cardinal moved to the uneven bars, where they kept the pressure on the Bears with a team score of 49.600. Foley, who had a scary incident in last week's dual meet at Oklahoma, showed no fear, posting the highest score of the evening with a 9.975. Fluhrer and Wing were right behind her with identical scores of 9.950, while freshman Stacy Sprando set a new career-high with a 9.900.
The Cardinal moved to the beam in the third rotation, where the Cardinal really shined, breaking the previous program record of 49.575 with a score of 49.750. L?veill?, who fell on bars in the previous rotation, showed the mental toughness of a true champion, earning her first career perfect 10.000. L?veill? wasn't the only Cardinal to perform well on the beam, as senior Kendall Beck, competing in just her second meet of the season, started the Cardinal by earning a 9.900. Foley and Wing turned in outstanding performances, each earning 9.975 scores, while Fluhrer registered a 9.900.
"When L?veill? made that mistake on bars, it wasn't necessarily a bad mistake. She was being aggressive and that is what you want. But she is so mentally tough. I talked to her earlier in the week about the balance beam, because it has been her signature event over the years, but she has really been working hard on vault and bars. We talked about bringing that type of spark back to the beam and she did that tonight."
With three rotations down and just the floor exercise remaining, the Cardinal needed a strong performance to seal the win. The Cardinal were more than up to the task, scoring a program-best 49.925. Goldberg again set the tone for the Cardinal, recording a career-high 9.950. Wing followed Goldberg's performance with her first-ever perfect 10.000 on floor. Next up was Louie who was near flawless, earning a career-high 9.975, followed by Foley, who tallied a 9.950. L?veill? then stepped on the floor and performed an outstanding routine to earn her second perfect score of the night. Fluhrer closed the evening with another flawless routine, earning her first-ever perfect score and putting an exclamation on the Cardinal's victory.
The Cardinal captured the top four spots in the all-around with Foley and Wing sharing top honors with identical scores of 39.825. Foley and Wing's score tied the program high for the all-around. Fluhrer took third with a score of 39.700, while L?veill? tallied 39.425 to take fourth.
"I think it really helped their (the team) confidence tonight to go out and perform the way that they can and be rewarded for it. Getting off to such a strong start was a momentum builder and then when one performer went out and nailed their routine, it just helped the next performer." added Smyth.
The Cardinal hit the road for their final two regular season meets, competing first at No. 18 Oregon State at Gill Coliseum on Friday, February 27th, and then at Maryland on March 6th.