April 16, 2004
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - The Stanford University women's gymnastics team made history Friday night as they tied Alabama for third place at the NCAA Super Six national championship with a score of 197.125, at Pauley Pavilion. Host UCLA took home first place with a team score of 198.125. The third place finish for the Cardinal is the best in school history.
Florida finished fifth with a score of 196.800, while Utah took home sixth with a score of 195.775.
"This whole year has been magical," said Stanford Head Coach Kristen Smyth. "It really has been a storybook season. This team has accomplished so much, winning the Pac-10 title, winning a regional title and now finishing third at nationals."
The third place finish culmination of four years of hard work and dedication by five outstanding seniors. Kendall Beck, Caroline Fluhrer, Shelly Goldberg, Lise L?veill? and Lindsay Wing have accomplished more during their tenure on The Farm than any other class in program history.
"These five seniors, it's amazing what they have accomplished. It's historical. They have put Stanford women's gymnastics on the map as a national power with what they have accomplished. I've never had the pleasure of coaching a better group than them. There are no words for what they have meant to the program and for Stanford University. This third place finish is a testament to them and it sets the table for the future,"
Stanford started the evening on the balance beam, an event in which the Cardinal finished the regular season ranked No. 2 in the nation on. The Cardinal didn't disappoint, tallying a team score of 49.250. Senior All-American Kendall Beck got things going with a 9.775, followed by fellow senior All-American Caroline Fluhrer, who tallied a 9.800. Sophomore All-American Natalie Foley and senior All-American Lise L?veill? nailed back-to-back big routines to earn identical scores of 9.875. After freshman Stacy Sprando earned a 9.700, senior All-American Lindsay Wing turned in an outstanding performance, earning a 9.925.
After a bye in rotation two, the Cardinal moved to the floor exercise. In last night's team preliminaries, Stanford rallied on floor to score a 49.475 and tie for first place in Session I. The Cardinal tallied a solid 49.325. Senior Shelly Goldberg was first up for the Cardinal and earned a 9.800. After a 9.750 by Wing, sophomore Jessica Louie earned a 9.850 followed by a 9.900 by Fluhrer. Foley's 9.875 and L?veill?'s 9.900 closed out the competition for the Cardinal.
Stanford was in third place after three rotations with a team score of 98.575 and within striking distance of leader UCLA who was at 99.100. The Cardinal headed to the vault in rotation four, and tallied a team score of 49.350. Goldberg earned a 9.700 to get things going for the Cardinal. The next four performers scored a 9.900 or better. Fluhrer registered a 9.900, followed by Louie, who earned a 9.925. L?veill? matched Louie with a 9.925, while Foley nailed a 9.900.
The Cardinal finished the meet on the uneven bars where they tallied a team score of 49.200. Louie started the rotation with 9.725, followed by a 9.875 by L?veill?. Wing earned a 9.900, while Foley scored a 9.750. Sophomore All-American Glyn Sweets, who had been hampered with injuries all season, scored a 9.775, while Fluhrer closed out the rotation with a 9.900.
L?veill? finished fifth in the all-around with a 39.575, while Fluhrer finished seventh with a score of 39.500. Foley tied for ninth with a 39.400.
"It's so exciting to finish third," said Wing. "Tonight was awesome. It was more about enjoying the competition and enjoying being with each other. This whole season, we've become so close as a team."
Foley, Fluhrer, and Wing will compete in the individual finals on Saturday night. Foley will compete on the vault, bars and floor, while Fluhrer will compete on bars and floor. Wing one of the best beam performers in the country will compete on the balance beam.