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April 8, 2006
Stanford, Ca - Stanford's Tabitha Yim claimed the All-Around title at the NCAA Women's Gymnastics West Regional Championship before a crowd of 3,173 fans at Maples Pavilion on Saturday night with a score of 39.525, while Oregon State's Tasha Smith finished in second place with a 39.375. Natalie Foley and Alabama's Ashley Miles tied for third in the All-Around with identical 39.225 scores. Yim and Foley qualified for the NCAA Championships as the top All-Around competitors from non-qualifying teams.
Yim also captured the Bars title and finished tied for first on Beam.
Alabama and Oregon State finished first and second, respectively, in the team competition. The Crimson Tide posted a 196.475 to capture one of the two automatic bids to the NCAA Championhip later this month along with the Beavers, who edged the host Cardinal out of second place with a 195.800 mark. Stanford finished in third place with a 195.275 team score.
"Alabama and Oregon State did a great job tonight," said Stanford head coach Kristen Smyth. "This hurts a lot, because this team worked so hard all year. This is an amazing group of kids and I hurt for them, but we'll be back next year stronger than ever."
San Jose State finished fourth in the team standings with a 192.375 score, while Sacramento State captured fifth place with a 192.050 mark. Boise State, making its 20th straight post-season appearance, rounded out the team scoring with a 189.850 to finish sixth.
Stanford entered the final rotation trailing Oregon State in the team standings by a slim margin, 146.925-146.550. The Cardinal got outstanding floor routines from Natalie Foley and Tabitha Yim, who notched 9.875 and 9.850 scores, respectively, but it wasn't enough as the Beavers remained steady on the beam to post a 48.875 and hold on to second place. Claire Pierce led Oregon State with a 9.875 on beam, while the Beavers finished off a 195.800 mark to capture a spot in the NCAA Championship that will be hosted in their home arena, Gill Coliseum.
The competition was tight at the top after three rotations, as Stanford surged to the lead with a score of 98.425. The Cardinal was followed closely by Oregon State, which posted a 98.000 score at the half way mark, while Alabama was in third place with a 97.975 mark at the meet's midway point.
Stanford pushed to the front of the pack after an outstanding performance on Bars, falling just short of the team's season high by scoring a 49.275 during the third rotation. Yim and Nicole Ourada each broke the 9.900 barrier, with Yim tallying a meet-high 9.950 and Ourada scoring a 9.900.
Alabama took over the lead following the fourth rotation, as the Crimson Tide notched a 49.150 team score on the Bars to bring their overall score to 147.125, while the Cardinal struggled on the balance beam. Alabama got a team-high 9.900 on bars, and Mari Bayer followed that up with a 9.850. Stanford mustered a 48.125 team mark on the Beam to bring its overall mark to 146.550, and was led by a 9.900 score from Yim and a 9.850 score by Kelly Fee.
Alabama notched a meet-best 49.100 on vault, with Brittany Magee and Miles each recording 9.900 scores to tie for first place. After recording a 48.875 on Floor Exercise, the Crimson Tide stormed back with a 49.125 on bars before capping the first place finish with an outstanding 49.350 team score on Beam. Terin Humphrey led Alabama on beam, tying with Stanford's Yim for first place with a 9.900.
Team Results
1. Alabama - 196.475
2. Oregon State - 195.800
3. Stanford - 195.275
4. San Jose State - 192.375
5. Sacramento State - 192.050
6. Boise State - 189.850
All-Around
1. Tabitha Yim, Stanford - 39.525
2. Tasha Smith, Oregon State - 39.375
3. Natalie Foley, Stanford - 39.225
3. Ashley Miles, Alabama - 39.225
Other Stanford Competitors: 12. Nicole Ourada 38.275
Bars
1. Tabitha Yim, Stanford - 9.950
2. Nicole Ourada, Stanford - 9.900
2. Melanie Banville, Alabama - 9.900
Other Stanford Competitors: 5. Natalie Foley 9.850; 5. Kelly Fee 9.850; 9. Glyn Sweets 9.825; 28. Liz Tricase 9.550
Beam
1. Tabitha Yim, Stanford - 9.900
1. Terin Humphrey, Alabama - 9.900
3. Melanie Banville, Alabama - 9.875
3. Erin Rightley, Alabama - 9.875
Other Stanford Competitors: 6. Kelly Fee 9.850; 13. Natalie Foley 9.750; 35. Nicole Ourada 9.425; 37. Lauren Elmore 9.200; 40. Glyn Sweets 9.050
Floor Exercise
1. Ashley Miles, Alabama - 9.900
1. Brittany Magee, Alabama - 9.900
3. Tabitha Yim, Stanford - 9.875
3. Tasha Smith, Oregon State - 9.875
Other Stanford Competitors: 5. Natalie Foley 9.850; 7. Liz Tricase 9.825; 13. Alex Pintchouk 9.750; 29. Kelly Fee 9.425; 36. Nicole Ourada 9.125
1. Ashley Miles, Alabama - 9.900
1. Brittany Magee, Alabama - 9.900
3. Liz Tricase, Stanford - 9.850
3. Ashley Houghting, Washington - 9.850
Other Stanford Competitors: 6. Tasha Smith 9.880; 8. Tabitha Yim 9.800; 8. Glyn Sweets 9.800; 13. Natalie Foley 9.775; 32. Alex Pintchouk 9.575