April 25, 2008
Athens, Ga. - Stanford women's gymnastics equaled their highest finish in school history Friday night at the Super Six with a third place finish after a team score of 196.750. It was another team effort as the host Georgia Gym Dogs continued their strong run at home and won their fourth national championship in a row behind a team score of 197.450. The Utes of Utah finished as the runner-up for the third straight year after a mark of 197.125.
The Cardinal has performed admirably all weekend-long in the very hostile environment, and the culmination of the season ending with a top three national finish was a just reward. Stanford beat out three SEC teams tonight in the heart of SEC country here in Athens, Ga.
There were many gutsy performances tonight, probably no more so than Heather Purnell, who scored a big 9.850 on beam to really push the Cardinal to their finish. Senior Liz Tricase also put forth a big 9.925 routine on vault to propel the Cardinal into the third spot. Senior Tabitha Yim once again put forth a huge effort in the all-around, with a 39.450 score. Sophomore Carly Janiga also put forth a big effort in the all-around as she scored a 39.375 in the all-around.
Overall the Cardinal scored 49.225 in bars and floor, which were their two best events of the night. It was an incredible performance by the Stanford women's gymnastics team, who will look for three straight trips to the "Super Six", when they begin their 2009 season next January.
The Cardinal is still not done for the season just quite yet though. Tabitha Yim will compete in the bars and beam individual competitions and Liz Tricase will compete on bars. Nicole Ourada will also compete on beam, which will give the Cardinal three gymnasts in the individual competition. These competitions are scheduled to take place Saturday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. EST.
Final Standings:
University of Georgia: 197.450
University of Utah: 197.125
Stanford University: 196.750
University of Florida: 196.700
LSU: 196.350
University of Alabama: 196.125