TEMPE, Ariz. – A strong start on bars and a season-best finish on beam lifted No. 19 Stanford to its fourth consecutive victory Saturday as it defeated Arizona State, 196.525-193.775.
The Cardinal (4-3-1, 2-1 Pac-12) outscored the Sun Devils (1-6, 0-2 Pac-12) in all four events and five Stanford gymnasts combined for nine top-three finishes.
“This team competes with confidence and competitiveness and are committed to bringing it every single time,” said Stanford head coach Kristen Smyth. “We still have things we want to add and will continue to improve on each event. There’s still a lot more we can do and that’s encouraging.”
Smyth added January has been a grind for her team, competing in five meets, and she’s proud of how they have competed during the first month of the season.
Taylor Rice continued to provide consistency and big scores for the Cardinal, finishing first in the all-around (39.500) and floor (9.825), and tying for first on beam (9.925). She earned second-place finishes on bars (9.875) and vault (9.875).
Rice set a career high in the all-around for the fourth time this season and her 9.925 on beam is a career best.
Hong finished first on bars with a 9.900 and tied for first on beam with a 9.925. It is her third individual event victory on beam and second on bars this season.
Rebecca Wing tied her season bests on beam (9.900) and bars (9.850), performing in the leadoff position in both events. She placed third on beam.
Samantha Shapiro produced a season-best 9.875 on bars to place second. She also contributed a 9.750 in the leadoff position on floor.
Stanford got off to a hot start on bars with the first five gymnasts scoring 9.850 or higher to earn a 49.325. Hong paced the Cardinal with a 9.900, followed by Rice and Shapiro who earned scores of 9.875. Wing tied her season best in the leadoff position with a 9.850, while Nicolette McNair contributed a 9.825.
The Cardinal continued its momentum on vault with four of five gymnasts earning a 9.800 or better to generate a 48.975 team score. Pauline Hanset and Rice led Stanford with scores of 9.875, while Danielle McNair and McNair scored a pair of 9.800s. Kristina Vaculik made her season debut after missing the first four meets of the season due to illness and registered a 9.625.
Stanford held a 98.300-97.350 lead at the midway point of the competition and showed no signs of slowing down as it headed to floor.
Stanford’s first five gymnasts hit their routines on floor, led by a 9.825 by Rice who placed first. Hanset and Haley Spector produced scores of 9.775, while Shapiro earned a 9.750 in the leadoff position. The Cardinal went 48.800 in the event and took a 147.100-146.375 into the final rotation.
The Cardinal provided the punctuation mark to its victory on beam, earning a season-best 49.425. It is the team’s highest score in the event since it went 49.450 at the 2014 NCAA Baton Rouge Regional.
Hong tied her career high and Rice set a career best, earning scores of 9.925 to tie for first. Wing tied her season high of 9.900 to place second. Vaculik sealed the night with a terrific performance to earn a 9.875.
“I believe we are one of the top bars and beam teams in the country,” said Smyth. “Becky has been leading us off with poise and confidence - she sets the tone with her exquisite work. We also have strong veteran leadership from Ivana, Kristina, Paul and Taylor."
Stanford will look to continue its momentum next week when it travels to Bay Area rival California on Saturday at 12 p.m. (PT).