Stanford Finishes Strong

FORT WORTH, Texas – No. 12 Stanford scored season-bests in two events and had multiple standout individual performances to finish fourth with a 196.075 Saturday night at the Metroplex Challenge.

Second-ranked Oklahoma posted the meet’s highest score with a 197.550, followed by No. 6 LSU (196.750), Washington (196.175), Stanford and No. 16 Missouri (195.825).

The Cardinal (7-4, 1-2 Pac-12) battled through a slow start on floor and vault to post season-best scores of 49.325 on bars and 49.300 on beam.

Elizabeth Price extended her winning streak in the all-around to four weeks with a season-best 39.600 to edge Oklahoma’s Chayse Capps (39.575) for the top spot. Price tied for the individual event victory on bars (9.950), tied for third on beam (9.900), tied for fourth on vault (9.875) and tied for sixth on floor (9.875).

Price has scored 9.825 or higher in 15-of-16 performances this season and 9.900 or higher in 28-of-41 performances during her collegiate career. She has registered 11 individual event victories in 20 possible events this season.

Ivana Hong continued to produce big scores in her events, tying for the individual event victory on beam with a 9.925 and tying for fifth on bars with a 9.900. It is the second consecutive week Hong has produced a 9.925 on beam and the second meet in a row she’s claimed the individual victory.

Nicolette McNair continued to be one of Stanford’s most consistent gymnasts, hitting each of her three routines for scores of 9.800 and above. She tied her season best on bars (9.875), set a season high on beam (9.850) and tied her season best on vault (9.800).  McNair has scored 9.800 or higher in 11-of-12 routines this season.

McNair has hit 83-of-89 routines (93 percent) on vault, bars and beam in her career. (Photo by Hector Garcia-Molina)

Rachel Daum made her season debut on floor and beam. She delivered a clutch performance on beam in the anchor position to score a 9.800 and prevent Stanford from having to count a missed routine from earlier in the rotation.

Stanford got off to a slow start on floor with a 48.550. Price led the team with a 9.875 and Haley Spector generated a 9.775.

The Cardinal built momentum on vault with five-of-six gymnasts scoring 9.725 or higher. Price again led the Cardinal in the event with a 9.875, followed by Nicolette McNair with a 9.800 and Taryn Fitzgerald with a 9.775.

After a bye in the third rotation, Stanford exploded on bars for a 49.325 – tying for the second-highest score of the meet. Nicolette McNair got the Cardinal started on a positive note with a 9.875. Price led the way for the third consecutive event with a 9.950 and Hong closed the rotation with a season-best 9.900.

The Cardinal finished the meet on a high note, scoring a meet-best 49.300 on beam in the final rotation. Nicolette McNair got Stanford off to a good start with a 9.850 but a fall in the second position meant the Cardinal would need to hit each of its next four routines.

Stanford delivered in a big way with Hong following the missed routine with one of the night’s best performances to earn a meet-high 9.925. Price followed with a 9.900 and Melissa Chuang earned a 9.825. Daum stepped to the beam for the first time this season and battled through her routine to earn a 9.800.

The Cardinal will look to build on its strong finish when it plays host to Arizona State on Feb. 8 at 6 p.m. in Burnham Pavilion.