Pac-12 Championships • Session I
No. 19 Stanford (11-6, 4-4 Pac-12)
No. 17 Washington (7-8, 2-4 Pac-12)
No. 21 Arizona (5-5, 2-4 Pac-12)
Arizona State (1-11, 0-6 Pac-12)
Sat., March 19 • 1 p.m. (PT)
Alaska Airlines Arena • Seattle
Television • Pac-12 Networks
Live Statistics • Available via GoStanford.com
Admission • Adult ($20), Youth/Senior ($10)
STANFORD, Calif. – No. 19 Stanford will pursue its sixth conference title at the Pac-12 Championships Saturday at 1 p.m. (PT) in Seattle, Washington.
The Cardinal hit 23-of-24 routines at last year’s conference championships to finish third and register its 15th consecutive top-four finish. Stanford has scored 197.175 at each of the past two Pac-12 Championships.
Stanford’s past two trips to Washington for the Pac-12 Championships were successful ones, winning the 2001 and 2008 conference titles.
The Cardinal will compete in Session I and is joined by No. 17 Washington, No. 21 Arizona and Arizona State.
Stanford’s Pac-12 Championships History
• Stanford has finished no lower than fourth over the past 15 conference championships, including all 14 seasons under head coach Kristen Smyth. Since the conference championships began in 1987, UCLA has won 16 titles, Oregon State has claimed six, the Cardinal holds five and Utah claimed its second victory in 2015.
• Stanford finished first at the conference championships in 1998, 2001, 2004, 2006 and 2008.
Highlights from the 2015 Pac-12 Championships.
Consistently One of the Best in the Country
• Stanford is one of seven teams in the nation to make at least seven Super Six appearances in the past 14 years (2002-15). (Alabama-13, Utah-11, Georgia-10, UCLA-9, Florida-9, Stanford-7, Nebraska-7)
• Stanford returned to the NCAA Championships for the 12th time in the past 15 years in 2015, six gymnasts combined for nine All-America honors and the Cardinal finished fifth at the NCAA Championships with a 197.250 – the team’s second-highest score ever at an NCAA Championships competition.
• A misconception about the Cardinal is that it starts slow and comes out of nowhere during championship season. However, it should not be a surprise and is not a fluke, as evidenced by the team consistently finishing among the top in the nation.
• The Cardinal coaching staff enters each season with a carefully calculated outline of goals for different points during the season. A major focus for the beginning of the season is on consistency, building depth in lineups and health. As the season continues, the Cardinal adds difficulty and unique elements to routines to ensure it peaks during postseason competition.
Ending on a High Note
• Stanford tied or set season bests in each event to earn a season-best 197.400 and the victory against No. 7 UCLA and No. 10 Georgia in its regular-season finale in Los Angeles (March 6).
• The Cardinal went 49.250 or higher in each event and registered meet-best scores on bars (49.525) and beam (49.375). Seven Stanford gymnasts combined for nine top-five finishes.
• It was Stanford's second victory of the season against Georgia, marking the first time in program history the Cardinal beat the Bulldogs twice in one season - let alone both times away from home. It was Stanford's first victory against UCLA in Los Angeles since Jan. 9, 2011, at the season-opening Pac-12 Showcase (196.625-195.925).
Highlights from Stanford's victory against UCLA and Georgia.
Price Continues to Dominate
• Elizabeth Price has won the all-around in seven of the eight meets she has competed in the event this season, including a season-best 39.675 in her most recent meet against UCLA and Georgia (March 6). She is tied for third in the nation in the all-around with an RQS of 39.570.
• Price won the all-around for the seventh time this season (39.675), tied for the individual win on bars (9.975), placed second on vault (9.975) and tied for fourth on floor (9.900) against UCLA and Georgia.
• Price has scored 9.825 or higher in 32-of-35 performances this season and 9.900 or higher in 39-of-60 performances during her collegiate career. She has registered 26 individual event victories in 42 possible events this season.
• Price was named the Pac-12 Gymnast of the Week each of the first three weeks of the season and picked up her fourth honor after the UCLA and Georgia meet. She became the fifth gymnast in Pac-12 history to earn four Gymnast of the Week honors in one season (Kirsten Maloney, UCLA, 2005; Vanessa Zamarripa, UCLA, 2013; Makayla Stambaugh, Oregon State, 2013; Georgia Dabritz, Utah, 2015; Elizabeth Price, Stanford, 2016).
Highlights of Elizabeth Price's performances against UCLA and Georgia.
Consistency from McNair
• Nicolette McNair continued her consistency, scoring 9.850 in all three events against UCLA and Georgia.
• McNair has scored 9.800 or higher in 26-of-27 routines this season and has hit 98-of-104 routines (94 percent) on vault, bars and beam in her career.
Nicolette McNair has been one of Stanford's most consistent gymnasts this season.
Hong Provides Leadership
• Ivana Hong has been a leader in and out of the gym throughout her career and has continued her role in her final season. She tied for second on bars (9.925), tied for eighth on beam (9.850) and made her season debut on vault with a 9.850 against UCLA and Georgia. Hong has five individual event victories this season spanning six meets from Jan. 18-Feb. 20 – three individual wins on beam and two on bars.
• Hong was named the Pac-12 Specialist of the Week on Feb. 2 for her standout performances on bars (9.900) and beam (9.925) at the Metroplex Challenge.
A Welcome Return
• Melissa Chuang missed the 2015 season due to injury but has made immediate contributions in 2016. She scored 9.925 on beam to tie for third against UCLA and Georgia. It was her third score of 9.900 or higher on beam this year. Chuang has hit all eight of her beam routines this season and scored 9.825 in six-of-nine performances.
• At Georgia (Jan. 18), Chuang provided the decisive performance on beam with a 9.900 to earn the victory for the Cardinal. She also contributed scores on vault and floor.
Melissa Chuang is a key member of Stanford's vault, beam and floor lineups.
Spector Providing Power on Floor
• Haley Spector has provided big scores on floors the past four competitions, going 9.925 at Arizona, 9.900 against No. 5 Utah, 9.800 at No. 20 Oregon State and 9.875 against No. 7 UCLA and No. 10 Georgia. She tied for first place at Arizona and tied for second against the Utes. Spector’s contributions on floor are crucial and help bolster the Cardinal’s lineup in the event.
Consistency Counts
• Danielle McNair continues to contribute scores on a weekly basis, including a season-best 9.875 on bars. She is 8-for-9 on vault, 7-for-8 on bars and 1-for-2 on beam in hit routines this season.
• McNair performed the first beam routine of her collegiate career against Arizona State (Feb. 8) and earned a 9.700. McNair has scored 9.700 or higher in 15-of-19 performances this season.
Daum Returns
• Junior Rachel Daum missed the first three meets of the season as she recovered from a minor injury. She has contributed scores on beam and floor in each of the past four weeks. Daum tied for third on beam with a 9.925 and scored a season-best 9.825 on floor against UCLA and Georgia.
Rachel Daum continues her ascension in high scores after missing the early part of the season due to injury.
A Fresh Start
• Freshman Taryn Fitzgerald has been a solid addition to Stanford’s lineup on vault, beam and floor but was injured in practice the week after taking on No. 5 Utah and is out for the season.
• Fitzgerald competed in three events at Georgia and made significant contributions. She produced a 9.725 on floor and contributed a 9.775 on beam to help spark a strong finish by the Cardinal in the event.
Doing It All
• Taylor Rice was Stanford’s primary all-around competitor a year ago and continues to be a key contributor in each event. The 2015 Pac-12 First Team selection in the all-around earned her first victory of the season in the event with a 39.075 against Arizona State. She went 39.100 in the all-around at Arizona, falling .100 shy of her season best.
• Rice has competed in the all-around in 17 of the past 23 meets, dating back to the 2015 season opener. She has competed in 150 events throughout her career – the most of any current Stanford gymnast.
Rotation Schedule
• Here is the rotation order for the first session of the Pac-12 Championships.
Washington: beam, floor, vault, bars
Stanford: vault, bars, beam, floor
Arizona: bars, beam, floor, vault
Arizona State: floor, vault, bars, beam
In the Rankings
• Stanford is ranked in the top 25 in the following events based on its Regional Qualifying Score:
Vault: T-12th, 49.120
Bars: 12th, 49.220
Beam: T-11th, 49.195
• Stanford gymnasts are ranked in the top 25 in the following events based on their Regional Qualifying Score:
All-Around
Elizabeth Price, T-3rd, 39.570
Vault
Elizabeth Price, T-6th, 9.915
Bars
Elizabeth Price, 3rd, 9.940
Floor
Elizabeth Price, T-22nd, 9.905