Comeback Cardinal

Lead Image by Hector Garcia-Molina

STANFORD, Calif. – Five Stanford gymnasts scored season-highs on floor to propel the Cardinal to a comeback victory against Arizona on Sunday afternoon.
 
Stanford (4-5, 1-1 Pac-12) posted a season-best 49.175 on floor to secure a 195.900-195.650 home-opening victory against the Wildcats (5-1, 0-1 Pac-12) in front of a large crowd in Maples Pavilion.
 
The Cardinal entered the final rotation trailing Arizona, 147.100-146.725, but Stanford's first four gymnasts hit their routines to close the gap on the Wildcats. Elizabeth Price capped the afternoon with a meet-best 9.925 to seal the victory.
 
"It was really nice to see the girls step up at the end," said Stanford head coach Kristen Smyth. "We prepared all week to be a much better floor team and that showed today. The girls rose the occasion and did beautiful work. The crowd was amazing and electric, and it added a lot to those final performances."
 
Price continued her dominance this season, winning vault (9.900), bars (9.925) and floor (9.925). She has scored 9.900 or higher in 49-of-77 (64 percent) of her performances during her collegiate career and has won seven of the nine events she has competed in this season.
 
Stanford's freshman class of Kaylee Cole, Ashley Tai and Aleeza Yu had terrific home debuts. Cole contributed scores in each of her three events, including vault (9.800), beam (9.750) and floor (9.775).
 
Tai earned a second place finish on beam with a 9.850 to go along with a 9.800 on vault. Yu stepped into a vault position just before the rotation began and earned a 9.850 to finish second. Yu added a 9.775 on bars.

Highlights from Stanford's victory against Arizona.

Stanford got off to a strong start on vault with four gymnasts scoring 9.800, one going 9.850 and Price earning a 9.900. The Cardinal jumped out to an early 49.150-49.050 lead.
 
Stanford ran into a bit of adversity on bars with two of the first four gymnasts falling. Dare Maxwell delivered a crucial 9.800 in the fifth spot to get the team back on track and Price completed the strong finish with a 9.925.
 
With the fall, Stanford's lead evaporated and the Wildcats took a 97.900-97.750 lead at the midway point of the meet.
 
Taryn Fitzgerald continued the momentum for the Cardinal on beam, opening with a 9.775. She has hit all four of her beam routines this year.
 
The Cardinal faced another challenge when Danielle McNair was unable to stay on the beam during her performance. However, her teammates covered well for her, hitting each of the final four routines to prevent the Cardinal from having to count a fall.
 
Cole got Stanford's strong finish going with a 9.750 and was followed by Tai's 9.850.
 
"Our beam team is really strong and we had a great week of practice," said Smyth. "I've been really impressed with our two freshmen on that event, Ashley and Kaylee, because they have both been solid. To see the team have the grit and determination on beam after coming off bars and counting a fall, it showed some toughness from a young group."
 
Rachel Daum was steady throughout her performance (9.775) and set up Nicolette McNair nicely for a big finish. McNair delivered, scoring 9.825 to tie for third in the event and give the Cardinal five hit routines.
 
The strong finish on beam set up Stanford's final comeback effort on floor. The Cardinal took advantage and scored a season-best 49.175 to pass the Wildcats, which had to count a fall on beam.
 
Danielle McNair set the tone with a career-best 9.825. She was followed by quality routines from Hailee Hoffman (9.800) and Kaylee Cole (9.775). Daum was explosive in her performance (9.850) and Price finished the meet on a high note with a 9.925.
 
Stanford will look to build on its momentum next Sunday when it plays host to Washington at 1 p.m. (PT) in Maples Pavilion.