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Women's Gymnastics

Road Test

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Stanford (5-5, 2-1 Pac-12)
No. 5 UCLA (3-1, 2-0 Pac-12)
Sat., Feb. 11 •2 p.m. (PT)
Pauley Pavilion • Los Angeles, Calif.
Television • Pac-12 Networks
Live Statistics • Via GoStanford.com
Social • Facebook » StanfordWGym • Twitter » StanfordWGym • Instagram » StanfordGymnastics • Snapchat » StanWGym

STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford returns to the road this week after spending the past two weekends at home, to take on No. 5 UCLA on Saturday at 2 p.m. (PT).
 
The Cardinal (5-5, 2-1 Pac-12) has increased its score in every meet this season and won its past two dual meets but faces its biggest test so far this season in the Bruins (3-1, 2-0 Pac-12).
 
The meet will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks and live statistics will be available via GoStanford.com.
 
Last Time Out
• Stanford is coming off an impressive 195.925-195.825 victory against No. 18 Washington this past week. Stanford finished the competition strong with all six gymnasts hitting their floor routines to hold off a late comeback effort by the Huskies.
 
• Elizabeth Price continued her dominance, winning vault (9.875) and bars (9.950). She has won the two events in all four meets she has competed in this season.
 
• Price was named the Pac-12 Specialist of the Week for the second time this season for her standout performance against Washington.
 
• Nicolette McNair and Danielle McNair notched 9.900s on bars tie for second in the event. It was a career-best for Danielle McNair and a season-best for Nicolette McNair.
 
• Rachel Daum tied her season best of 9.850 on floor to lead the Cardinal and tie for second in the event, while Aleeza Yu competed on vault for the second consecutive week and finished third – her second top-three finish in the event.

Highlights from Stanford's meet against Washington.

Leading the Way
• Stanford is led this season by co-captains Nicolette McNair and Elizabeth Price. The All-America duo possess a wealth of experience and accomplishments throughout their careers.
 
Experienced Group
• Stanford returns six gymnasts and 14 routines from last year's NCAA Championships roster. The Cardinal has four gymnasts who were part of the lineups that competed in the 2015 NCAA Super Six finals in Fort Worth, Texas, on the Cardinal's fifth-place team. They are: Danielle McNair, Nicolette McNair, Elizabeth Price and Haley Spector.
 
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 15 years (2002-16). (Alabama-14, Utah-11, Georgia-11, UCLA-10, Florida-10, Stanford-7, Nebraska-7)
 
• Stanford has competed in the NCAA Championships in 13 of the past 16 years, including nine times in the past 10 seasons.
 
• A misconception about the Cardinal is that it 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.
 
Price Continues to Dominate
• Elizabeth Price picked up where she left off last season and has won at least two events in the three meets she has competed in this season (she missed one competition due to illness). Price has won nine of the 12 events she has competed in this season.
 
• Price has scored 9.900 or higher in 50-of-80 (62.5 percent) performances during her collegiate career.
 
• Price became the second Cardinal gymnast to earn Pac-12 Gymnast of the Year honors in program history last season. She also claimed Regular Season All-America recognition in the all-around, vault and bars. She accumulated four honors through her first two years after earning first-team honors on vault as a freshman in 2015.
 
• Price won or tied for three 2016 NCAA Ann Arbor Regional honors, finishing first in the all-around (39.575) and bars (9.975) and tying for first on floor (9.900).
 
• Price tied for the 2016 Pac-12 title on bars (9.900), tied for second on vault (9.900), and tied for seventh on floor (9.875). She placed fourth in the all-around with a 39.475.
 
• Price won the all-around in eight of the 10 meets she competed in the event last season, including a season-best 39.675 at UCLA and Georgia (March 6). She finished the regular season tied for fifth in the nation in the all-around with an RQS of 39.570.
 
• Price scored 9.825 or higher in 40-of-43 performances in 2016. She won 57 percent of the events she competed in last season (30 individual event victories in 53 possible events).
 
• Price became the fifth gymnast in Pac-12 history to earn four Gymnast of the Week honors in one season in 2016 (Kirsten Maloney, UCLA, 2005; Vanessa Zamarripa, UCLA, 2013; Makayla Stambaugh, Oregon State, 2013; Georgia Dabritz, Utah, 2015; Elizabeth Price, Stanford, 2016). Utah's MyKayla Skinner became the sixth Pac-12 gymnast to accomplish this feat in 2017.

Highlights from Elizabeth Price's big day against Washington.

Early Impact By the Underclassmen
• Four gymnasts made their collegiate debuts at the NorCal Classic including freshmen Kaylee Cole, Ashley Tai and Aleeza Yu, and redshirt freshman Hailee Hoffman. The quartet have been regulars in lineups throughout the season.
 
• Cole has scored 9.800 or higher on vault in three-of-five meets, including two scores of 9.875. She has helped provide consistency on floor with four scores of 9.700 or higher. Cole has hit 14-of-16 of her routines this season.
 
• Yu is coming back from an offseason injury and competed on bars in each meet, hitting all of her routines. She made her debut on vault against Arizona and finished second with a 9.850 and placed third against Washington with a 9.850.
 
• Tai established her place in the vault, beam and floors lineups. She has hit all four of her vaults, including four scores of 9.800 or higher. Tai has scored 9.800 or better in her past four beam routines.
 
• Hoffman has appeared in vault and floor lineups and had her best meet of the year at Southern Utah. She went 9.725 on vault and 9.775 on floor. Hoffman continued her momentum against Arizona with a season-best 9.800 on floor. She went 9.775 against Washington.
 
Consistency from Nicolette McNair
• Nicolette McNair had a strong showing against Washington, scoring 9.900 on bars in the leadoff position and added a 9.750 on vault.
 
• McNair returned from an offseason injury and has continued her role as one of the Cardinal's most consistent gymnasts. She has gotten stronger each week and is contributing scores regularly on vault, bars and beam.
 
• McNair was one of Stanford's most consistent gymnasts in 2016. She scored 9.800 or higher in 31-of-37 routines in 2016 and has hit 111-of-120 routines (92.5 percent) on vault, bars and beam in her career.
 
Danielle McNair Puts in Work
• Danielle McNair has competed in the most events of any Stanford gymnast this season. She has competed in the all-around in each of the past four meets. McNair was a regular on vault and bars during her first three years but has earned her spot in the beam and floor lineups.
 
• McNair had her best meet of the year at Southern Utah, posting a 9.850 on vault and a career-high 39.000 in the all-around.

Danielle McNair has competed in the most events of any Stanford gymnast this year. (Photo by Hector Garcia-Molina/Stanford Athletics)

A Welcome Return
• Sophomore Taryn Fitzgerald returned to Stanford's lineups after having her debut season in 2016 cut short due to injury. She has hit each of her routines this year and tied her career best of 9.800 on beam twice (UC Davis Quad Meet, Jan. 13; vs. Washington, Feb. 5).
 
• Fitzgerald was establishing herself as a regular in Stanford's lineup on vault, beam and floor before she was injured in practice last season.

In the Rankings
• Stanford is ranked in the top 25 in the following events based on its season average:
Vault: 14th, 49.020
Beam: 25th, 48.650
 
• Stanford gymnasts are ranked in the top 25 in the following events based on their season average:
Vault
Elizabeth Price, t-8th, 9.900
 
Bars
Elizabeth Price, 2nd, 9.931