STANFORD, Calif. – Sparked by senior captain Elizabeth Price, the Stanford women's gymnastics team made significant strides in 2017-18 under the direction of first-year head coach Tabitha Yim.
Price established herself as the most accomplished gymnast in program history by winning her second national title on bars. A 19-time All-American, she scored a perfect 10 at the NCAA Championships in St. Louis to share the crown.
It was her fourth 10 of the season and program-record fifth of her career.
Competing at the NCAA's for the fourth consecutive year, she racked up top 10's in every event. Price tallied 39.675 to finish third in all-around, the highest score ever recorded by a Cardinal at the competition.
Price was selected Pac-12 Gymnast of the Year for the second time, previously earning the honor in 2016. She also became the first Stanford gymnast to receive the AAI Award, presented to the most outstanding female senior in the country.
Price was a warrior, competing in all but two events. She established personal bests on bars (10.000), beam (10.000), floor (10.000) and in all-around (39.775).
Price won 33 events and posted 34 scores of 9.900 or higher. In a home meet against Arizona State on January 20, she won every event.
While Price was a mainstay, the youthful 13-member Cardinal squad, which included six true freshmen, produced many memorable performances.
Junior Kaylee Cole and freshmen Kyla Bryant, Rachael Flam, Taylor Lawson and Lauren Navarro competed in all 12 meets. Cole led off on floor in 11 of 12 meets, on vault the last nine, and on beam in the final eight. She tied for first on beam with a career-high 9.825 in the UC Davis Quad Meet.
Bryant was a steady contributor on vault, beam and floor. She claimed her first all-around title with a tally of 39.400 at Arizona, tying for first on beam and bars, and tied for second on floor. Bryant was recognized as Pac-12 Newcomer of the Week for her efforts.
Flam participated in 12 meets on vault and bars, and all but one meet on floor. She captured her first all-around crown at the UC Davis Quad Meet with a score of 39.375, tying for first on vault, beam and floor with season-high totals of 9.875 to garner Pac-12 Newcomer of the Week honors. Flam also placed first on vault at Washington with a score of 9.925.
Lawson led off on bars in every meet. She earned a share of second on floor with a score of 9.875 against Cal.
Navarro performed in every meet on vault, bars and beam, and missed just three events on floor. She finished second on beam with a score of 9.925 against Arizona State.
Among the team highlight's was a first-place finish at the UC Davis Quad Meet.
Four Sanford student-athletes earned academic honors. Junior Taryn Fitzgerald was a Pac-12 All-Academic second team selection, while Cole, junior Hailee Hoffman and sophomore Ashley Tai received honorable mention.
