Successful Debut

 
SACRAMENTO – Sophomore Kyla Bryant won or shared first in every event to spark the Stanford women's gymnastics team to victory on Sunday in the season-opening NorCal Classic at Sacramento State.
 
Bryant matched personal bests on beam (9.900) and all-around (39.475), and also captured the uneven bars (9.850) in the quad meet. She tied for first on floor (9.900) and vault (9.825) in the comeback victory achieved in the final rotation on beam.
 
"She was lights out," said head coach Tabitha Yim. "She was consistent in all events in the back of the lineup and looked like a seasoned veteran."
 
Junior Kaylee Cole tallied two top-five finishes, tying for third on vault with junior teammates Aleeza Yu (9.775), and claimed a share of fifth on floor with senior Hailee Hoffman (9.775). Also producing strong showings were senior Taryn Fitzgerald, who tied for fifth on beam (9.825) and seventh on vault (9.750), along with sophomore Taylor Lawson, who nabbed third on bars (9.750) and ninth on floor (9.750).
 
The Cardinal led off the meet with a strong performance on floor to lead after the first rotation and maintained it through the second rotation on vault. UC Davis pulled ahead after the third rotation, but Stanford finished strong to regain the advantage.
 

.@kygymnastics matches career-best with sizzling 9.900. Card back in it.#GoStanford

— Stanford Gymnastics (@StanfordWGym) January 6, 2019

 
"The team showed so much grit," Yim said. "I was really pleased to see that fight."
 
The meet marked the college debuts of sophomore Grace Garcia and freshmen Morgan Hoang, Wesley Stephenson and Grace Waguespack. Garcia and Yu sat out last season with injuries.

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Stanford returns to Sacramento to face the Hornets and Seattle Pacific on Friday at 7 p.m. For live scoring, visit GoStanford.com.
 
"We learned a lot, especially for a first meet," said Yim. "Overall, I'm really pleased and excited about the season."