STANFORD, Calif. – Focusing on culture and team building, the youthful Stanford women's gymnastics team kicks off the 2019 season on Sunday at 2 p.m. in the NorCal Classic at Sacramento State against the host Hornets, San Jose State and UC Davis.
Eleven of the Cardinal's 17 competitors are underclassmen, including five freshmen.
Despite the graduation of Elizabeth Price, the 2018 Pac-12 Gymnast of the Year and a 19-time All-American, second-year head coach Tabitha Yim expects improvement.
"We're a young a team, but we have a lot more depth and can fill out the roster in all events," she said. "We have worked really hard during the preseason and have been consistent with our effort. We will continue to grow with each meet and are excited to get out there."
Yim has been pleased with the leadership of seniors Taryn Fitzgerald, Hailee Hoffman and Nicole Hoffman, and juniors Kaylee Cole, Ashley Tai and Aleeza Yu.
"They have really stepped up," said Yim.
Stanford excelled in floor exercise last season, losing only once. That should be a strength again.
Five freshmen gained valuable experience in 2018. Yu and sophomore Grace Garcia did not compete due to injuries but are ready to contribute along with a talented rookie class.
"The freshmen have brought so much energy into the gym," said Yim. "We want to be bold and aggressive."
For the first time in program history, women's gymnastics is a ticketed sport. The Cardinal has four home meets, starting Jan. 27 against defending NCAA champion UCLA. Also coming to The Farm are Washington on Feb. 1, Utah on Feb. 18 and Arizona on Feb. 24.
Top returners: Sophomores Kyla Bryant and Rachael Flam made big contributions last season, each winning five event titles. Both competed in all 12 meets and earned a Pac-12 Newcomer of the Week award.
Bryant captured the all-around (39.400), beam and bars at Arizona, won beam at Cal, and prevailed on floor at Washington. Flam claimed vault, beam and floor crowns at UC Davis, tied for first on beam at Arizona with a season-high score of 9.975, and won vault at Washington with 9.925.
Sophomores Taylor Lawson and Lauren Navarro also participated in every meet. Lawson started first on bars for Stanford all season and scored a season-high 9.875 to earn a share of second place at Cal. Navarro finished second on beam at Reno and Arizona State, tallying a season-high 9.925 in the latter.
Tone setter: Cole was also a warrior, never missing a meet. She led off on floor 11 times, in vault the last nine meets and on beam in eight. Cole tied for first on beam in the UC Davis Quad Meet and secured seconds on floor in Elevate the Stage at Reno and Arizona State.
New faces: The freshmen are Madison Brunette (vault, uneven bars and balance beam), Morgan Hoang (vault, floor exercise), Eve Micco (uneven bars, floor exercise), Wesley Stephenson (uneven bars, balance beam) and Grace Waguespack (all-around).
Preseason rankings: Seven of the eight teams from the Pac-12 Conference are ranked in the top-25 in the WCGA Pre-Season Poll: UCLA (1), Utah (5), Cal (8), Washington (15), Oregon State (17), Arizona State (20), Stanford (21) and Arizona (33).
Acing it: In July, Yu spent three weeks in South Africa as part of the Rubenstein-Bing Student-Athlete Civic Engagement Program (ACE) with student-athletes from Duke. A native of Toronto, Canada, Yu worked with young kids and had a memorable experience.
"I was so inspired by the all the new people I met that share the same passion and enthusiasm to leave a positive impact on the world," she said.
Social Hour: Twitter @StanfordWGym Instagram @stanfordgymnastics Facebook stanfordwgym
Live stream: http://pluto.tv/tv/pluto-tv-sports
Live scoring: GoStanford.com
Starting Lineups (tentative)
Floor Exercise
1. Kaylee Cole
2. Hailee Hoffman
3. Rachael Flam
4. Taylor Lawson
5. Morgan Hoang
6. Kyla Bryant
Uneven Bars
1. Taylor Lawson
2. Wesley Stephenson
3. Grace Waguespack
4. Grace Garcia
5. Aleeza Yu
6. Kyla Bryant
Alt: Rachael Flam
Vault
1. Taryn Fitzgerald
2. Ashley Tai
3. Kyla Bryant
4. Rachael Flam
5. Grace Garcia
6. Aleeza Yu
7. Kaylee Cole
Balance Beam
1. Kaylee Cole
2. Ashley Tai
3. Wesley Stephenson
4. Rachael Flam
5. Kyla Bryant
6. Taryn Fitzgerald
Exh: Taylor Lawson
