Friday’s meet was a special one for the members of the Stanford women’s gymnastics team, but for senior captain Carly Janiga, it was a competition she will never forget. The No. 8 Cardinal (8-2) won its 14th consecutive meet against No. 24 Arizona State (2-7) while tying a season-high team score, and Janiga won three events, in addition to her all-around victory. With a collegiate career best of 39.650, the six-time All-American and defending Pac-10 all-around champion was the primary contributor to the team’s 196.675-195.900 dual-meet win over the Sun Devils in Wells Fargo Arena.

Yet it wasn’t just her scores that Janiga can take pride in, though her career best of 9.95 on balance beam, 9.925 on floor and uneven bars and 9.85 on vault flirted with perfection. Rather, the best part of the win for the Pheonix-area native was that it took place in her hometown in front of family, friends and coaches who she has known for nearly her entire life.

“I always love going to compete at ASU,” Janiga said. “I have been going to watch competitions there since elementary school, and the judges are the same judges that have been at meets throughout my gymnastics career. This weekend was about going home and being comfortable. It’s always nice to be back in that arena.”

Her comfort was evident to everyone, especially head coach Kristen Smyth. Smyth is excited that, although Janiga has already had such tremendous success, she continues to improve. She noted Janiga’s strong start on bars and the “beautiful” way in which she capped off the night on the beam.

“It was special,” Smyth said. “It was an inspirational performance for everyone else.”

And for Stanford this weekend, inspiration and enthusiasm rooted within the squad was the key. For the entire season, and especially during away competitions, the team has been striving to bring as much energy and passion as possible. In such a large arena in Arizona, this excitement was necessary to bring the confidence required to sustain the right level of effort.

“We did extremely well managing and creating our own energy. We brought a focus to our work and what we were doing on the floor,” Smyth said. “So we did really well, and we continue to build and make improvements every single weekend.”

The second focus of the team’s efforts on Friday was the ability to finish strong, a theme that has been prevalent since the beginning of the year. Though it has struggled with this in the past, the Card was able to hit all six routines on the beam at the end of the meet, plus an exhibition.

“Up until this point we haven’t even been able to hit six for six,” Smyth said. “But Friday the girls competed and performed the work that they trained. They made good strides for us in the event that has been really difficult in the past.”

Sophomore Alyssa Brown did a particularly fantastic job setting the tone for the beam, in what Smyth deemed a “flawless routine,” despite a slight bobble on the dismount. Brown, with senior Allyse Ishino and junior Danielle Ikoma, were the first three in the event’s lineup, and they created a high level of confidence and excitement that allowed the three remaining gymnasts in the rotation to relax and perform exactly what they had practiced.

Smyth and her team hope to take this consistency into the rest of the meets this season, starting with Stanford’s final home quad-meet and Senior Night this Sunday against arch-rival UC-Berkeley, North Carolina and Eastern Michigan. This competition should be particularly enjoyable for Ikoma and sophomore Catherine Nguyen, both of whom have sisters on the North Carolina team. The coaches for both schools made a special effort to arrange a competition at some point during the season, knowing that they had athletes in both programs.

The competition will honor the four seniors on the team who have contributed to the gymnastics program during the past four years: Stephanie Carter, Blair Ryland, Tenaya West and Janiga. Ishino, a senior, will be returning to compete for a fifth year. In what will be a much different environment than the team has experienced during home meets in the past, the competition will take place in Maples Pavilion. With space for more fans and plenty of room for high energy, the meet should celebrate the seniors in just the way they deserve.

Events will begin on Sunday at 2 p.m. in Maples Pavilion.