Following its successful opening meet last week, Stanford women’s gymnastics took fourth place at the Elevate the Stage competition in Reno on Sunday. Facing No. 2 Utah, No. 4 UCLA and Washington, senior Elizabeth Price lived up to expectations, placing second in the all-around and in the top five in every event.
Price’s 39.650 all-around score was second only to Utah’s Makayla Skinner’s 39.700. The seasoned Cardinal’s victory on beam (9.850) and first-place tie on vault (9.950) were complemented by strong performances in a second-place tie on floor (9.950) and a fourth-place tie on bars (9.900).
Stanford had a cumulative team score of 195.350, just short of Washington’s 195.75, Utah’s 196.975 and UCLA’s 197.200.
“It’s really good to get out there at the beginning of the season and face those tough opponents from the get-go,” Price acknowledged prior to the meet. “It gives us bigger goals and things to strive for.”
“The Pac-12 conference truly is a conference of champions, and we have such strong teams that it’s a perfect way to prepare for post-season,” head coach Samantha Yim agreed, with regard to Utah, UCLA and Washington.
Yim noted that such intense competition would be especially helpful in preparing the freshmen, who comprise five out of 13 of her self-proclaimed “young team,” for the national arena.
Freshman Kyla Bryant, in particular, made the most of the high-level opportunity and displayed growth from the first meet. The Georgia native, who placed on two events at the NorCal classic, also placed in two events this time around and improved her scores in three events.
Bryant tied with Price for fourth on bars (9.900) and earned fifth in the all-around with a score of 39.300, up from a 38.725 in the opening meet.
Freshman Lauren Navarro also improved from the first meet, earning a 9.825 to tie for second on beam after previously scoring a 9.800 this season.
But the more experienced Cardinal athletes didn’t leave all the improvement to their newest members. Sophomore Kaylee Cole increased her scores on vault and beam from just last week, along with a solid ninth place on floor (9.825), one of the most competitive events.
The increasingly strong Stanford gymnasts will compete again this Saturday when they host Arizona State at 2 p.m. PT in Burnham Pavilion.
Contact Sylvie Ashford at sylviash ‘at’ stanford.edu.