Pac-12 Championships on tap for women’s gymnastics

March 18, 2021, 9:06 p.m.

Stanford women’s gymnastics (0-3, 0-2 Pac-12) has had a season unlike any other. After having its season delayed for two weeks and a dual meet against Cal canceled in the middle of the season, the Cardinal has risen against all odds to get a chance to compete at the Pac-12 Championships on Saturday.

The task will be an uphill battle. Stanford has only three full team performances under its belt; by contrast, other teams in the Pac-12 have at least six. In addition, four of eight teams in the Pac-12 are in the top 15 in the national rankings, with Cal and Utah leading the way at No. 5 and No. 6, respectively.

But that is not stopping the Cardinal from improving upon its previous team performances.

Stanford will look to capitalize on its dynamic performances on the floor exercise, the highest scoring event for the team this season.

The Cardinal will rely on senior Kyla Bryant and sophomore Chloe Widner to put up solid performances across the four events. They have competed in the all-around in three of the four meets this season.

Juniors Morgan Hoang and Madison Brunette will aim to supplement the Cardinal on the balance beam and uneven bars, respectively. Both have been able to crack 9.800 on those events, and they have also contributed immensely to the vault and floor exercise rotations this season.

True freshmen Amanda Zeng and Sandra Jessen have also stepped up in their first season. Each have contributed performances on three events.

Although not an ideal season for Stanford, the Pac-12 Championships will allow the team to get one more competition under its belt and improve its national qualifying score. Stanford, Washington, Arizona and Oregon State will compete in the morning session, while Cal, Utah, Arizona State and UCLA will compete in the evening session.

Jordan John Lee is a staff writer for the Sports section and occasionally writes for the News section of The Daily. Fresh off graduating with majors in Biology and Classics, he is a second-year master's student in Epidemiology and Clinical Research. From the 626, he has grown up watching his Los Angeles teams, the Dodgers and Lakers. His dream is to watch tennis at all four Grand Slam tournaments. Contact him at jjlee 'at' stanforddaily.com.

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