No. 16 Stanford (9-6, 3-4 Pac-12)
No. 7 UCLA (6-2, 5-1 Pac-12)
No. 10 Georgia (4-5, 4-2 SEC)
Sun., March 6 • 12 p.m. (PT)
Pauley Pavilion • Los Angeles
Television • Pac-12 Networks
Live Statistics • Available via GoStanford.com
STANFORD, Calif. – No. 16 Stanford concludes its regular season when it travels to Los Angeles for a tri-meet against No. 7 UCLA and No. 10 Georgia Sunday at 12 p.m. (PT).
It will be the second meet of the week for the Cardinal (9-6, 3-4 Pac-12) after competing at No. 20 Oregon State this past Monday night. Stanford led for nearly the entire meet but was passed on the Beavers’ second-to-last performance, dropping a 196.325-196.250 decision.
Despite the loss, there were plenty of individual highlight performances with four gymnasts combining for seven top-three finishes. Elizabeth Price continued to pace the Cardinal, winning or tying for the individual event factory in four-of-five events.
This will be the first meeting of the season between Stanford and UCLA, and the second matchup against Georgia. The Cardinal traveled to the Bulldogs earlier this season and earned a 195.875-195.750 victory.
Highlights from Stanford's meet at No. 20 Oregon State.
Consistently One of the Best in the Country
• Stanford is one of seven teams in the nation to make at least seven Super Six appearances in the past 14 years (2002-15). (Alabama-13, Utah-11, Georgia-10, UCLA-9, Florida-9, Stanford-7, Nebraska-7)
• Stanford returned to the NCAA Championships for the 12th time in the past 15 years in 2015, six gymnasts combined for nine All-America honors and the Cardinal finished fifth at the NCAA Championships with a 197.250 – the team’s second-highest score ever at an NCAA Championships competition.
• A misconception about the Cardinal is that it starts slow and comes out of nowhere during championship season. However, it should not be a surprise and is not a fluke, as evidenced by the team consistently finishing among the top in the nation.
• The Cardinal coaching staff enters each season with a carefully calculated outline of goals for different points during the season. A major focus for the beginning of the season is on consistency, building depth in lineups and health. As the season continues, the Cardinal adds difficulty and unique elements to routines to ensure it peaks during postseason competition.
Price Continues to Dominate
• Elizabeth Price has won the all-around in six of the seven meets she has competed in the event this season, including a season-best 39.650 at Arizona (Feb. 13). She is ranked eighth in the nation in the all-around. Price won the all-around for the sixth time this season (39.550), won vault outright with a 9.900, and tied for individual event wins on bars (9.950) and beam (9.850) at Oregon State.
• Price has scored 9.825 or higher in 28-of-31 performances this season and 9.900 or higher in 36-of-56 performances during her collegiate career. She has registered 24 individual event victories in 37 possible events this season.
• Price was named the Pac-12 Gymnast of the Week each of the first three weeks of the season.
Consistency from McNair
• Nicolette McNair continued her consistency, contributing scores in all three events and tying for the individual event win on beam (9.850). She added a second-place finish on vault (9.875) and contributed a 9.800 on bars.
• She has scored 9.800 or higher in 23-of-24 routines this season and has hit 95-of-101 routines (94 percent) on vault, bars and beam in her career.
Hong Provides Leadership
• Ivana Hong has been a leader in and out of the gym throughout her career and has continued her role in her final season. She placed third on bars with a 9.850 at Oregon State. Hong has five individual event victories this season spanning five meets – three individual wins on beam and two on bars.
• Hong was named the Pac-12 Specialist of the Week on Feb. 2 for her standout performances on bars (9.900) and beam (9.925) at the Metroplex Challenge.
A Welcome Return
• Melissa Chuang missed the 2015 season due to injury but has made immediate contributions in 2016. She scored a season high on floor (9.825) and tied her season best on vault (9.775) at Oregon State. Chuang has hit all seven of her beam routines this season and scored 9.825 in five-of-eight performances.
• At Georgia (Jan. 18), Chuang provided the decisive performance on beam with a 9.900 to earn the victory for the Cardinal. She also contributed scores on vault and floor.
Melissa Chuang scored 9.900 on beam in the anchor spot to secure a victory for Stanford at Georgia. (Photo by Karen Ambrose Hickey)
Spector Providing Power on Floor
• Haley Spector has provided big scores on floors the past three competitions, going 9.925 at Arizona, 9.900 against No. 5 Utah and 9.800 at No. 20 Oregon State. She tied for first place at Arizona and tied for second against the Utes. Spector’s contributions on floor are crucial and help bolster the Cardinal’s lineup in the event.
Consistency Counts
• Danielle McNair continues to contribute scores on a weekly basis, including a 9.750 on vault. She is 8-for-8 on vault, 6-for-7 on bars and 1-for-1 on beam in hit routines this season.
• McNair performed the first beam routine of her collegiate career against Arizona State (Feb. 8) and earned a 9.700. McNair has scored 9.700 or higher in 14-of-16 performances this season.
Daum Returns
• Junior Rachel Daum missed the first three meets of the season as she recovered from a minor injury. She has contributed scores on beam and floor in each of the past three weeks.
A Fresh Start
• Freshman Taryn Fitzgerald has been a solid addition to Stanford’s lineup on vault, beam and floor but was injured in practice the week after taking on No. 5 Utah and is out for the season.
• Fitzgerald competed in three events at Georgia and made significant contributions. She produced a 9.725 on floor and contributed a 9.775 on beam to help spark a strong finish by the Cardinal in the event.
Doing It All
• Taylor Rice was Stanford’s primary all-around competitor a year ago and has picked up where she left off. The 2015 Pac-12 First Team selection in the all-around earned her first victory of the season in the event with a 39.075 against Arizona State. She went 39.100 in the all-around at Arizona, falling .100 shy of her season best.
• Rice has competed in the all-around in 17 of the past 22 meets, dating back to the 2015 season opener. She has competed in 147 events throughout her career – the most of any current Stanford gymnast.
Sunday’s Opponents: No. 7 UCLA, No. 10 Georgia
• UCLA enters the competition on a four-meet winning-streak, including a 196.625-192.950 decision against Arizona State this past weekend. Stanford won its most recent meeting against the Bruins at the 2015 NCAA Championships Semifinals (197.175-196.400) to finish third and earn a spot in the Super Six.
• Georgia has a challenging week of competition filled with a significant amount of travelling, beginning the week with its Senior Night at home against Auburn on Friday before making the cross-country trip to Los Angeles. Stanford has won its past two meetings against Georgia, earning decisions at the 2015 NCAA Championships Semifinals (197.175-196.600) and the 2016 season opener in Athens, Georgia (195.875-195.750).
In the Rankings
• Stanford is ranked in the top 25 in the following events based on its Regional Qualifying Score:
Vault: 14th, 49.035
Bars: 16th, 49.095
Beam: 12th, 49.085
• Stanford gymnasts are ranked in the top 25 in the following events based on their Regional Qualifying Score:
All-Around
Elizabeth Price, T-8th, 39.430
Vault
Elizabeth Price, T-8th, 9.895
Floor
Elizabeth Price, T-18th, 9.900
