Stanford Sweeps Spartans

SAN JOSE, Calif. – No. 10 Stanford swept the event and individual event titles Friday at San Jose State, defeating the Spartans 196.275-193.175.

Elizabeth Price, Ivana Hong and Pauline Hanset claimed individual victories in all four events to help lead the Cardinal (1-3-1, 0-1 Pac-12) to its first victory on the season. Stanford matched or surpassed each of its team scores from its season-opening performance at the NorCal Classic.

“The team did a great job and people really stepped up tonight,” said head coach Kristen Smyth. “We made a couple of mistakes but did a good job of covering for each other when we needed to.”

Stanford opened the meet with a strong performance on bars, highlighted by Price’s collegiate debut on the event that earned a meet-best 9.925. The Cardinal posted a 49.175 in the event with five gymnasts scoring 9.775 or higher.

Becky Wing got the momentum going with a leadoff score of 9.850 and was followed by a nice performance from Nicolette McNair who earned a 9.825. Samantha Shapiro and Hong delivered smooth routines to claim scores of 9.800 and 9.775, respectively.

“Becky did a great job setting the tone and we were able to build from there,” said Smyth. “Price had a great performance to close the event and was just really fun to watch.”

Price led Stanford on vault for the second consecutive meet with a meet-best 9.850. She has claimed individual event titles in each of her three performances this year. Nicolette McNair made her 2015 debut in the event and scored 9.825 to place second.

Hanset and Danielle McNair delivered good vaults to score 9.775 and 9.725, respectively. Rachel Daum was a late addition to the vault lineup but delivered a clutch performance, scoring 9.550 to help Stanford earn a 48.725 in the event.

The Cardinal delivered consistent performances on floor with four gymnasts scoring 9.825 or higher. Hanset performed a powerful routine to earn a meet-best 9.875. Shapiro made her season debut in the event with a strong routine to score 9.850 and finish second.

Haley Spector and Taylor Rice contributed scores of 9.825 to tie for third, while Daum posted a 9.750 in the leadoff position.

Stanford finished the meet on a high note, registering its highest event score of the season with a 49.250 on beam. Hong paced the Cardinal with a 9.900 to finish first, while Wing, Rice and Daum scored 9.850 to tie for second.

“The whole team is stepping up right now and the seniors are doing a nice job helping team stay focused and confident in their work,” said Smyth. “It’s great knowing there’s still room for improvement. To go over 196.000 provides confidence knowing we have the potential for so much more.”

Stanford will look to continue its momentum when it heads east next Sunday to take on Penn and Bridgeport at 10 a.m. (PT).