Stanford Adds Two

STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford women’s gymnastics grew stronger Wednesday when Hailee Hoffman and Taryn Fitzgerald each signed a National Letter of Intent to join the Cardinal in the fall of 2015.

“We are excited for Hailee and Taryn to join our SWG family,” said Stanford head coach Kristen Smyth. “Both are outstanding students and talented athletes. We have enjoyed getting to know these young women and their families and already feel as if they are part of the Stanford family.”

Hoffman is a Level 10 gymnast from Salt Lake City who trains at Olympus Gymnastics under Mary Wright, Ryan Krikham and Jessica Duke.

“Hailee has raw talent and untapped potential,” said Smyth. “She is extremely athletic and we expect her to make an immediate impact on vault and floor.”

Fitzgerald trains at Stars Gymnastics in Houston, Texas, under Dan and Ashley Baker. It is the home gym of current Stanford sophomore gymnast Rachel Daum.

“Taryn is a powerful gymnast and will be solid for us on floor and vault,” Smyth said. “She is improving all the time and we see her getting better in our program and surprising a lot of people.”

The duo joins a Stanford team that competed in its seventh NCAA Championships in the past eight years, and 14th time in program history, during the 2014 season. The Cardinal has made 31 consecutive NCAA Regional appearances (34 overall) and accumulated 101 All-America honors (including 81 since 2002).

“Hailee and Taryn are passionate about the sport and hard working,” said Smyth. “We are confident in their ability to make strong contributions to our program and the Stanford community.”

Stanford begins its 2015 campaign Jan. 4 at the NorCal Quad Meet at UC Davis. The Cardinal will host a Meet the Team event against San Jose State on Dec. 14 at 1:30 p.m. (PT).