Freshman Kyla Bryant was one of four freshman making their collegiate debut on Monday. Her performance helped Stanford secure second-place in the NorCal Classic.(HECTOR GARCIA-MOLINA/isiphotos.com)
Senior Elizabeth Price nailed a “perfect 10” on the uneven bars at Maples Pavilion on Monday night, as No. 18 Stanford women’s gymnastics claimed second place in their season opener against Cal, UC Davis, San Jose State and Sacramento State.
Price executed six difficult moves with precision and stuck the landing to earn the second “perfect 10” in her collegiate career. She is only the third to card one in the history of the Stanford women’s program.
While the Cardinal’s overall team score of 194.925 points landed them behind Cal’s 195.475, this year’s NorCal classic had more significance than just the score.
The meet marked the last season opener for Price, a former Olympic alternate, All-American and NCAA champion. The gymnast earned a 9.825 on beam, 9.85 on vault, a nearly perfect 9.975 on floor and that unbeatable score on bars. Her 39.650 all-around point total was the highest among all competitors at the meet.
Price had modest expectations coming into the meet, and was not anticipating such a career highlight.
“Getting a 10 on bars was a huge thing,” Price acknowledged. “Bars is definitely one of my stronger events, and I’ve done quite a few good routines over the years [but] never really grabbing that 10.0. So to already have that at the beginning of the year is going to provide a lot of momentum for me and my teammates, just knowing what we’re capable of as a team and individually.”
In advance of the meet, Stanford’s new head coach Samantha Yim had nothing but praise for the headlining star both in and out of the gym.
“She’s otherworldly, and just the quintessential team player,” Yim said, “She’s really embraced her role on the team and is doing everything she can to prepare her underclassmen and her team to be successful.”
Price is supported by a bevy of freshman as six of the 13 student-athletes on the roster are enjoying their first year on the Farm.
Four of those six freshmen made their collegiate debuts Monday. The 4-foot-11 powerhouse Kyla Bryant ended with a 9.8 on beam and a whopping 9.925 on floor. Lauren Navarro scored high with a 9.7, 9.8 and 9.85 on vault, beam and bars respectively. Taylor Lawson competed first in the lineup on vault and bars, securing an impressive 9.85 on the latter, while Rachael Flam ended with good scores as well, executing challenging routines in all four events
The Cardinal will participate in the Elevate the Stage competition in Reno, Nevada on Sunday. The meet will feature Utah, UCLA, Washington and Stanford. The event will be live streamed on flogymnastics.com.
Contact Sylvie Ashford at sylviash ‘at’ stanford.edu.
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