Jan. 25, 2013

STANFORD, Calif. - No. 10 Stanford women’s gymnastics (6-1) returns to California after two weeks on the road and will head across the Bay to take on No. 21 California (6-1) on Saturday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. (PT).

What: Dual Meet at California

When: Saturday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. (PT)

Where: Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, Calif.

Teams: Stanford, California

Admission: FREE

Follow the Action: Live updates will be posted on the Stanford women’s gymnastics Twitter page (@StanfordWGym) and live stats will be available via www.gostanford.com.

Cardinal Update: Stanford is coming off its first loss of the season as it fell at Georgia in a Martin Luther King Jr. Day dual meet matchup, 195.400-197.000. Despite the loss, the Cardinal put forth a couple standout performances and head coach Kristen Smyth said she is happy with where the team is at and the direction it is headed.

It was Georgia’s highest team score of the year and fifth-highest in the NCAA this season.

Stanford Top 25 in All Events: Along with being ranked No. 10 overall, the Cardinal is ranked in the NCAA top 25 in every event. Stanford is sixth on balance beam, ninth on vault, 13th on uneven bars and 23rd on floor exercise.

Cardinal to Watch

Amanda Spinner – The junior All-American delivered a career-high performance on balance beam, scoring 9.925 to lead Stanford on the only event it recorded a higher team score than Georgia.

Following a fourth-place finish on beam at the 2012 NCAA Championships, Spinner has been a rock for the Cardinal on the event this season, claiming two individual titles in just three meets.

Spinner also made her first collegiate appearance on uneven bars due to a last minute lineup change. Competing in the sixth position, Spinner delivered a much needed clean routine, scoring 9.725 to keep the Cardinal within striking distance of Georgia.

Nicole Dayton - The senior captain continued to dominate on vault, earning her third individual title on the event in as many meets with a score of 9.925. Dayton’s three individual titles this season exceed her total during the entire 2012 season (two). She entered the week tied for eighth in the NCAA with an average score of 9.913.

Ashley Morgan – The senior All-American was perhaps the most consistent performer for the Cardinal at Georgia, competing in the all-around and recording at least a 9.800 on three of her four events. Morgan contributed scores on uneven bars (9.850), floor exercise (9.850) and balance beam (9.800).

Breakout Performance: Sophomore Pauline Hanset had a great meet at Georgia, leading the Cardinal on floor and tying her career-high score of 9.875 – good for third place. Hanset also tied her career-best on beam with a 9.750 and tied for the third-highest Stanford score on vault (9.800) at the meet.

Freshmen Contributions: Stanford continued to get significant contributions from its freshmen, with Taylor Rice and Melissa Chuang competing in multiple events. In her second meet of the year, Rice scored 9.775 on vault and beam.

Chuang has established herself as a strong competitor in the vault and floor lineups, competing in the events at all three meets this season, and scoring 9.825 on both events at Georgia.

Saturday’s Opponent: California

This Season: Cal is coming off a second-place finish at the Washington quad meet with a score of 194.125, finishing ahead of UC Davis (193.625) and Illinois-Chicago (191.350), and falling to Washington (194.900). The Golden Bears were victorious on vault and floor, recording meet-high team scores of 49.125 and 48.725, respectively.

Cal is led by junior Alicia Asturias, senior Madisyn O’Brien and freshman Serena Leong who have each posted a score of 9.900 on at least one event this season.

The Cal Series: Stanford last saw Cal at the 2012 Pac-12 Championships and defeated the Golden Bears 196.825-193.525.

In the teams’ most recent bout in Berkeley, the Cardinal defeated the Golden Bears 196.175-194.725. Cal’s score in that meet is the highest against the Cardinal in the past 20 tries, dating back to 2004.

Stanford has won the last 27 meetings against Cal and hasn’t lost to the Golden Bears since March 18, 2000, at the Pac-10 Championships (193.850-194.675). The Cardinal is 36-1 against Cal since 1996.

Current Stanford Statistics