Feb. 27, 2013

STANFORD, Calif. - The 12th-ranked Stanford women’s gymnastics team will play host to a pair of Pac-12 opponents as it takes on No. 9 Oregon State and California on Friday at 7 p.m. at Burnham Pavilion.

It is the final home competition for seniors Ashley Morgan and Nicole Dayton, who will be honored at the conclusion of the meet for their contributions to the program.

What: Tri-Meet with Oregon State (10-5, 4-0 Pac-12) and Cal (8-4, 1-4 Pac-12)
When: Friday, March 1 at 7 p.m. (PT)
Where: Burnham Pavilion, Stanford, Calif.
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 through www.gostanford.com.

Cardinal Update: Stanford (8-3, 3-2 Pac-12) posted its second-highest team score of the season last Saturday at Utah but was edged by the Utes, 197.300-197.075. Stanford thrived on the big stage, competing in front of a Huntsman Center crowd of 13,357, and recorded season-high team scores on vault (49.325) and beam (49.475).

Stanford Top 25 in Each Event: Along with being ranked No. 12 overall, the Cardinal is ranked in the NCAA top 25 in all four events for the second consecutive week. Stanford is fourth on balance beam (49.160 avg.), 9th on vault (49.215 avg.), 10th on uneven bars (49.030 avg.) and 20th on floor (48.940 avg.).

Stanford has scored higher than all 11 opponents on beam this year, higher than nine of 11 on vault, and eight of 11 on bars.

Cardinal to Watch

Ashley Morgan – The senior co-captain continues to shine in her final year and has established herself as one of the nation’s top all-around competitors. She is ranked 13th in the nation in the all-around with an average of 39.290 and 25th on bars, averaging 9.850.

In her previous meet against Arizona State, Morgan recorded a career-high in the all-around with a 39.550. She tied her career-best on beam with a 9.900 to finish second and earned a season-best on bars with a 9.875, for a third-place finish.

Morgan has also been one of Stanford’s most durable competitors, competing in all seven meets and in 27 of 28 possible events.

Amanda Spinner – The junior All-American has been a staple for Stanford on beam, helping the team remain undefeated on the event. Spinner earned a scored a career-high 9.950 at Utah to claim the individual victory. It was her fourth of the season.

Spinner ranks fourth in the nation on beam with a 9.885 average. She has scored a 9.825 or higher in six of seven meets on the season.

Kristina Vaculik – The 2012 Canadian Olympic gymnast continues to improve her scores and consistency. She competed in the all-around competition for the first time this season and notched a career-best 9.900 on beam and a season-high on floor with a 9.800. She also had a strong performance on bars with a 9.825.

Vaculik is ranked 20th in the nation on bars with an average of 9.855. She has competed on bars and beam in all seven meets this season and has made four lineups on vault and three on floor.

Shona Morgan – The junior from Melbourne, Australia, has been one of Stanford’s most consistent performers and continued to deliver against Utah. Morgan tied her season-high on beam with a 9.875 and took third on floor with a 9.900.

Morgan has competed on bars and beam in all seven meets, and on floor in six of seven competitions this season. She’s scored a 9.800 or higher on beam in six of seven competitions.

Nicole Dayton - The senior co-captain has been strong on vault with four individual victories in seven meets. She tied her career-high of 9.950 for the second time this season to claim the individual title at Utah.

Dayton doubled her total number of individual vault titles from the 2012 season when she claimed two. She is ranked 12th in the NCAA on the event with an average score of 9.890.

Ivana Hong – The sophomore All-American finished second on beam at Utah with a 9.900. Hong has scored 9.850 on beam in five of the six meets she has competed in this season.

In the meet against UCLA on Feb. 2, Hong had a career-best performance in the all-around, scoring at least a 9.875 on all four events. She finished first on uneven bars (9.875), and second on vault (9.900), balance beam (9.900) and floor exercise (9.875).

Taylor Rice – The freshman from Las Vegas had perhaps the strongest performance of her career at Utah, earning a career-high on beam with a 9.825, and adding strong performances on floor (9.850) and vault (9.800).

Friday’s Opponents: Oregon State, Cal

The Oregon State Series: Stanford has dropped its past four meets against Oregon State. In its most recent meeting on March 24, 2012, at the Pac-12 Championships, Stanford finished just behind Oregon State, 197.025-196.825. The Cardinal’s most recent victory over the Beavers occurred at the Chicago Style Invitational on Feb. 11, 2011, by a 196.475-196.350 decision.

Oregon State’s Last Meet: The Beavers are coming off a first-place tri-meet finish against No. 15 Arizona and Seattle Pacific, posting a season-high team score of 196.925. Makayla Stambaugh earned her second consecutive Pac-12 Gymnast of the Week honor after winning the all-around title for the second straight competition scoring 39.525. Teammate Chelsea Tang set a career-high as the runner-up at 39.400.

The Cal Series: It will be Stanford’s second meeting with Cal this season after traveling across the Bay on Jan. 26 and defeating the Golden Bears, 196.450-195.775.

Stanford has won the past 28 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 37-1 against Cal since 1996.

Cal’s Last Meet: The Golden Bears earned a first-place home victory after recording a 195.925 against Brown (189.350) and San Jose State (195.00). Cal scored a season-best as a team on vault with a 49.200 and junior Alicia Asturias earned a career-high 39.375 in the all-around.

Current Stanford Stats