Publication Date: Friday, January 06, 2006
Stanford gymnastics teams are all set to open their seasons
Stanford gymnastics teams are all set to open their seasons
(January 06, 2006) by Rick Eymer
The Stanford women's gymnastics team is off in Cancun, Mexico to open its season while the men's gymnastics team host an alumni meet in Burnham Pavilion to open its season.
The wrestling team continues its season with a weekend full of matches at the Lone State Duals in Grand Prairie, Texas.
Cardinal wrestling kicks of what will be a series of championship events on campus through the end of May. The Pac-10 wrestling championships will be hosted by Stanford beginning Feb. 26.
That will be followed by the Collegiate Nationals in synchronized swimming in March, the NCAA women's gymnastics regional in April, possible NCAA regional events in both softball and baseball, and topped off by the first ever combined NCAA men's and women's tennis championships.
The ninth-ranked Cardinal women's gymnastics compete in the Cancun Classic today beginning at 5 p.m. (PST) at the Moon Palace Resort. Defending national champion Georgia will also be at the meet along with No. 10 Oklahoma, No. 17 Arizona and No. 21 Denver.
Under fifth-year coach Kristen Smyth, Stanford has burst unto the national scene highlighted by a third-place finish in NCAA competition in 2004. The Cardinal won just nine of 23 meets and missed the NCAA party last year but they will be looking for their fifth trip into NCAA competition in the past six years with a team that includes All-American senior Natalie Foley and All-American sophomore Tabitha Yim.
"The team has put in the work, brought a consistent effort and maintained a great attitude," Smyth said. "I am confident their hard work will pay off. This is an upbeat team with great energy."
Foley and Yim, who competed as an individual in the NCAA finals last year, form a potent combination in all-around competition. Foley, hampered by injury last year, is a two-time All-American in all-around. She became the first Stanford gymnast to won the Pac-10 all-around title as a sophomore.
Yim, who competed at the 2004 Olympic Team Trials along with Stanford sophomore Liz Tricase, earned her All-American honors with a spectacular performance in the NCAA finals.
Seniors Glyn Sweets and Jessica Louie help give Stanford its most depth ever. Sweets was a second team All-American in the vault in 2003. Foley, Yim and Tricase are also top vaulters, along with sophomore Stephanie Gentry. Freshmen Kelly Fee, Nicole Ourada and Heather Purnell, the Canadian Olympic team captain in 2004, are also expected to add to the depth and quality of the event.
Stanford is also loaded with talent on the bars, with junior Stacy Sprando and sophomores Lauren Elmore and Alex Pintchouk adding to an already talented list of performers which include Foley, Yim and Tricase.
The freshmen will also be a key on the beam along with Foley and Yim. Sophomore Aimee Precourt adds depth to floor exercise, which should be among the signature events for the Cardinal.
Men's gymnastics
Junior Dylan Carney and sophomores Sho Nakamori, David Sender and Jason Shen lead a strong returning group for Stanford, which hosts the alumni on Saturday at 6 p.m.
Carney, Nakamori, Sender and Shen each advanced to the NCAA individual qualifier last year, with Sender reaching the finals in the parallel bar. Sender was second in all-around at the U.S. Nationals over the summer.
Freshman Bryant Hadden, a U.S. National Championship qualifier two years ago, will be making his collegiate debut. Hadden is a Texas and Oklahoma state champion.
Former gymnast Justin Berkman, currently a stand-up comedian, will announce the meet which also features former Nissen-Emery Award winner Dan Gill and Jason Blitz, who is taking time off from his Las Vegas performance in Cirque du Soleil to compete at the alumni meet.
Baseball
For the first time since 1981, Stanford is not among Baseball America's preseason top 25.
The magazine does expect the Cardinal to reach the 64-team NCAA tournament though and gave sophomore outfielder Michael Taylor a nod as a third team All-American preseason pick.
Stanford, which opens the season with a three-game series against visiting Cal State Fullerton beginning with a 5 p.m. game on Friday, Feb. 3, is looking to earn a return trip to Omaha after a two-year absence.
Collegiate Baseball ranked Stanford 25th in its preseason poll.
Texas was top-ranked by both Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball.
Wrestling
Ray Blake and Tanner Gardner, both with over 20 wins on the season, will lead Stanford into the Lone Star Duals on Saturday.,
The Cardinal (1-1) wrestle Army at 6 a.m. (PST), North Carolina at noon and Harvard at 4 p.m.
Blake (28-9) has five top-7 finishes at 165 pounds, including a tournament title at the Central Missouri Open. Gardner (21-7) also won a title in Missouri at 125 pounds among his five top-5 finishes.
Josh Zupancic (11-3) also won a title in Missouri at 149 pounds.
Blake and fellow 165-pounder Brian Perry lead the team with four pins, while Gardner has four technical falls to go with three pins.
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