Elizabeth Price was named the Pac-12 Gymnast of the Year, it was announced at the Pac-12 Championships Saturday.
Price is the second Cardinal gymnast to earn Pac-12 Gymnast of the Year honors in program history. Stanford grad and current Arizona head coach Tabitha Yim was the Cardinal’s first winner in 2008.
It is Price’s second Pac-12 yearly award in as many seasons after earning Specialist of the Year honors as a freshman in 2015.
Price earned four first-place finishes in five events and the Stanford women’s gymnastics team delivered a quality team performance to finish fifth overall at the Pac-12 Championships on Saturday in Seattle.
Competing in the first session, the Cardinal posted a 196.125 to finish ahead of Arizona (195.525), Washington (195.300) and Arizona State (191.725). Stanford registered the group’s highest scores on bars (49.200) and beam (49.100).
Price registered the group’s highest scores on vault (9.900), bars (9.900), floor (9.875) and the all-around (39.475).
Price has scored 9.825 or higher in 35-of-39 performances this season and 9.900 or higher in 41-of-64 performances during her collegiate career.
Melissa Chuang picked up a first-place result as well on beam with a 9.925. It was her third score of 9.900 or higher on beam this year.
Chuang has hit all nine of her beam routines this season and scored 9.825 in 7-of-10 performances.
Stanford had a bit of a slow start on vault, with four of six gymnasts scoring in the 9.675 to 9.775 range.
Price provided the big score needed with a 9.900 in the fifth position to help the Cardinal start with a 48.850 and move into second place after the first rotation.
After a missed first routine on bars, Stanford found its rhythm and hit its next five routines to score 49.200 in the event and move into first place.
Price scored her second 9.900 on the day in the fifth position and Ivana Hong capped the rotation with a stuck landing to score 9.850. Taylor Rice had a strong performance, tying her season high of 9.875.
The Cardinal had to cover itself again on beam when its first gymnast missed her routine. Stanford did exactly that, hitting each of its next five routines, including big scores from Chuang (9.925) and Hong (9.875) who finished first and second in the session, respectively.
Stanford posted a 147.150 through three rotations to take a comfortable lead into the final rotation. Arizona (146.625) was in second, followed by Washington (146.275) and Arizona State (144.375).
The Cardinal had to overcome a missed routine on floor as well and did well to cover for the missed routine.
Price paced the group with a 9.875, followed by Chaung (9.800), Rachel Daum (9.825) and Haley Spector (9.775).
By Palo Alto Online Sports/Stanford Athletics
By Palo Alto Online Sports/Stanford Athletics
By Palo Alto Online Sports/Stanford Athletics