Perhaps the most important freshman class in all of NCAA gymnastics belongs to Stanford, a team looking for about a thousand new routines on every event this season, as well as a fresh start culturally under a new head coach in Tabitha Yim. Bags and bags and bags full of new blood is among the best ways to achieve that cultural fresh start.

Look for a fairly unrecognizable Stanford in 2018 because of contributions from the seven, count ’em seven, freshmen: Kyla Bryant, Lauren Navarro, Rachael Flam, Taylor Lawson, Catherine Rogers, Grace Garcia, and Caroline Spertus.

Stanford has to be unrecognizable this season because the returning slate of routines from last year is not at all hearty. In several places, Elizabeth Price is your only guaranteed returner to the lineup for the 2018.

STANFORD 2017
VAULT Price – 9.895 Cole – 9.835 Tai – 9.820 Yu – 9.820 H Hoffman – 9.715	BARS Price – 9.940 Yu – 9.810
BEAM Tai – 9.835 Fitzgerald – 9.800 Cole – 9.785 Yu – 9.692 Price – 9.400	FLOOR Price – 9.895 Cole – 9.775 H Hoffman – 9.770 Tai – 9.695

Kyla Bryant

Bryant doesn’t have the most recognizable name among Stanford’s freshmen this year, but I’m beginning with her because of how important she can be to Stanford’s prospects over the next four years. Note now that Bryant hasn’t competed since May 2016 and also Stanford. But still. She was 2016 JO national champion in the all-around, as well as on bars and floor.

That brings us to Bryant’s most obvious contribution to the team, a floor routine with a giant double layout that needs to get in the lineup yesterday.

Also, open double tuck. Stanford has been yearning for floor routines like this for a long time. This year’s class was specifically designed with Stanford’s weakness on floor in mind—it is a class of L10 power gymnasts—and Bryant’s floor routine is the most impressive of the bunch.

On vault, Bryant has just a Yurchenko full, but it is a big, powerful, comfortable full that would suit the lineup quite well. At best, Stanford is hoping for a vault lineup that is half 10.0 starts, half 9.95 starts, and Bryant’s would be the most likely of the 9.95 starts to feature there.

After floor, however, Bryant’s second most important contribution to Stanford will be bars.

That Pak, yo. Of the power L10s Stanford is bringing in, Bryant is the one whose level on bars matches her level on the leg events, and I’d consider this a good nominee for a late-lineup routine.

It would not be at all surprising to see Bryant become an all-around gymnast for Stanford, though beam is probably the least comfortable of the four events for her. It’s just a little tighter, with the dance elements a little less comfortable. Still, she certainly has the acrobatic ability and amplitude to contribute a lineup routine.

Lauren Navarro

The most accomplished and best-known of the 2018 Stanford freshmen is Lauren Navarro, who competed as an elite throughout the last quad. After dropping back to L10 for the 2017 season, Navarro placed no worse than 3rd AA at any meet, taking 2nd at JO nationals along with a beam title. She’s another who should contend for an all-around spot. Continue reading 2018 Freshmen – Stanford →