No. 10 Stanford Women’s Gymnastics head coach Tabitha Yim feels like her team learned a lot from facing No. 5 UCLA
Last weekend, No. 10 Stanford women’s gymnastics had a sold out meet at Maples Pavilion against No. 5 UCLA. UCLA won 197.775-197.425. The highest home score the Cardinal have had all season. It was a packed environment with not enough seats for everybody as some people had standing room only. It was truly an electric atmosphere that showcased the best of women’s gymnastics.
BOX SCORE: UCLA at Stanford-Saturday, March 7th
After the meet, Stanford head coach Tabitha Yim was kind enough to share her thoughts on how it went for her team and what she feels her team most needs to work on as they enter this final stretch of the season.
“Well one, I was just really grateful for the way that the Stanford fans showed up today,” Yim said after the meet. “To be able to compete in front of a sold out Maples, I think was really exciting for the student-athletes and just for the program and I think it generated an environment that’s really good for our team to prepare for the postseason and so this year, we’ve talked about being chill, being connected, staying curious with a growth mindset, competing, celebrating, and one thing that I feel like we were really looking for this year preparation-wise is different types of experiences and different types of moments so that when we hit the postseason, we feel like we’re super prepared.
“And so that’s what I kinda feel like. I feel like, you know, just the whole environment, there’s some that were not doing their normal today and then some people who did very well and who stepped up. So we kinda talked about it at the end of practice in terms of hey, this meet was a great opportunity. We learned a lot. The things that went well we want to take with us. If we feel like we had a moment where we didn’t reach our full potential, we want to figure out what happened there because we’re gonna have this type of moment again, right? So I thought it was a great learning experience. I thought it was good, not great, but like solid, considering everything. And we definitely did learn a lot, so that was nice to see.”
One of the top performers for the Cardinal was senior Anna Roberts, who was in a three-way tie for the floor exercise title with UCLA’s Tiana Sumanasekera and Ciena Alipo with a score of 9.925. Roberts was the lone Cardinal to compete in all four events, completing the all-around. Yim praised Roberts for her leadership and steady presence for the team.
“Well, she’s just been such a steady presence of our team,” Yim said of Roberts. “Not only as a captain leading out of the gym and inside gym during practice, but also on the competition floor. I think she’s really embraced the words that I just told you about and she’s enjoying herself out on the competition floor. She’s able to step up in the biggest moments and holds her own and even when it’s not perfect, she fights for every single thing. And so she’s exhibiting the behaviors that we really want to teach and that we preach each and every day. So we’re just so proud of the leader that she is, the person that she’s become, and she is just gonna continue to dazzle throughout the season and then I know has great opportunities once she leaves here, too. So we’re certainly soaking up all the moments that we have left with her.”
Redshirt freshman Levi Jung-Ruivivar had a strong day as well with scores of 9.900 on the floor exercise, 9.925 on the uneven bars, and 9.750 on the vault. Yim is excited at the growth she has seen from Jung-Ruivivar this season.
“Gosh, I’m just so proud of her,” Yim said. “Like, I feel like proud is an understatement. Everything that she went through last year, I mean, this is what you hope for as a coach is we tell them, we tell our athletes all the time, we think of you as whole people. And so, her taking the time to step away to really take care of herself mentally, physically, emotionally; the support that we have here, it takes a village and she was able to get back on her feet and then some. And so for her to come out here and have the confidence and have the performances that she does, it just speaks to her character, her resilience, and her impact. Not only on our team, but on other people who might be going through similar challenges. I think she’s really wanted to be a voice and a light. And I think she’s absolutely done that in so many different ways. Truly inspiring.”
The last match I covered, freshman Ana Barbosu was not competing. Against UCLA, she was back in the lineup, posting scores of 9.875 on the uneven bars, 9.900 on the balance beam, and 9.900 on the floor exercise. Having her back was huge for the Cardinal. She has a lot of experience, getting a bronze medal for Romania in the floor exercise at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
“What an incredible human, honestly,” Yim said of Barbosu. “And you know, everyone comes into college with different experiences and her experience at the elite level. She just has a lot of numbers and a lot of mileage on her body, honestly, from gymnastics. And so it’s really important for us to be smart, to make sure we’re making strategic decisions so that she’s feeling at her best at the end of the year. And so, again, the village behind her and the support from all the support staff and making those types of decisions, keeping her as healthy as we can. We were really happy that, you know, we rested on vault, but she was able to step up on those other three events, but that’s our number one goal, is like, keeping her healthy.”
What Yim really enjoys about coaching gymnastics is how international the sport is. Barbosu representing Romania, Jung-Ruivivar representing the Philippines, etc. The Cardinal have a very international and diverse program, which makes it all the more rewarding to coach.
“I just, I love that,” Yim said of the international flavor of her program. “And I think it’s very indicative of the population here at Stanford. There’s nothing like being exposed to so many different types of personalities, so many different cultures, so many different people from different walks of life and I think that’s what really helps you grow as a person, because when you’re exposed to some of those things, and it was really cute today, Ana’s parents actually came from Romania to watch and there’s a big kind of tradition in Romania at the start of spring and so they made like little bracelets and they passed them out to our team and UCLA’s team. And just being exposed to that is so invaluable, right? Just learning from different people, learning different perspectives, and so I think overall, it really enriches the experience and it helps our athlete be exposed to so many things. Not only in the gym, but outside of the gym.”
Overall, this was a positive meet for Stanford. They had their best home score of the season and at the same time learned what areas they most need to work on and grow in before they head to nationals. Up next for Stanford is the 2026 California Tri-Meet against San Jose State and Cal in Berkeley. That will be on Friday, March 13th at 7:30 PM PT on ACCNX. They’ll then come back home for a dual meet against Boise State on Sunday, March 15th at 2:00 PM PT on ACCNX.
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