The 2016 NorCal Classic will take place on Sunday, January 7th in San Jose and will feature five California-based NCAA teams—Cal, Sacramento State, San Jose State, Stanford, and UC Davis. These teams will all be competing in their first meet of the season and making their initial impression for the year. FloGymnastics will be on-site streaming the event live, so make sure to tune in Sunday at 4pm CT.

With five impressive teams, there will be many highly talented competitors including former National Team members and season NCAA veterans. Below you’ll find key gymnasts to look out for at the NorCal Classic…

Cal

Toni-Ann Williams
Williams, a sophomore from Randallstown, Maryland, made a huge splash for the Golden Bears in her rookie 2015 season. She put up impressive scores throughout the season, including 2 10.0s on vault to set a program record as the only Cal gymnast to record two 10.0s in her collegiate career. Williams boasts a career-high all-around score of 39.700 and her 20th-place finish (39.225) at NCAAs marked the best all-around finish for a Cal gymnast at the NCAA Championships in program history.

Watch Toni-Ann train bars at 2015 NCAA Championships:



Williams was awarded NACGC/W Regular Season All-American honors, including first team on vault and floor, and second team in the all-around. She was named both the NACGC/W West Region Gymnast of the Year and the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. Prior to her time at Cal, Williams was a member of the Jamaica National Team in 2011, 2012 & 2013, and recently competed for Jamaica in Glasgow at the 2015 World Championships. She will surely make a huge impact for Cal this season.

Additionally, junior Jessica Howe and senior Serena Leong are both returning from injuries last season and will add depth to the team, bolstering lineups with their experience.

Sac State

Lauren Rice
Rice, a sophomore at Sac State this year and sister of Stanford’s Taylor Rice, was a strong force for Sac State in her freshman season. She was named the MPSF Freshman of the Year and competed in the all-around in 11 of the team's 12 meets. Her career-high all-around score is a 39.225.

Cassie Benning
Benning is a sophomore out of Roseville, California who qualified for the NCAA Berkeley Regional as a specialist on bars in 2015. She led the team throughout the season on bars with a 9.820 RQS and is a standout competitor on beam and floor as well.

San Jose State

Maddie Herr
Herr is a senior Spartan this season but it is her second season at San Jose after transferring from The Ohio State University. In 2015, Herr earned first team All-APSF honors on bars and beam and second team on floor and all-around. She competed as an individual for San Jose State at the Berkeley Regional and had a 39.010 RQS for the season. She won four bars titles, one beam title, and one all-around title throughout the season.

Watch Herr on floor last season:

Stanford

Elizabeth Price
Price came hot out of the gates as a Stanford freshman as a 4-year U.S. National Team member and 2012 Olympic alternate prior to joining the Cardinal team. As a freshman, Price made her collegiate debut on vault at the NorCal Classic and won the event with a 9.950. With only one year under her belt, she already boasts career high scores of 10.0 on vault, 9.95 on bars, 9.90 on beam, 9.975 on floor, and 39.675 in the all-around. Price earned first-team All-American honors on vault and bars last season, winning the NCAA title on vault with a 9.9333 and tying for fifth on bars with a 9.90.

Price nailing a bar dismount at NCAAs:



Taylor Rice
Rice a senior from Las Vegas, has been a staple for Stanford throughout her career, especially on floor where she earned First team All-American honors last season. She was also first-team Pac 12 and second-team All-American in the all-around, boasting a career-high 39.50.

Ivana Hong
Another senior, Hong, will make a huge impact this year—most notably on beam where she is a First-team All-American and won the NCAA title with a 9.975 last season. Hong is a very consistent performer and hit 92 percent (24-of-26) of her routines in 2015. Hong was an Olympic alternate in 2008 and has been a top performer for Stanford throughout her career.

Watch Hong's incredible beam work:

UC Davis

Dani Judal
Judal is a senior out of Antelope, California who earned All-MPSF honors last season on vault, bars, beam, and all-around. She set a school all-around record with a 39.45 and was a 2015 NCAA Regional qualifier. Judal is recovering from an offseason surgery, so may not be competing all-around at the NorCal Classic, but she is expected to be one of the top three conference performers on bars and beam, as she has been rated that high in each of the last two seasons.

Stephanie Stamates
This senior co-captain from Alamo, California. She is a three-time All-MPSF honoree on floor and two-time honoree on beam. In her first three years as an Aggie, she has earned 38 scores of 9.8 or better. Stamates had the league's highest RQS on beam last season and the highest on floor in 2014.


The NorCal Classic is sure to be an exciting meet to open up the season for these five teams and you can see it all HERE!


Related:
Get Hyped For NCAA Season
Inside Their World - Standford Senior Ivana Hong