University of Georgia Athletics
No. 1 Gym Dogs hosts No. 3 Alabama
February 13, 2002 | Gymnastics
Feb. 13, 2002
No. 1 University of Georgia Gym Dogs (12-2, 2-1 SEC) vs No. 3 Alabama (8-2, 1-1 SEC)
February 15, 2002 * Stegeman Coliseum (9,951), Athens, Ga.
| Name | Yr | Ht. | Event | Hometown | Quick Note |
| Melinda Baimbridge | Fr. | 4-11 | All-Around | Houston, Texas | Is expected to miss the 2002 season after suffering a partial rotator cuff tear |
| Cassie Bair | Jr. | 5-2 | V, UB, BB | Evans, Ga. | Scored career bests on vault (9.875) and bars (9.85) last week |
| Chelsa Byrd | So. | 5-3 | All-Around | Little Rock, Ark. | Has scored a pair of career best 9.95s on floor in two of last three meets |
| Eileen Diaz | Sr. | 4-9 | V, UB, FX | Rio Piedras, P.R. | Scored career-best 9.950 on bars vs Maryland (Jan. 27) |
| Michelle Emmons | Fr. | 5-0 | All-Around | Houston, Texas | Posted a 9.975 on floor in Gym Dog debut vs. Nebraska |
| Cory Fritzinger | So. | 5-2 | All-Around | Virginia Beach, Va. | Scored a pair of 10s (vault, bars) vs. Maryland (Jan. 27) |
| Kinsey Rowe | RS-Fr. | 5-5 | All-Around | Houston, Texas | Expected to miss 6-8 weeks with foot injury suffered at Alabama (1/18) |
| Breanne Rutherford | Jr.. | 5-4 | V, UB | Simsbury, Ct. | Scored a season-best 9.8 on beam at Maryland (Jan. 27) |
| Sierra Sapunar | So. | 5-3 | All-Around | Cincinnati, Ohio | Has scored a pair of career best 9.95s on floor in two of last three meets |
| Loren Simpson | So. | 5-4 | All-Around | Alpharetta, Ga. | Has scored a career-best 9.85 on floor twice this season |
| Marline Stephens | So. | 5-4 | All-Around | Houston, Texas | Scored a career-best 39.650 in the all-around vs. Oklahoma (2/1) |
| Talya Vexler | Sr. | 5-1 | All-Around | Amherst, Mass. | Tied career-bet 9.9 on beam last week at Michigan |
Up Next: After dropping a close meet to the No. 6 Michigan Wolverines, the No. 1 Georgia Gym Dogs will try and get back on the winning track this Friday when they host the No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide at 7:30 p.m. in Stegeman Coliseum in Athens.
Series Notes: All competitions included, Georgia holds a decisive 51-37-2 advantage in the series ... the Tide has prevailed in three of the last four regular season dual meetings between the two teams, all three wins taking place in Tuscaloosa ... Alabama prevailed in the earlier meet between the two teams last month in Tuscaloosa (195.675-195.025) ... in that meet the Gym Dogs had a night to forget as they posted their lowest vault score in 49 meets (48.3) and their lowest floor score in 33 meets (48.775) ... Cory Fritzinger was named the SEC's Gymnast of the week following her performance in Georgia's 197.225-197.025 victory last March in Athens ... Georgia has recorded regular-season sweeps of the home-and-home dual meets three of the last five years ... Georgia's loss to the Crimson Tide in 2000 in Tuscaloosa (Mar. 4) snapped its 21-meet unbeaten streak on the road, believed to be the most prolific streak in NCAA history ... in 2000 the Tide was also responsible for ending Georgia's 29-meet (overall) winning streak and its 42-meet regular-season home winning streak ... Alabama provided the opposition for Suzanne Yoculan's first-ever meet as head coach of Georgia (Dec. 4, 1983) ... Alabama won the meet 178.7-178.3 ... Georgia has won the last 10 dual meets in Athens ... Alabama's last win in a dual meet in Athens came Feb. 2, 1991 (192.750-191.8) ... Georgia ended the Crimson Tide's 21-meet home winning streak when it defeated Alabama in Tuscaloosa on Feb. 22, 1992 ... the two ties in the series (188.95-188.95) came in a five-team meet (Feb. 6, 1988), which also involved Utah, Wisconsin and Minnesota, and also at the 2001 Super Six Challenge (195.3-195.3).
Exposure: This Friday's meet will be televised by ESPN and will be telecast on a tape-delayed basis. The broadcast will air on Sun., Feb. 17 at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Head Coach Suzanne Yoculan: Named head coach August 24, 1983 ... now in 19th season at Georgia, has amassed incredible career record 580-79-5 for a winning percentage of .878 ... has led Georgia to five NCAA Championships ('99, '98, '93, '89, '87), 14 NCAA Regional Championships, including 13 of the last 14 years, 11 SEC Championships, and three unblemished seasons - 32-0 ('99), 35-0 ('98), 32-0 ('93) ... named NCAA Coach of the Year three times and SEC Coach of the Year four times, most recently last year ... under her tutelage, 37 gymnasts have earned 202 All-American awards and 14 gymnasts have won 26 NCAA individual titles, the most in the nation ... under Yoculan, Georgia is 142-6 at home for an astounding winning percentage of (.958) ... equally impressive is the Gym Dogs' record away from home where they are 118-33-3 under Yoculan (.786) ... through an aggressive marketing approach, has raised Georgia's average attendance from just over 200 in 1984 to more than 9,800 (9,855) fans per home meet in 2001, which led the nation.
Gym Dog Notes: Sophomore Cory Fritzinger has won the bars competition in Georgia's last six meets. With her 39.750 all-around victory over Kentucky, Fritzinger has now tied the second- (39.8 vs. UCLA, Jan. 13), third- (39.775 at Maryland, Jan. 27), and fourth-highest (39.75 vs. Kentucky) all-around scores in school history this season. Fritzinger has hit 29 of her 34 routines this year. Of those 29 hits, 20 of them or 68%, have gone for scores of 9.9 or higher ... Junior Cassie Bair set a pair of career highs in vault (9.875) and bars (9.85) vs. Kentucky. Bair also posted a pair of 9.9s on balance over the weekend. She has now scored a 9.9 or higher on beam in four of her last five competitions ... the third time in the last four meets she has scored a 9.9 or higher in the event.
Rowe Sidelined: The Gym Dogs lost more than a meet in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Jan. 18 as redshirt freshman Kinsey Rowe suffered an injury to her left ankle/foot, which is going to keep her out indefinitely. Rowe, who injured the ankle while attempting a vault, missed all of last season after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament prior to the Gym Dogs' 2001 season opener. Rowe's loss is a big one for the Gym Dogs. In her Gym Dog debut vs. Nebraska, Rowe finished second in the all-around scoring a 39.475, which marked the highest all-around score ever for a Gym Dog competing in her first meet. The mark eclipsed the 39.175 set by current Gym Dog Cory Fritzinger at last year's Super Six Challenge in Tuscaloosa. On Jan. 11 Rowe claimed the first all-around title of her collegiate career, winning the Super Six Challenge (39.425), which featured four of the top six finishers from last year's NCAA Championships, including 2001 NCAA all-around champion Onnie Willis from UCLA. Two days later vs. UCLA, Rowe was instrumental in helping the Gym Dogs upset the top-ranked Bruins by scoring a career-best 39.675 to finish in second place.
Carrying the Load: Because of all the injury problems the Gym Dogs have encountered of late, every one on the team has been forced to try and bring their respective games to another level. Considering all that she has accomplished it is pretty hard to imagine that Cory Fritzinger could turn it up any higher, but that's just what the sophomore from Virginia Beach, Va., has done. Three weeks ago Fritzinger was nothing short of spectacular in Georgia's meets at Auburn and Maryland. Out of the seven routines Cory performed, six of them went for scores of 9.875 or higher, including one 9.9, one 9.95 and a pair of perfect 10s. Cory finished in first place in the all-around versus Maryland and Temple with a score of 39.775 which tied the third-highest all-around score in school history. She had two perfect 10s in the meet (vault, bars), becoming the first Georgia gymnast to accomplish the feat since 1999. Versus Oklahoma (Feb. 1), Fritzinger scored a 9.925 on the vault and won the bars for the second for the fourth consecutive week with a 9.95. Last week vs. Kentucky, Fritzinger tallied three more scores of 9.9 or higher - vault (9.975), bars (9.95), and beam (9.95). All three scores were good for first place. Two days later at Michigan, Fritzinger was at it again, scoring a 9.9 on beam and a 9.875 on floor. Fritzinger has hit 29 of her 34 routines this year. Of those 29 hits, 20 of them or 68%, have gone for scores of 9.9 or higher
Sapunar Returns: The Super Six Challenge (Jan. 11) marked sophomore Sierra Sapunar's first action since last February when an elbow injury sidelined her for the second half of the season. Over the offseason Sapunar had reconstructive surgery on her left elbow, which was expected to sideline her through at least the first month of the season. However Sapunar was able to push up her return in time for Georgia's second meet of the season and the Gym Dogs were certainly able to use her help as she scored a career-best 9.875 on the balance beam to help Georgia to a 49.325 on beam. Two days later vs. UCLA (Jan. 13), Sapunar once again gave the Gym Dogs a big contribution as she tied a career-best by scoring a 9.9 on the floor exercise. At Maryland (Jan. 27), Sapunar showed the form that made her a member of the U.S. National Team Member earlier in her career as she scored a career-best 9.925 in both the balance beam and floor exercise events. Versus Oklahoma (Feb. 1), Sapunar surpassed her career-best on floor, scoring a 9.95 and tied for first place Last Sunday at Michigan, Sapunar notched another 9.95 on floor. She has now scored a 9.925 or higher the last four times she has competed on floor.
It's Been Awhile: In Georgia's victory over UCLA (Jan. 13), the Gym Dogs produced unforgettable performances on a couple different events. To start off the afternoon, Georgia scored a 49.625 on vault, which marked its highest score since a 49.8 at the 1997 SEC Championships, a span of 65 meets. On the balance beam the Gym Dogs were just as explosive as they scored a 49.5, which was their highest beam score since a 49.675 at the 1998 NCAA Southeast Regional, a span of 50 meets.
Was that the same team? And now this from the "What happened?" department. In stark contrast to Georgia's performance against UCLA was its woeful outing at Alabama (Jan. 18) as the Gym Dogs seemed anything but the same team that went out and defeated UCLA. It's hard to believe that a team could go from a 197.9 to a 195.025 in less than a week, but it happened. Georgia's 48.3 on vault was its lowest score in the event since a 47.675 in the 1998 season opener at Washington, a span of 49 meets. The Gym Dogs' 48.775 on the floor exercise was their lowest since a 48.2 vs Florida in the second meet of the 2000 season, a span of 33 meets. The irony of all this that it was in the uneven bars event, which is perceived by the coaching staff to be the weakest event, in which the Gym Dogs scored the highest in the meet (49.15).
No Rest for the Weary: Who says the Gym Dogs need rest to perform their best? One of the biggest differences in the Gym Dogs' schedule from years past is the fact that they had three different weekends this season in which they will be competed two times over a three-day span. This took on even more significance given that the Gym Dogs were very thin from a depth perspective with only 10 healthy gymnasts to start the season. Despite the lack of rest the team had between meets to prepare for its next competition, history shows that the Gym Dogs have been at their best when they are pushed to the limit. Not including NCAA competition, the Gym Dogs have now had "piggy-back" weekends nine times since 1997. In all except two instances the Gym Dogs not only won the latter meet, but also scored higher than in the previous meet. Two weeks ago the Gym Dogs held true to form once again. After scoring a 195.3 in a victory over Auburn, the Gym Dogs bounced back two days later to score a 196.475 and finish first place in a tri-meet also involving Maryland and Temple. Last week the Gym Dogs scored a 197.4 in a victory at home over Kentucky, however scored a 197.025 in a loss to Michigan two days later.
1997
Jan. 10 at Stanford W 195.025-191.400
Jan. 12 at UCLA W 196.950-195.725
1998
Jan. 23 At Florida W 196.175-195.150
Jan. 25 Michigan W 196.950-194.150
Arizona W 196.950-193.650
1999
Jan. 8 At Washington W 193.375-190.950
Jan. 10 At UCLA W 195.800-193.500
Feb. 26 Auburn W 196.450-191.825
Feb. 28 Michigan W 197.800-195.400
2000
Feb. 4 Kentucky W 196.675-191.225
Denver W 196.675-194.575
Feb. 6 at N.C. State W 196.575-193.450
2001
Mar. 16 Denver W 197.325-195.975
Mar. 18 UCLA L 197.475-197.375
2002
Jan. 11 at Super Six Challenge First 196.525
Jan. 13 UCLA W 197.900-196.875
Jan. 25 at Auburn W 195.3-193.9
Jan. 27 at Maryland W 196.475-194.875
Feb. 8 Kentucky W 197.4-197.45
Feb. 10 at Michigan L 197.175.197.025
Fritzinger Earns SEC Honor: University of Georgia sophomore gymnast Cory Fritzinger was named the Southeastern Conference's Gymnast of the Week after coming through with the best meet of her career on Jan. 13 in helping the Gym Dogs to a 197.9-196.875 upset over the No. 1 UCLA Bruins. Fritzinger took first place in the all-around with a career-best 39.8, which tied the second-highest all-around score in school history. Fritzinger's individual finishes included first place on the vault with the first perfect 10.0 of her career in the event, a second-place finish on bars (9.925), a tie for first place on beam (9.950) and a tie for first on floor (9.925).
Event-By-Event Notes
Vault
*** Georgia has scored a 49.0 or higher on vault in 18 of its last 20 meets going back to last season.
*** Cory Fritzinger has scored a pair of 10s on vault this season.
*** Georgia's vault score of 49.625 vs. UCLA was its highest in the event since a 49.8 at the 1997 SEC Championships, a span of 65 meets.
Bars
*** Georgia's 48.725 at the Super Six Challenge (Jan. 11) ended a streak of 16 consecutive meets in which the Gym Dogs had scored a 49.0 or higher.
*** Versus Oklahoma (Feb. 1) the Gym Dogs scored a season-best on bars for the second consecutive week as they tallied a 49.4, surpassing the 49.275 they scored one week earlier at Maryland (Jan. 27).
*** Cory Fritzinger has Georgia's top score of 10.0 in the event this season. Senior Eileen Diaz scored a career-best 9.950 at Maryland. (Jan. 27).
*** Fritzinger has tied for at least a share of first place on the bars in Georgia's last five meets.
Beam
*** Georgia's beam score of 49.5 vs. UCLA was not only its highest score in the event in 50 meets (1998 NCAA Southeast Regional), but it was also its highest score ever in the month of January. This is the first time ever that Georgia has scored a 49.0 or higher on balance beam in three straight meets to open the season.
*** Cory Fritzinger claimed at least a share of the individual title on beam in the first six meets to start off the season (9.9, 9.9, 9.95, 9.875, 9.95, 9.875). She claimed her sixth beam title this past Friday night against Kentucky with a 9.95.
Floor
*** Georgia's meet vs. Oklahoma (Feb. 1) marked the first time in four meets that the Gym Dogs scored higher than a 49.0 (49.425) on floor. Since scoring a season-best 49.6 vs. UCLA, the Gym Dogs had failed to score at least 49.0 on floor in their next three meets. That was Georgia's longest streak without scoring at least a 49.0 since the first three meets of the 1994 season.
2002 Results
Sun., Jan. 6 Nebraska W, 196.875-196.350
Fri., Jan. 11 Super Six Challenge First, 196.525
Sun., Jan. 13 UCLA W, 197.900-196.875
Fri., Jan. 18 Alabama* L, 195.675-195.025
Fri., Jan. 25 Auburn* W, 195.3-193.9
Sun., Jan. 27 Maryland & Temple First, 196.475
Fri. Feb. 1 Oklahoma W, 196.850-196.350
Fri. Feb. 8 Kentucky* W, 197.4-194.45
Sun., Feb. 10 Michigan L, 197.175-197.025
2002 Meet-by-Meet Scores
| School | Vault | Bars | Beam | Floor | All-Around |
| Vs. Nebraska | 49.150 | 49.100 | 49.200 | 49.425 | 196.875 |
| @SS Chall. | 49.150 | 48.725 | 49.325 | 49.325 | 196.525 |
| Vs. UCLA | 49.625 | 49.175 | 49.500 | 49.600 | 197.900 |
| @Alabama | 48.300 | 49.150 | 48.800 | 48.775 | 195.025 |
| @Auburn | 48.800 | 48.850 | 48.725 | 48.925 | 195.300 |
| @Maryland | 49.450 | 49.275 | 48.825 | 48.925 | 196.475 |
| Vs. Oklahoma | 49.275 | 49.400 | 48.750 | 49.425 | 196.850 |
| Vs. Kentucky | 49.400 | 49.225 | 49.300 | 49.475 | 197.400 |
| @ Michigan | 48.975 | 49.175 | 49.350 | 49.525 | 197.025 |
