Georgia Travels To Michigan For Meet On Sunday

Feb. 9, 2002

No. 2 University of Georgia Gym Dogs (12-1, 2-1 SEC) vs No. 6 Michigan (9-2, 3-0 Big 10)
February 10, 2002 * Crisler Arena (9,951), Ann Arbor, Mich. (13,562)

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 (9.85) and bars (9.85) vs. Ky (2/8) Chelsa Byrd So. 5-3 All-Around Little Rock, Ark. Tied a career-best 9.950 last week on floor vs. Oklahoma 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 Recorded a career-best 9.950 on floor last week vs. Oklahoma Loren Simpson So. 5-4 All-Around Alpharetta, Ga. Tied career-best 9.850 on floor at Alabama (Jan. 18) Marline Stephens So. 5-4 All-Around Houston, Texas Scored a career-best 39.650 in theall around last week Talya Vexler Sr. 5-1 All-Around Amherst, Mass. Hit a career best 9.850 on bars vs.Nebraska 1/6

Up Next: The Gym Dogs wrap of their third and final "piggy-back weekend" of the regular season with a meet against the No. 6 Michigan Wolverines (Feb. 10, 2 p.m. ET) in Ann Arbor, Mich. The Gym Dogs have won their last four meets, most recently a 197.4-194.45 victory over the No. 21 Kentucky Wildcats Friday night in Athens.

Series Notes: Georgia holds a 27-1 advantage in the all-time series vs. Michigan ... the Gym Dogs have won all 13 regular season meetings ... Michigan was runner-up to Georgia at the 1999 NCAA Championships in Salt Lake City ... the 1999 dual meet between the two schools in Ann Arbor drew the second-highest attendance mark ever for a dual meet in Michigan (2,504) ... Georgia overcame a 1.225 deficit heading into the final rotation of last year's meet in Athens to win 196.675-196.625 ... Georgia was aided by a then-season-best 49.575 on floor in addition to three falls on the balance beam by the Wolverines.

Head Coach Suzanne Yoculan: Named head coach August 24, 1983 ... now in 19th season at Georgia, has amassed incredible career record 580-78-5 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 118-32-3 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: The Gym Dogs have scored a season-best on the uneven bars in two of their last three meets on uneven bars as they posted a 49.4 vs. Oklahoma (Feb. 1), surpassing the 49.275 they scored at Maryland (Jan. 27) ... Sophomore Cory Fritzinger won at least a share of the bars competition (9.950) for the fifth consecutive week vs. Kentucky on Friday night. She also captured her sixth balance beam victory (9.950) of the year vs. the Wildcats. 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 27 of her 31 routines this year. Of those 27 hits, 19 of them or 70%, have gone for scores of 9.9 or higher ... Sophomore Marline Stephens notched her second 9.975 of the season on vault vs. Oklahoma (Feb. 1) and won the all-around with a career-best 39.65. She also tallied season bests on bars (9.875) and floor (9.925) ... Stephens and Fritzinger are currently ranked sixth and seventh, respectively in the all-around ... junior Cassie Bair set a pair of career highs in vault (9.85) and bars (9.85) Friday night vs. Kentucky. Bair also posted a 9.9 on balance beam, the third time in the last four meets she has scored a 9.9 or higher in the event ... Sophomore Loren Simpson notched a career-best 9.9 on the uneven bars vs. Oklahoma (Feb. 1) ... sophomores Sierra Sapunar and Chelsa Byrd both recorded career highs of 9.95 on the floor exercise vs. Oklahoma (Feb. 1).

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. Two 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. Last week vs. 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. This past Friday night, 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.

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 that she is starting to return to 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. Last week vs. Oklahoma, Sapunar surpassed her career-best on floor, scoring a 9.95 and tied for first place.

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 have three different weekends this season in which they will be competing two times over a three-day span. This takes on even more significance given that the Gym Dogs are very thin from a depth perspective with only 10 healthy gymnasts to start the season. Despite the lack of rest the team will have 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 eight times since 1997. In all except one instance 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. This week the Gym Dogs will compete twice in the same weekend (vs. Kentucky, at Michigan) for the third and final time this season.

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

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 19 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.
*** Last week vs. 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 five meets to start off the season (9.9, 9.9, 9.95, 9.875, 9.95). She claimed her sixth beam title this past Friday night against Kentucky with a 9.95.

Floor
*** Freshman Michelle Emmons scored a 9.975 on floor in her Gym Dog debut, the highest score ever for a Gym Dog competing in her first meet on floor.
*** Last week 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

2002 Meet-by-Meet Scores Vault Bars Beam Floor A-A Vs. Neb. 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. Okla 49.275 49.400 48.750 49.425 196.850 Vs. Kent. 49.400 49.225 49.300 49.475 197.400

University of Georgia Athletics

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