University of Georgia Athletics
SEC Champs Look to Continue Success in NCAA Competition
March 31, 2005 | Gymnastics
March 31, 2005
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SEC Champs Look to Continue Success in NCAA Competition
The four-meet losing streak in midseason is now a distant memory for the fifth-ranked Gym Dogs. Georgia ended the regular season by defeating its last five opponents and on March 26 captured the program's 14th SEC championship. The Gym Dogs now enter NCAA Regional competition with an overall record of 19-4 and the their highest national ranking since they were No. 2 in the preseason poll earlier this year.
Georgia entered the SEC Championship as the fourth-ranked team in the league and three of the last five regular-season wins also came against teams that were ranked higher in the GymInfo poll.
Georgia opened the year with a win at the Super Six Challenge in Gainesville, Fla., and squeezed out wins in three straight conference dual meets before hitting a four-meet losing skid - the longest in Suzanne Yoculan's 22 years. In each loss, Georgia was forced to count a fall, and twice the Gym Dogs counted falls on two events. The victory at the SEC championship was the first time no Georgia gymnast fell on any event this year.
Georgia in the NCAA Regionals
Georgia boasts 17 NCAA Regional titles, including first-place finishes in seven straight. In 2002, the Gym Dogs tied for first with Stanford at the North Central Regional in Denver, Colo., and the last second-place finish came against Florida in 1997 in Lexington, Ky.
Georgia has qualified for the NCAA Championships in every season under Suzanne Yoculan.
Last year Georgia was sent to Penn State for its regional competition and defeated Michigan 197.525-196.375.
The Turning Point
Georgia experienced its first losing streak of Coach Yoculan's tenure earlier this year when the team dropped four meets in a row. Yoculan's program had never even lost three straight, but since a loss to Alabama on Feb. 18 the Gym Dogs have rebounded with wins over the last five opponents on the schedule.
It's still a wonder that the string of losses didn't extend to five. In a tight meet at home against then-No. 4 Utah, the Gym Dogs looked like their trend of falling off the bars and beam would continue as the first-up on those events hit the mat. But Georgia's last five in the bars lineup finished with solid scores for a 49.2 team total, and on beam the last five competitors found a way to stay on for a 49.025.
Most Georgia fans will probably tell you that Katie Heenan's beam routine that night turned Georgia's season from a subpar year to a regular title contender. Heenan was Georgia's final gymnast of the night on beam and scored a 9.675, nearly falling at the end of her routine. Somehow she stayed on, and drew one of the loudest ovations of the year from the Stegeman Coliseum crowd.
Georgia Best on Floor - Beam on the Rise
Georgia's highest event RQS is on the floor exercise where the Gym Dogs are third in the nation at 49.375. In five of the last seven meets, Georgia's highest score has come on floor. But at the beginning of the year it was the balance beam that Coach Yoculan said was Georgia's "best event." That lineup took its time warming up as six of the first seven meets failed to break a score of 49. In each of the last two meets, Georgia has posted a new season high with a 49.3 against Michigan and a 49.325 at the SECs. The beam lineup that clinched Georgia's SEC title included career high scores from Katie Heenan and Ashley Kupets.
Rankings Full of Gym Dogs
When you're looking through the national rankings it's hard to miss Katie Heenan's name. Heenan is the only freshman in the nation ranked in the top 25 on four events, including the all-around. Only Kristen Maloney and Tasha Schwikert of UCLA, Ashley Postell of Utah and April Burkholder of LSU rank nationally on five events. Heenan joins Oklahoma's Erin LaBarr and Nebraska's Richelle Simpson with rankings on four events.
Heenan's four ranked events are the all-around, floor, beam and bars.
Kelsey Ericksen (all-around, floor, bars) is ranked nationally on three events, trailing only Burkholder and Heenan in the SEC. Ashley Miles of Alabama is also ranked in three.
Heenan leads Georgia this year having competed in 51 of a possible 52 events. Ericksen has competed on 50 events.
Heenan Leads Gym Dogs to SEC Title
Last week Katie Heenan became the first freshman since Cory Fritzinger in 2001 to win the all-around competition at the SEC Championships and led Georgia to its 14th conference title. Her championship meet included a 9.9 on floor, 9.875 on vault, a 9.9 on bars and a career-high 9.95 on beam. Her balance beam routine was Georgia's last of the night and it also earned her the individual SEC title on that event.
Each of Heenan's last three all-arounds have all resulted in new career highs. At home against N.C. State she posted a 39.5 and finished second behind Kelsey Ericksen. The next week against Michigan, Heenan improved to a 39.55 and won the all-around competition. Her 39.625 last week at the conference meet was another career best.
Freshmen Taking Hold of Lineup
Just under half of Georgia's total routines this year have been performed by the freshman class (153 of 310 for 49.35 percent).
Georgia's freshman class includes former World Championship medalists Katie Heenan and Sam Sheehan. Both Nikki Childs and Megan Dowlen were U.S. National Team members and Audrey Bowers was a two-time Level 10 national beam champ.
Redshirt freshman Coutney Pratt also saw action in the beam lineup once this year against N.C. State.
SEC Championship Meet Review
Georgia entered the SEC Championship as the fourth-ranked team in the league, but season-high scores on bars and beam led to a total of 197.25 and the program's 14th SEC title. LSU placed second at 196.975, followed by Alabama (196.7), Florida (196.15), Arkansas (195.325), Auburn (195.125) and Kentucky (193.8).
Gym Dog freshman Katie Heenan (39.625) and sophomore Ashley Kupets (39.55) finished 1-2 in the individual all-around, both setting career highs in the process. The pair also closed the meet for Georgia on beam with a set of career highs, as Heenan notched a 9.95 and Kupets scored a 9.9.
Georgia opened the evening on the floor exercise and scored a 49.4, which held up the entire evening to lead all teams. On the second event, the Gym Dogs scored a 49.2 on vault that was bettered only by Alabama's 49.3 on the event.
On the bars and beam, Georgia scored pair of 49.325s - both season highs - to clinch the victory.
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