University of Georgia Athletics
Gym Dogs Set Sights On 16th SEC Title
March 27, 2008 | Gymnastics
DULUTH, Ga. -- The top-ranked Georgia gymnastics team begins its postseason quest this weekend at the Southeastern Conference Championships at the Arena at Gwinnett Center on Saturday at 4 p.m. just down the road in Duluth, Ga.
Georgia, who came in second at last year’s SECs to Florida, will be trying for its 16th league title. The Gym Dogs’ 15 are more than second-place Florida by nine and they have more than any other of the teams combined. They completed the 2008 regular season undefeated in SEC meets for the third straight year and eighth of the last 11.
Their last SEC title came in 2006, a third straight as they also won the championship meet in 2004 and 2005 both of which were also held at the Gwinnett Arena. Six of the Gym Dogs’ eight NCAA titles came in years they also won the SEC Championships.
“When our athletes walk on campus we tell them they have the chance to win eight championships four NCAA titles and four SEC titles,” said Georgia head coach Suzanne Yoculan, whose teams have finished no lower than third in 24 SEC Championship meets. “Winning SEC Championships are just as important to us as winning NCAA Championships. A lot of the same teams you see at SECs will be at nationals as well. With the strength of our conference, winning this meet can be just as difficult as winning a national championship. It is as competitive of an atmosphere as you’ll find in all of sports.
“We are glad that this year’s championships are only an hour away at the Gwinnett Center,” she added. “We are so excited for our fans to be able to come see us without having to go too far. That arena also has been the site of some of our better SEC meets in the past, and we are anticipating nothing different this year.”
Georgia is coming off a bizarre meet of ups and downs on Senior Night against Iowa State. Despite having a record number of falls this year, Georgia also had some individual bests, including Grace Taylor (bars) and Katie Heenan (floor) posting Perfect 10s. It was the first time Georgia has scored two 10.0s in one meet since the 2004 SEC Championships. It also was enough to keep Georgia atop the overall team rankings and on bars, beam and floor as well. Courtney McCool stayed No. 1 on floor as did the injured Courtney Kupets on uneven bars.
Several of the nation’s top teams will be featured in this weekend’s championships, as six of the seven SEC teams are in the top 13 and all of them are in the top 20. Joining Georgia in the top 10 are No. 6 Alabama, No. 5 LSU and No. 3 Florida the defending SEC Champions.
“The SEC is loaded with talent from top to bottom,” Yoculan said. “Just because we have won it more than any other team and are ranked No. 1 in the country right now doesn’t mean anything. We have to come into this meet focused and at the top of our game, or we can be beaten and will be beaten.”
Florida came into last year’s SEC Championships as the No. 1-ranked team in the country, but Georgia, ranked No. 2, was the three-time defending champion. Although the Gym Dogs posted higher scores than the Gators on vault, bars and beam, floor exercise continued to plague Georgia that night, as three gymnasts stumbled out of bounds and the Gym Dogs notched just a 49.025 team score. Florida finished the competition on floor with a 49.450 to clinch its first SEC title since 1989. Alabama came in third, followed by LSU, Arkansas, Auburn and Kentucky.
“Losing SECs last year was definitely a wake-up call for our team,” Yoculan said. “Most of those girls had not lost a championship meet before that, and they didn’t like it. Our athletes are competitors who love to win. They are all dedicated this year in their quest to Get it Back.’”
Four current Gym Dogs have earned All-SEC status in their careers in Katie Heenan, Courtney Kupets, Tiffany Tolnay and Nikki Childs. Heenan, who has earned the distinction all three years of her career, has the chance to become just the fifth Georgia gymnast and 12th overall to be All-SEC all four years of her career. Other Gym Dogs to earn that distinction were Kathy McMinn (1981-84), Terri Eckert (1984-87), Cory Fritzinger (2001-04) and Chelsa Byrd (2001-04).
Both Heenan and Kupets have been individual SEC Champions as well. Heenan was the SEC All-Around Champion her freshman year in 2005 and she and Kupets were co-all-around winners in 2007. Heenan also was the beam champ in 2005. Kupets won bars in 2006 and then vault and floor in 2007.
Heenan also should earn another record this weekend. She currently is No. 2 in total points in Gym Dog history and needs just 27.575 points to move into first place, a distinction she should earn at the SEC Championships.
Georgia, who came in second at last year’s SECs to Florida, will be trying for its 16th league title. The Gym Dogs’ 15 are more than second-place Florida by nine and they have more than any other of the teams combined. They completed the 2008 regular season undefeated in SEC meets for the third straight year and eighth of the last 11.
Their last SEC title came in 2006, a third straight as they also won the championship meet in 2004 and 2005 both of which were also held at the Gwinnett Arena. Six of the Gym Dogs’ eight NCAA titles came in years they also won the SEC Championships.
“When our athletes walk on campus we tell them they have the chance to win eight championships four NCAA titles and four SEC titles,” said Georgia head coach Suzanne Yoculan, whose teams have finished no lower than third in 24 SEC Championship meets. “Winning SEC Championships are just as important to us as winning NCAA Championships. A lot of the same teams you see at SECs will be at nationals as well. With the strength of our conference, winning this meet can be just as difficult as winning a national championship. It is as competitive of an atmosphere as you’ll find in all of sports.
“We are glad that this year’s championships are only an hour away at the Gwinnett Center,” she added. “We are so excited for our fans to be able to come see us without having to go too far. That arena also has been the site of some of our better SEC meets in the past, and we are anticipating nothing different this year.”
Georgia is coming off a bizarre meet of ups and downs on Senior Night against Iowa State. Despite having a record number of falls this year, Georgia also had some individual bests, including Grace Taylor (bars) and Katie Heenan (floor) posting Perfect 10s. It was the first time Georgia has scored two 10.0s in one meet since the 2004 SEC Championships. It also was enough to keep Georgia atop the overall team rankings and on bars, beam and floor as well. Courtney McCool stayed No. 1 on floor as did the injured Courtney Kupets on uneven bars.
Several of the nation’s top teams will be featured in this weekend’s championships, as six of the seven SEC teams are in the top 13 and all of them are in the top 20. Joining Georgia in the top 10 are No. 6 Alabama, No. 5 LSU and No. 3 Florida the defending SEC Champions.
“The SEC is loaded with talent from top to bottom,” Yoculan said. “Just because we have won it more than any other team and are ranked No. 1 in the country right now doesn’t mean anything. We have to come into this meet focused and at the top of our game, or we can be beaten and will be beaten.”
Florida came into last year’s SEC Championships as the No. 1-ranked team in the country, but Georgia, ranked No. 2, was the three-time defending champion. Although the Gym Dogs posted higher scores than the Gators on vault, bars and beam, floor exercise continued to plague Georgia that night, as three gymnasts stumbled out of bounds and the Gym Dogs notched just a 49.025 team score. Florida finished the competition on floor with a 49.450 to clinch its first SEC title since 1989. Alabama came in third, followed by LSU, Arkansas, Auburn and Kentucky.
“Losing SECs last year was definitely a wake-up call for our team,” Yoculan said. “Most of those girls had not lost a championship meet before that, and they didn’t like it. Our athletes are competitors who love to win. They are all dedicated this year in their quest to Get it Back.’”
Four current Gym Dogs have earned All-SEC status in their careers in Katie Heenan, Courtney Kupets, Tiffany Tolnay and Nikki Childs. Heenan, who has earned the distinction all three years of her career, has the chance to become just the fifth Georgia gymnast and 12th overall to be All-SEC all four years of her career. Other Gym Dogs to earn that distinction were Kathy McMinn (1981-84), Terri Eckert (1984-87), Cory Fritzinger (2001-04) and Chelsa Byrd (2001-04).
Both Heenan and Kupets have been individual SEC Champions as well. Heenan was the SEC All-Around Champion her freshman year in 2005 and she and Kupets were co-all-around winners in 2007. Heenan also was the beam champ in 2005. Kupets won bars in 2006 and then vault and floor in 2007.
Heenan also should earn another record this weekend. She currently is No. 2 in total points in Gym Dog history and needs just 27.575 points to move into first place, a distinction she should earn at the SEC Championships.
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