University of Georgia Athletics
Gym Dogs Finish Third At SEC Championship
March 27, 2010 | Gymnastics
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. --- Fifth-ranked Georgia finished third at the SEC Gymnastics Championship held Saturday at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. Florida claimed the SEC title with a 197.050 followed by Alabama with a 196.875 and Georgia with a 196.825. LSU finished fourth ahead of Auburn, Arkansas and Kentucky.
The Gym Dogs’ Courtney McCool won the floor title with a 9.950, Kat Ding won the bars title with a 9.925 and Hilary Mauro tied for first on vault with a 9.900.
“All week we talked about staying loose and having fun,” said Georgia head coach Jay Clark. “We did a good job to start the meet, but we weren’t able to finish. We’re disappointed we didn’t close it out.”
After a bye in the first rotation, Georgia started the meet on floor in the second rotation. Each Gym Dog scored a 9.825 or higher including a 9.950 by McCool and a pair of 9.850s by Mauro and Grace Taylor.
After another bye, Georgia (10-7) moved on to vault and scored a 49.275, tying the second-highest team vault score of the season. Mauro tied her season-high with a 9.900, and by the end of the fourth rotation, Georgia had the best two-rotation score with a 98.575. Florida and Alabama each had a 98.250.
The Gym Dogs had another bye in the fifth rotation, and with Florida’s 49.400 on balance beam and Georgia’s 49.025 on bars, the Gators led the Gym Dogs by .05 entering the last rotation. Alabama posted a 49.375 on floor in its final rotation to finish with an overall score of 196.875.
Florida sealed the win with a 49.400 on floor in the last rotation while Georgia scored a 49.225 on balance beam. Grace Taylor led the Gym Dogs with a 9.925, tied for the meet’s second highest mark on the event.
“After two rotations we had a cushion and we were in good position to win this thing,” Clark said. “For whatever reason we made some mistakes and got tight. We didn’t bounce back from our mistakes the way a championship team has to.
“This was a pressure cooker. We saw at least two of the other teams that can compete for a national championship. It’s not over for us. This team is fully capable of winning on any night.”
Georgia will learn its destination for the NCAA Regionals Monday at 2 p.m. Eastern. The 2010 NCAA Regionals will be held at six sites across the country on April 10. The top two teams in each regional advance to the NCAA Championships in Gainesville, Fla., April 22-24.
NOTES
*Georgia tied its second-highest vault score of the year with a 49.275. The Gym Dogs also had a 49.275 in their last regular season meet against NC State.
*Hilary Mauro tied for first on vault, matching her season-high of 9.900. It was her first vault title of the season. She has now scored a 9.900 on vault in three of the last four meets.
*Courtney McCool won the SEC floor title with a 9.950. It was her eighth floor title of the season and 13th overall. It was also the 10th time in 12 meets this season she has scored a 9.900 or higher on the event.
*Kat Ding scored a meet-high 9.925 on bars. It was her eighth bars title of the season.
*Grace Taylor tied for second on balance beam with a 9.925.
*The Gym Dogs have finished in the top three of the SEC Championship each year since 1984 including first 16 times, second six times and third five times.
TEAM RESULTS
1. Florida – 197.050 (VT – 49.125; UB – 49.125; BB – 49.400; FX – 49.400)
2. Alabama – 196.875 (VT – 49.300; UB – 48.950; BB – 49.250; FX – 49.375)
3. Georgia – 196.825 (VT – 49.275; UB – 49.025; BB – 49.225; FX – 49.300)
4. LSU – 195.750 (VT – 49.300; UB – 48.850; BB – 49.150; FX – 48.450)
5. Auburn – 195.575 (VT – 49.025; UB – 48.600; BB – 49.050; FX – 48.900)
6. Arkansas – 195.275 (VT – 49.000; UB – 48.400; BB – 49.050; FX – 48.825)
7. Kentucky – 194.800 (VT – 49.050; UB – 48.325; BB – 48.625; FX – 48.800)
Individual Results (Georgia Competitors)
Vault: Noel Couch – 9.825; Lauren Sessler – 9.800; Cassidy McComb – 9.825 ;Hilary Mauro – 9.900; Kat Ding – 9.850; Marcia Newby – 9.875
Bars: Cassidy McComb – 9.675; Grace Taylor – 9.800; Marcia Newby – 9.500; Gina Nuccio – 9.850; Kat Ding – 9.925; Courtney McCool – 9.775
Beam: Cassidy McComb – 9.850; Hilary Mauro – 9.325; Noel Couch – 9.850; Christa Tanella – 9.800; Grace Taylor – 9.925; Courtney McCool – 9.800
Floor: Noel Couch – 9.825; Hilary Mauro – 9.850; Gina Nuccio – 9.825; Cassidy McComb – 9.825; Grace Taylor – 9.850; Courtney McCool – 9.95
The Gym Dogs’ Courtney McCool won the floor title with a 9.950, Kat Ding won the bars title with a 9.925 and Hilary Mauro tied for first on vault with a 9.900.
“All week we talked about staying loose and having fun,” said Georgia head coach Jay Clark. “We did a good job to start the meet, but we weren’t able to finish. We’re disappointed we didn’t close it out.”
After a bye in the first rotation, Georgia started the meet on floor in the second rotation. Each Gym Dog scored a 9.825 or higher including a 9.950 by McCool and a pair of 9.850s by Mauro and Grace Taylor.
After another bye, Georgia (10-7) moved on to vault and scored a 49.275, tying the second-highest team vault score of the season. Mauro tied her season-high with a 9.900, and by the end of the fourth rotation, Georgia had the best two-rotation score with a 98.575. Florida and Alabama each had a 98.250.
The Gym Dogs had another bye in the fifth rotation, and with Florida’s 49.400 on balance beam and Georgia’s 49.025 on bars, the Gators led the Gym Dogs by .05 entering the last rotation. Alabama posted a 49.375 on floor in its final rotation to finish with an overall score of 196.875.
Florida sealed the win with a 49.400 on floor in the last rotation while Georgia scored a 49.225 on balance beam. Grace Taylor led the Gym Dogs with a 9.925, tied for the meet’s second highest mark on the event.
“After two rotations we had a cushion and we were in good position to win this thing,” Clark said. “For whatever reason we made some mistakes and got tight. We didn’t bounce back from our mistakes the way a championship team has to.
“This was a pressure cooker. We saw at least two of the other teams that can compete for a national championship. It’s not over for us. This team is fully capable of winning on any night.”
Georgia will learn its destination for the NCAA Regionals Monday at 2 p.m. Eastern. The 2010 NCAA Regionals will be held at six sites across the country on April 10. The top two teams in each regional advance to the NCAA Championships in Gainesville, Fla., April 22-24.
NOTES
*Georgia tied its second-highest vault score of the year with a 49.275. The Gym Dogs also had a 49.275 in their last regular season meet against NC State.
*Hilary Mauro tied for first on vault, matching her season-high of 9.900. It was her first vault title of the season. She has now scored a 9.900 on vault in three of the last four meets.
*Courtney McCool won the SEC floor title with a 9.950. It was her eighth floor title of the season and 13th overall. It was also the 10th time in 12 meets this season she has scored a 9.900 or higher on the event.
*Kat Ding scored a meet-high 9.925 on bars. It was her eighth bars title of the season.
*Grace Taylor tied for second on balance beam with a 9.925.
*The Gym Dogs have finished in the top three of the SEC Championship each year since 1984 including first 16 times, second six times and third five times.
TEAM RESULTS
1. Florida – 197.050 (VT – 49.125; UB – 49.125; BB – 49.400; FX – 49.400)
2. Alabama – 196.875 (VT – 49.300; UB – 48.950; BB – 49.250; FX – 49.375)
3. Georgia – 196.825 (VT – 49.275; UB – 49.025; BB – 49.225; FX – 49.300)
4. LSU – 195.750 (VT – 49.300; UB – 48.850; BB – 49.150; FX – 48.450)
5. Auburn – 195.575 (VT – 49.025; UB – 48.600; BB – 49.050; FX – 48.900)
6. Arkansas – 195.275 (VT – 49.000; UB – 48.400; BB – 49.050; FX – 48.825)
7. Kentucky – 194.800 (VT – 49.050; UB – 48.325; BB – 48.625; FX – 48.800)
Individual Results (Georgia Competitors)
Vault: Noel Couch – 9.825; Lauren Sessler – 9.800; Cassidy McComb – 9.825 ;Hilary Mauro – 9.900; Kat Ding – 9.850; Marcia Newby – 9.875
Bars: Cassidy McComb – 9.675; Grace Taylor – 9.800; Marcia Newby – 9.500; Gina Nuccio – 9.850; Kat Ding – 9.925; Courtney McCool – 9.775
Beam: Cassidy McComb – 9.850; Hilary Mauro – 9.325; Noel Couch – 9.850; Christa Tanella – 9.800; Grace Taylor – 9.925; Courtney McCool – 9.800
Floor: Noel Couch – 9.825; Hilary Mauro – 9.850; Gina Nuccio – 9.825; Cassidy McComb – 9.825; Grace Taylor – 9.850; Courtney McCool – 9.95
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