University of Georgia Athletics
Courtney McCool Advances To NCAA Finals On Balance Beam
April 22, 2010 | Gymnastics
McCool tied for the highest score on beam in the Thursday's first session. She will move on to the Saturday's finals along with Susan Jackson of LSU and Utah's Jamie Deetscreek and Kyndal Robarts, all of whom scored a 9.900. They will be joined by the top four (plus ties) on balance beam from the evening session.
"Courtney was fantastic today," said Georgia head coach Jay Clark. "She had a little shift of her foot on dismount, but other than that is was a flawless beam routine. It was the best beam routine I saw in the entire session. It was a really good beam set for sure."
On floor, McCool tied for sixth. UCLA's Brittani McCullough (9.925), Oklahoma's Hollie Vise (9.900), Oregon State's Makayla Stambaugh (9.900), UCLA's Vanessa Zamarripa (9.900) and Utah's Annie DiLuzio (9.900) advanced to the finals.
A native of Lees Summit, Mo., McCool is seeking her second NCAA individual title; she was the 2008 NCAA floor champion. She would become the fifth different Gym Dog to win the beam title and the third straight. Courtney Kupets won the championship on the event in 2006 and 2009, Grace Taylor in 2008, Kim Arnold in 1998 and Jenni Beathard in 1998. Last year, McCool was runner-up to Kupets on the balance beam.
UCLA (196.875), Utah (196.625) and Oklahoma (196.550) advanced in the team competition and will compete in the Super Six on Friday along with the top three teams from the evening session.
The individual finals are scheduled for Saturday at 6 p.m. ET.
