University of Georgia Athletics
2015 Gymnastics Season-In-Review
May 02, 2015 | Gymnastics
Gymdogs Finish Ninth In 2015
The Georgia gymnastics team finished the 2015 ninth in the country -the first time the Gymdogs finished in the top-10 in three consecutive seasons since 2007-09. The season ended with three juniors competing in the NCAA Individual Event Finals at the national championships in Fort Worth, Texas. All three will be back for their senior seasons in 2016.
The Gymdogs punched their ticket to the NCAA Championships by winning the NCAA Berkeley Regional with a 197.025 on April 4. It was Georgia's second-highest score of the season and the 24th NCAA Regional title in program history and the third in the last four years. UGA finished ahead of second place Utah, which narrowly missed out on winning the national championship. It was the second time in less than a month that Georgia defeated the Utes.
Postseason Honors
Four Georgia gymnasts earned All-America honors in 2015. Brittany Rogers claimed NACGC/W Regular Season honors on bars, and she was one of three Georgia first team NCAA All-Americans. Mary Beth Box and Brandie Jay were first team All-America on floor and vault, respectively. Chelsea Davis was second team bars All-America.
Five Georgia gymnasts - second most of any team in the conference - earned 2015 SEC honors. Box, Gigi Marino, Rachel Schick and Rogers were named to the All-SEC Team, while Natalie Vaculik and Marino were named to the All-Freshman Team. Florida led the way with six gymnasts earning SEC honors, followed by Georgia with five, then Alabama and LSU with four each. Georgia and Florida had the most representatives on the All-Freshman team with two. The All-SEC and All-Freshman teams are based on results at the SEC Championship.
Event-By-Event
Vault
Georgia's best vault performance of the season was a 49.55 against Alabama on Feb. 20. Four different Gymdogs claimed top honors on vault throughout the season, led by Ashlyn Broussard with four event titles. Brandie Jay finished first twice, while Chelsea Davis and Brittany Rogers claimed one event title each. Davis, who was held out of the vault lineup in the early part of the season, vaulted in each of the final seven meets of the year. Broussard turned in the best vault of the season with her 9.975 against Alabama. Jay was a first team All-American on vault and placed seventh in the individual event finals. The Gymdogs averaged a 49.221 on vault in 2015.
Bars
Georgia averaged a 49.271 on bars in 2015 - its best mark on any event. Brittany Rogers was a second team regular season All-American on bars, and she was a first team NCAA All-American on that event. She tied for second on bars in the individual event finals. A Georgia gymnast placed first on bars in seven meets, including the first five meets of the season. Rogers was one of five Georgia gymnasts who claimed at least one event title on the uneven bars. Chelsea Davis, who was a second team bars All-American, led the way with three, followed by Rogers and Kiera Brown with two each and Brandie Jay and Rachel Schick with two apiece.
Beam
Georgia's strongest beam performance of the season was a 49.35 to help the Gymdogs defeat previously unbeaten Utah in the regular season finale. Four Gymdogs placed first a total of eight times on beam in 2015. Mary Beth Box had three beam titles, followed by Ashlyn Broussard and Brittany Rogers with two and Natalie Vaculik with one. UGA finished the season with a 48.816 average on beam.
Floor
Georgia's top performances on floor came in the final meets of the season, beginning with a season-high 49.55 against Arkansas on March 7, which equaled UGA's highest floor score since 2010. The following week, Georgia turned in a 49.5 on floor in the final meet of the regular season. The Gymdogs averaged a 49.129 on floor, and three gymnasts claimed top honors on the event - Mary Beth Box and Gigi Marino twice and Brandie Jay once. Box was a first team All-American on floor and competed in the NCAA Individual Event Finals.
