University of Georgia
Utah
Gymdogs Top No. 5 Utah on Senior Night
March 11, 2017 | Gymnastics
The Gymdogs defeat Utah in the final regular meet of the season. Interviews with Morgan Reynolds, Rachel Schick, and head coach Danna Durante.
March 11, 2017
ATHENS, Ga. -- The seventh-ranked Georgia gymnastics team (7-6) topped No. 5 Utah (10-2) by a final score of 197.250-196.650 to top off Senior Day festivities on Saturday at Stegeman Coliseum.
Georgia won event titles on vault, bars and floor, as seniors Morgan Reynolds and Lauren Johnson both earned top honors on vault, Hayley Sanders and Rachel Dickson took the bars title, and Dickson and Gigi Marino shared the crown on floor.
"I think (the team's momentum is) great," said Georgia head coach Danna Durante. "We were stuck right under that 197-mark for so many weeks. Two weeks in a row to consecutively go above 197 even with still finding places where we can continue to get better, I think is a huge confidence builder. I think that will help us. We will rotate starting on floor, which means we will finish on beam. We do really well finishing on beam on the road. I think it's really great preparation for us going into Jacksonville (at the SEC Championship) next week."
The Gymdogs got off to a fast start in the first rotation, posting a season-best score of 49.375 on vault. Reynolds and Johnson both posted 9.9s, with Reynolds tying her career best and Johnson's season best effort in the event. Sydney Snead (9.875), Marino (9.85) and Dickson (9.85) also contributed to the team's best outing on vault, giving Georgia the early 49.375-49.025 lead.
Georgia built on its strong start with a complete performance on bars, earning a team score of 49.175. Sanders posted a career-best effort in the event with a 9.9, while Dickson also tacked on a 9.9 of her own to pace the Gymdogs in their second rotation. Rachel Schick added a 9.85, to bring the Georgia lead to 98.550-98.150 at the midway point of the meet.
In their third rotation, the Gymdogs put together a sound performance on beam with a score of 49.100. Sabrina Vega, Vivi Babalis and Schick all recorded 9.85s, as Georgia continued to lead Utah 147.650-147.400 moving into the final rotation.
Georgia sealed the meet on floor, recording a season-best 49.600. Four Gymdogs posted career-best efforts in the event: Marino (9.95), Dickson (9.95), Babalis (9.9) and Snead (9.9). Vega (9.9) and Reynolds (9.875) also added to the Gymdogs season best outing on floor, and giving Georgia the 197.250-196.650 victory over Utah.
This marks the end of Georgia's regular season competition. The Gymdogs will head to Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida on March 18 to compete in the evening session of the SEC Championship, slated for a 6 p.m. start time.
For all the latest on the Gymdogs, follow the team on Twitter (@UGAGymnastics), Instagram (ugagymnastics), Facebook (Georgia Gymnastics) and Snapchat (UGAGymdogs), and keep checking in to georgiadogs.com
Final Results
Georgia - 197.250
Utah - 196.650
Vault - 49.375
Ashlyn Broussard - 9.775, Morgan Reynolds - 9.9, Lauren Johnson - 9.9, Gigi Marino - 9.85, Rachel Dickson - 9.85, Sydney Snead - 9.875
Bars - 49.175
Morgan Reynolds - 9.775, Hayley Sanders - 9.9, Lauren Johnson - 9.725, Sydney Snead - 9.75, Rachel Dickson - 9.9, Rachel Schick - 9.85
Beam - 49.100
Sabrina Vega - 9.85, Hayley Sanders - 9.775, Rachel Dickson - 9.625, Ashlyn Broussard - 9.775, Vivi Babalis - 9.85, Rachel Schick - 9.85
Floor - 49.600
Morgan Reynolds - 9.875, Vivi Babalis - 9.9, Sabrina Vega - 9.9, Sydney Snead - 9.9, Rachel Dickson - 9.95, Gigi Marino - 9.95
Players Mentioned
