Georgia Finishes Second at Quad Meet with a 196.125

Monday, January 16

Athens, Ga.

2:00 p.m.

University of Georgia

196.125

194.675

Rutgers

Georgia Finishes Second at Quad Meet with a 196.125

January 16, 2023 | Gymnastics

ATHENS, GA. --- At a nearly packed Stegeman Coliseum, with an attendance of 9,435, Georgia placed second in the annual MLK Day Meet with a score of 196.125 against Ohio State, Fisk and Rutgers.

The Georgia gymnastics team placed second with a total of 196.125, closely behind Ohio State's 196.250. Following behind Georgia were Rutgers (194.675) and Fisk (190.100). The Gymdogs' best event score came in the final rotation on floor with a 49.350. Going into the final round of competition, the Gymdogs were down by seven-tenths of a point but were able to close the gap by a tenth and a quarter.

"I loved how this team has been making adjustments, getting back in the gym having three meets in the first two weeks of the season," Georgia head coach Courtney Kupets Carter said. "We have another meet this Friday and they've been doing a great job with that. The one thing I'd say about this competition in particular is starting out and having a few mistakes on the vault. For our team to be able to come out with an overall score on vault like that and be able to put it behind them and keep moving throughout the meet and end on floor the way we did, I thought was incredible from this team. My biggest takeaway from this is we're still leaving a lot on the table. We're still leaving a lot of little things and mistakes that shouldn't be happening. We really need to focus on all those details and this team has what it takes on all four events to get to the end."

The Gymdogs started off slow in their first rotation, scoring a 48.675 on vault. Senior Soraya Hawthorne earned a season high with her 9.875. Freshman Naya Howard contributed a 9.800 and senior Amanda Cashman followed with a 9.725.

On the second rotation, Georgia totaled 49.025 on bars, with senior Haley de Jong earning the top score and matching her career high with a 9.925. Freshman JaFree Scott swung to a 9.850, while junior Katie Finnegan added a 9.800.

Continuing their momentum in the third rotation, the Gymdogs earned a collective 49.075 on beam. Howard emerged as Georgia's leader and produced a career high with her 9.900. Senior Vanessa Deniz, Scott and de Jong all scored a 9.800.

Wrapping up the competition on floor, Hawthorne received the highest score for the Gymdogs with a 9.950. Howard performed to a 9.875 and freshman Eryn Williams and de Jong both received a 9.850. Cashman followed with a 9.825 to finish the meet.

Georgia will host Kentucky Friday, January 20 at 7 p.m. in Stegeman Coliseum.

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FINAL RESULTS
OHIO STATE: 196.250 (VT- 48.725, UB- 49.225, BB- 49.050, FX- 49.250)
GEORGIA: 196.125 (VT- 48.675, UB- 49.025, BB- 49.075, FX- 49.350)
RUTGERS: 194.675 (VT- 48.550, UB- 48.725, BB- 48.525, FX- 48.825)
FISK: 190.100 (VT- 47.675, UB- 47.450, BB- 46.300, FX- 48.675)

VAULT- 48.675
Haley de Jong: 9.700
Nicole King: 9.575
Sandra Elsadek: 9.525
Amanda Cashman: 9.725
Naya Howard: 9.800
Soraya Hawthorne: 9.875

BARS- 49.025
Amanda Cashman: 9.700
Josie Angeny: 9.475
Naya Howard: 9.750
JaFree Scott: 9.850
Katie Finnegan: 9.800
Haley de Jong: 9.925

BEAM- 49.075
Naya Howard: 9.900
Soraya Hawthorne: 9.775
Vanessa Deniz: 9.800
JaFree Scott: 9.800
Sidney Fitzgerald: 9.700
Haley de Jong: 9.800

FLOOR- 49.350
Sandra Elsadek: 9.775
Eryn Williams: 9.850
Amanda Cashman: 9.825
Naya Howard: 9.875
Haley de Jong: 9.850
Soraya Hawthorne: 9.950