GymDogs Return Home to Face Alabama Friday

Meet Information
No. 19 Georgia vs. No. 9 Alabama
Friday, February 17 | 7:00 p.m. | Stegeman Coliseum | Athens, Ga.
MEDIA GUIDE
MEET NOTES

ATHENS, Ga. --- After three consecutive road meets, the University of Georgia gymnastics team is back home in Stegeman Coliseum to face Alabama on Friday, February 17 at 7 p.m.  The meet will be broadcast live on the SEC Network's Friday Night Heights.

FULL OF DEPTH
The 2023 GymDogs have the most depth of any team during the Kupets Carter era. At the annual First Look, Georgia had seven gymnasts on vault, 11 on bars, 10 on beam, and 11 on floor with the potential for more. Thirteen different GymDogs have earned a spot in the lineup.

MY GOD, A FRESHMAN
Freshman Naya Howard is the first GymDog freshman to compete all-around since 2017. Her total of 39.475 against Kentucky is the best all-around score from a GymDog since the 2019 Regional Finals.

GYMDOGS RECEIVE TOP SCORES AT METROPLEX CHALLENGE
Georgia gymnasts finished with top scores on each event of the day and all-around. Seniors Haley de Jong and Soraya Hawthorne shared the event title on floor after both GymDogs scored a 9.950.  Howard was the top all-around finisher of the day with a 39.025.

De Jong's show-stopping 9.950 on floor marked a career-high, while her beam score of 9.925 notched a season-high.

A NIGHT OF SEASON HIGHS AT FLORIDA
Georgia recorded its best road score of the season at Florida- 196.850. Seven GymDogs improved or matched their season-best scores.

On vault, senior Haley de Jong and junior Katie Finnegan received a 9.825 to increase their season highs. Senior Amanda Cashman (9.775) and freshman Naya Howard (9.900) swung to their top scores of the season, while Finnegan matched hers (9.900) on bars. In the first two spots on floor, freshman Nicole King tumbled to a 9.825 and Eryn Williams matched her 9.850. Finally on beam, seniors Vanessa Deniz and de Jong matched their season highs, both scoring a 9.900.

MAKING STRIDES IN 2023
Georgia's 197.225 against Kentucky marked the highest scoring output from the GymDogs since the regular season finale in 2021, also against Kentucky.

The GymDogs scored a 49.475 on bars at Missouri, which is the highest bars score since the 2019 Athens Regional Finals. After three weeks of competing, the GymDogs rank 10th nationally on bars with an average of 49.250 and a high score of 49.475. It's the team's highest ranking for that event since Georgia ranked No. 9 in Week 3 of 2021 with an average of 49.150 and a high score of 49.325.

SORAYA HAWTHORNE NAMED SEC SPECIALIST OF THE WEEK
Senior Soraya Hawthorne was named the Southeastern Conference Gymnastics Specialist of the Week in week three of the season.

Hawthorne moonwalked her way to a career-high score of 9.900 on beam in Georgia's win over Kentucky. She followed that with the top score of the night on floor, a 9.925, marking the seventh time of her GymDog career she scored a 9.925 or better on floor. Her vault score (9.875) matched her season-high.

All three contributing scores from Hawthorne led to Georgia's 197.225 which marked the best team score since March 2021, also against Kentucky.

STRONG PERFORMANCE ON BARS
The GymDogs have had strong performances on bars this season. At Missouri, the GymDogs started the meet scoring a 49.475, which is the highest bars score since the 2019 Athens Regional Finals. Freshman JaFree Scott and senior Haley de Jong led the charge, both scoring 9.925. Junior Katie Finnegan followed with a 9.900. Freshman Naya Howard swung to a 9.875 and graduate Josie Angeny contributed a 9.850.

Coach Courtney Kupets Carter says the team has still not reached their full potential on that event.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
Georgia has seven returners on the roster of 18 total gymnasts. The GymDogs welcomed three transfers and eight freshman this season.

Five freshmen and three transfer GymDogs made their Stegeman Coliseum debuts in the Georgia Quad Meet on MLK Day. Naya Howard recorded her first 9.900 in a Georgia leotard on beam and won the event title.

Additionally, there are new assistant coaches on staff, making Kupets Carter the only retained coach for this season. She hired Ryan Roberts and Sam Welbourn as assistant coaches and Mollie Korth, former gymnast at Kentucky, as a volunteer coach.

HAWTHORNE CONTINUES THE MOONWALK
Senior Soraya Hawthorne assumed the responsibility of taking over the Georgia moonwalk tradition on beam as a sophomore and debuted the move at LSU in 2021. She is the seventh GymDog to perform the moonwalk on the balance beam, following Nikki Childs, Cassidy McComb, Lindsey Cheek, Mary Beth Box, Morgan Reynolds, and Sabrina Vega.

She scored her career high (9.900) and won SEC Specialist of the Week Honors after the meet against Kentucky.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Josie Angeny

Amanda Cashman

Haley de Jong

Vanessa Deniz

Katie Finnegan

Soraya Hawthorne

Naya Howard

Nicole King

Ja' Free Scott

Eryn Williams