The Gymdogs finished strong on Saturday night in Jacksonville, FL but couldn’t overcome a slow start, which resulted in a fourth-place finish at the 2017 SEC Gymnastics Championship.
The eighth-ranked Georgia gymnastics team finished with a score of 196.700 and claimed scores of 49.25 on bars and 49.275 on beam to close out the meet after starting on floor and moving to vault in the second rotation. Lauren Johnson set a new career high on bars with a 9.9 to pace the team while Sydney Snead claimed a pair of 9.9s (vault and bars) and Ashlyn Broussard added the fourth 9.9 for the team on beam.
LSU won the conference championship with a final score of 198.075, and the Tigers were followed by Florida (197.825) and Alabama (197.400). Georgia finished ahead of all four first-session competitors, besting Kentucky (196.625), Auburn (196.550), Missouri (195.825) and Arkansas (194.900).
“I was really proud of the team for how they responded,” said Georgia gymnastics head coach Danna Durante. “We did get off to a slow start, just not really happy with how vault and floor went. But they did respond really well. Rachel Dickson rolled her ankle on floor and we were forced to make lineup changes on vault and beam, so I was really proud of them for how they responded to that.”
Georgia got off to a tough start with a 49.05 on floor as a team. Morgan Reynolds and Vivi Babalis tied for the team lead in the event with a pair of 9.85s, and Dickson followed close behind with a 9.8.
Snead led the way for Georgia on vault with a 9.9 from the anchor spot to put a bow on a 49.125 in the rotation. The Gymdogs got back-to-back 9.85s from Johnson and Marino prior to Snead’s effort, and Reynolds also contributed a 9.8.
Georgia got huge bars sets from Johnson and Snead, with their pair of 9.9s pacing the Gymdogs in the third rotation. Reynolds also contributed a 9.85 while Rachel Schick turned in a 9.825 of her own to produce a 49.25 in the rotation and bring the team total to 147.425 entering the final event.
The Gymdogs closed out the meet strong with a 49.275 on beam. Broussard was the high-scorer for UGA with a 9.9, followed by a 9.875 from Babalis and a 9.85 from Schick. Georgia also claimed two 9.825s from Sabrina Vega and Hayley Sanders to lift the team’s score to 196.700.
The Gymdogs will find out their NCAA regional destination during the NCAA Selection Show which will stream online on Monday (March 20) at 4 p.m.
Final Results
from the
2017 SEC Gymnastics Championship
1. LSU – 198.075
2. Florida – 197.825
3. Alabama – 197.400
4. Georgia – 196.700
5. Kentucky – 196.625
6. Auburn – 196.550
7. Missouri – 195.825
8. Arkansas – 194.900
Vault – 49.125
Ashlyn Broussard – 9.725, Morgan Reynolds – 9.8, Beth Roberts – 9.7, Lauren Johnson – 9.85, Gigi Marino – 9.85, Sydney Snead – 9.9
Bars – 49.250
Morgan Reynolds – 9.85, Hayley Sanders – 9.775, Lauren Johnson – 9.9, Sydney Snead – 9.9, Rachel Dickson – 9.2, Rachel Schick – 9.825
Beam – 49.275
Sabrina Vega – 9.825, Hayley Sanders – 9.825, Morgan Reynolds – 9.675, Ashlyn Broussard – 9.9, Vivi Babalis – 9.875, Rachel Schick – 9.85
Floor – 49.050
Morgan Reynolds – 9.85, Vivi Babalis – 9.85, Sabrina Vega – 9.675, Sydney Snead – 9.725, Rachel Dickson – 9.8, Gigi Marino – 9.825