The Georgia Gymdogs closed out their season with a sixth-place finish in the second semifinal session of the NCAA Gymnastic Championships at Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis on Friday night. Senior Rachel Schick and freshman Rachel Dickson earned NCAA All-America honors for their performances.
LSU (198.275), Florida (197.8125) and Alabama (197.600) advanced to the Super Six, finishing first through third, respectively, in Friday’s meet. Nebraska (197.2125) finished fourth, followed by Michigan (196.4625) and Georgia (195.800). Oklahoma, UCLA and Utah make up the other half of this year’s Super Six, with those schools advancing from the afternoon semifinal session.
“It was a rough season,” said Georgia gymnastics head coach Danna Durante. “It certainly started in a tough spot but we saw some immediate resilience in this group. They had a great deal of discipline and commitment. I think we got better and better and better, and they gave it everything they had. The 2018 season starts tonight for me, for our coaches and for our athletes.”
Georgia started slow with a tough beam set, finishing with a team total of 48.5. The Gymdogs were paced by Vivi Babalis and her 9.825 on beam, her sixth score of 9.825 or better in her last seven beam routines. Heading into a bye, Georgia was in fourth place in the six-team meet.
Georgia claimed a 49.225 with a nice bounce-back effort on floor. The Gymdogs took five scores of 9.8 or better, led by Gigi Marino’s 9.8875 from the anchor spot. Babalis received a 9.8125, Beth Roberts a 9.825, and a pair of 9.85s for Morgan Reynolds and Sydney Snead.
The Gymdogs lost some ground in their third event with a 48.9125 as a team. Senior Ashlyn Broussard claimed the high score for UGA with a 9.825 in the event as the team prepared to head into its final bye.
The final rotation was highlighted by Dickson and Schick earning All-America honors with a pair of 9.9s on bars. As a team, Georgia received a 49.1675 on bars in the team’s final event, finishing with a 195.800 as a team.
MEET RESULTS
1. LSU – 198.275
2. Florida – 197.8125
3. Alabama – 197.600
4. Nebraska – 197.2125
5. Michigan – 196.4625
6. Georgia – 195.800
Vault – 48.9125
Morgan Reynolds – 9.7875, Gigi Marino – 9.75, Beth Roberts – 9.7625, Ashlyn Broussard – 9.825, Lauren Johsnon – 9.7375, Sydney Snead – 9.7875
Bars – 49.1625
Morgan Reynolds – 9.8, Hayley Sanders – 9.8, Lauren Johnson – 9.3125, Sydney Snead – 9.7675, Rachel Dickson – 9.9, Rachel Schick – 9.9
Beam – 48.500
Sabrina Vega – 9.65, Hayley Sanders – 9.7375, Morgan Reynolds – 9.65, Ashlyn Broussard – 9.6375, Vivi Babalis – 9.825, Rachel Schick – 9.0125
Floor – 49.225
Morgan Reynolds – 9.85, Beth Roberts – 9.825, Vivi Babalis – 9.8125, Rachel Dickson – 9.1875, Sydney Snead – 9.85, Gigi Marino – 9.8875