Freshman Soraya Hawthorne, sophomore Rachael Lukacs, and senior Sabrina Vega scored three consecutive 9.950’s on floor to close the meet with a 196.100 for the University of Georgia gymnastics team in front of a sold-out crowd in Stegeman Coliseum on Friday night. 

The LSU Tigers went home with the victory after posting a 196.725 in the SEC opener for both teams. 

“There are so many positives that we’ve really focused on,” Georgia head coach Courtney Kupets Carter said. “It’s difficult to go through falls, but that’s what builds up our character. We really ended great today. The team stayed together, and that’s what’s going to get us further than anything, even further than the gymnastics itself. It’s just the energy and how the chemistry of the team is built together. They trust each other, and they’re confident and just have a little bit more work to do. It’s just exciting to see that they want it so much.”

The GymDogs started solid on vault, posting a 49.325.  This is a mark the team did not hit until week five last season. Sophomores Abbey Ward and Rachael Lukacs led Georgia with scores of 9.900.  Sophomore Mikayla Magee and senior Sabrina Vega posted 9.850, followed by freshman Soraya Hawthorne with a 9.825.  The 9.900 for Ward marks a career-high score for the event. 

Georgia scored a 48.050 on bars but regained momentum on beam with a 49.225.  Vega led the squad, in the anchor position with a 9.900, followed by a 9.875 from Rachel Baumann and Haley De Jong. 

The GymDogs wowed the crowd with performances on floor.  Hawthorne, Lukacs, and Vega nailed their routines with scores of 9.950.  Baumann scored a 9.875 and Magee posted a 9.825. 

Georgia will be back in action at Stegeman Coliseum on Monday, January 20 against Iowa State at 2 p.m.