The Gym Dogs hosted the Missouri Tigers on Friday night defeating them 197.075-196.075. This win was the fourth straight win for Georgia. The final score was a season high for the Gym Dogs. There were also some personal bests posted for the team.
Rachel Dickson and Morgan Reynolds both competed for the all-around title for the first time in their careers. Dickson posted a 39.525 to win the all-around. Reynolds wasn’t far behind Dickson as she ended competition with a 39.400 to take second place. Dickson posted career highs in all four events in the meet and the all-around. She scored a 9.900 on vault, 9.925 on bars, 9.75 on beam, and a 9.950 in her debut floor routine. She also took home event titles on vault, floor, and bars.
The other career high’s on the night were Reynolds with a 9.85 on bars, Hayley Sanders with a 9.875 on beam, and Beth Robers with 9.85 on floor. The 49.500 score as a team on floor was also a season high.
Georgia came out strong as they scored a 49.75 on vault, setting the bar high for the rest of the meet. When the Gym Dogs moved to the bars, their momentum continued swing upwards as they posted a 49.225 and never looked back. During the Beam rotation, Reynolds debuted the moonwalk in her routine, and the rest of the team contributed with high scores.
The floor rotation was the highlight of the night. Two different Gym Dogs posted 9.950’s in their routines. Rachel Dickson and Gigi Marino both took home the event titles with their high scores and helped clinch the win. The two scores also pushed the overall point barrier over the 197 mark.
“They’re just fighters. They talk all the time about having each other’s back,” said Georgia head coach Danna Durante. “With it being our pink and green night, we talked in the circle yesterday about who are you competing for? Beyond your teammates. We know you are competing for them, for each other. But beyond that, who are you competing for? I think all of them had somebody. A loved one, a friend and some of them had several people who had passed away from cancer or who had fought that battle. The whole night was about fighting for something greater than ourselves.”
The Gym Dogs face Kentucky next on February 3 at 7 p.m. at Stegman Coliseum. The meet with be their annual “Redout” game as they will be raising money for women’s heart health.