The Georgia gymnastics team put up a 197.325 to Iowa State’s 196.625 to upend the No. 12 Cyclones on Monday during the GymDogs annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day meet in Athens. UGA is one of only eight teams in the country to reach that mark so far this season.
Multiple GymDogs (4-1, 0-1 SEC) earned event titles throughout the meet. Junior Marissa Oakley and sophomore Megan Roberts shared the title on bars after both scored a 9.925. Sophomore Rachel Baumann posted the top score on balance beam with a 9.925 and senior Sabrina Vega took home the crown on floor with a 9.950.
GymDogs’ head coach Courtney Kupets Carter commented on Georgia’s victory.
“This meet definitely builds confidence. They are a strong team,” said Coach Carter. “They need to stay within themselves, take it one event at a time, one routine at a time. They’re really taking that to heart and you can see the difference in this team. I’m proud of them and now we have to carry this momentum into this weekend.”
The GymDogs posted a 49.200 on vault to start the meet. Freshman Amanda Cashman improved her season-best score to a 9.825, while sophomore Rachael Lukacs led the squad with a 9.875 in the anchor position. Iowa State scored a 49.200 on bars to keep a close race after one rotation.
Georgia showed leaps of improvement on bars, posting a 49.275, which is 1.225 higher than last week. Junior Marissa Oakley and sophomore Megan Roberts led the GymDogs with 9.925s.
Georgia continued to shine on beam, scoring a 49.400 in the third rotation. Sophomore Rachel Baumann earned the top score with a 9.925 and Vega followed with a 9.900. Again, Oakley hit a season-high mark with a 9.850. The GymDogs totaled a 147.875 compared to Iowa State’s 147.550 heading into the final rotation.
In true Georgia gymnastics fashion, the GymDogs put on a show on the floor. In the final performance of the day, Vega scored a 9.950. Before her, Lukacs earned a 9.900 while freshman Soraya Hawthorne and sophomore Mikayla Magee followed with scores of 9.875.
The GymDogs are back in action at the Metroplex Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas on Saturday, January 25th. Georgia will face Oklahoma, Alabama, and Denver. The team returns back home to Stegeman Coliseum on Super Bowl Sunday on February 2nd for a 4:00 p.m. ET SEC meet against Auburn.