UGA vs. Kentucky: Gymdogs Second SEC Meet Saturday

Home >

UGA vs. Kentucky: Gymdogs Second SEC Meet Saturday

Sarah Persinger performs her floor routine during the Bulldog’s gymnastics meet with the University of Michigan on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2014 in Athens, Ga.
(Photo by John Kelley)
[break]
The tenth-ranked Georgia gymnastics team will return home to face No. 14 Kentucky on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET for its second SEC matchup of the season. The Gymdogs are 1-0 in SEC competition after a win last weekend against Missouri. Kentucky is 0-1 in the league.

[break] [break]
The meet will air live on SEC Network +, and it can also be seen Sunday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Georgia has hosted meets in three consecutive weekends, and following the matchup with Kentucky, the Gymdogs’ 2015 home schedule will be halfway complete.
[break] [break]
Saturday’s meet will also serve as Georgia’s annual Pink Meet which raises money and awareness for breast cancer. Fans will have the opportunity to purchase T-shirts and participate in a silent auction that will benefit the Athens Regional Breast Health Center.
[break] [break] Georgia vs. Kentucky History
This marks the 78th all-time meeting between Georgia and Kentucky with the Gym Dogs holding a 76-0-1 advantage in the series. Incidentally, this is the second consecutive year Kentucky has traveled to Athens. Kentucky and Arkansas will come to Stegeman Coliseum in back-to-back years this season, while Georgia will travel to Florida and Auburn for the second consecutive year.
[break] [break] Last Time Out
Georgia fell to No. 15 Denver 194.850-194.300 on Monday in its first road meet of the season. It was Georgia’s second meet in 72 hours, the first a 195.800-195.225 win over Missouri last Friday evening. The Gymdogs led by .925 entering the final rotation, but had to count two falls on beam and scored a 47.4 on that event.
[break] [break] Noteworthy
» Sophomore Rachel Schick recorded a team-best and meet-best 9.9 on bars against Denver. This career-high performance was only the third bars routine of her collegiate gymanstics career. She missed the 2014 season due to injury.
» Junior Brandie Jay posted the highest event-score for Georgia for the third time this season. She, along with Rachel Schick, scored a 9.9 on bars against Denver. She had a 9.95 on vault against Missouri and a 9.925 on vault in the opener with Michigan.
» Sophomore Ashlyn Broussard earned her first event title with a career-high 9.875 on vault. She shared the title with Denver’s Nina McGee.
» Senior Sarah Persinger competed the all-around the last two meets for the first time since she was a freshman in 2012. She competed on vault, beam and floor in the opener and exhibitioned on bars.
» In Georgia’s last two meets, 14 of its 24 routines have been performed by freshmen or sophomores. The 2015 UGA roster consists of 11 freshmen and sophomores.
» Georgia head coach Danna Durante and Kentucky head coach Tim Garrison served together as assistant coaches at Nebraska from 2006-2011.
[break] [break] Rankings
The Gymdogs fell three spots to a No. 10 national ranking in this week’s top-25. Current rankings are based on average overall team scores. In team event rankings, Georgia finds itself in the top-10 on vault (No. 10) and bars (No. 8). Rankings do not reflect results from Georgia’s meet against Denver on Monday.
[break] [break] Up Next
The Gymdogs will hit the road for consecutive away meets at Florida, LSU and North Carolina. Up first is No. 1 Florida, who shares the top ranking with Oklahoma, at 6:45 p.m. ET on Friday, Jan. 30. The meet will be broadcast live on the SEC Network.

share content