2008 Woodie Awards
Gym Dogs top Bama
Takes lead at start, never relents
KEVIN COPP
Issue date: 2/1/08 Section: Sports
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The No. 1 Gym Dogs returned to the road and captured a comfortable 196.625-196.000 victory over No. 4 Alabama.
The two schools have combined to win 12 of the 26 NCAA gymnastics championships, and with a sellout crowd of 15,075, the second-largest gymnastics crowd in Coleman Coliseum history, this meeting figured to be another historic chapter in the series.
The Gym Dogs (4-1, 3-0 SEC) were less than sentimental, jumping out to an insurmountable lead after the first rotation and never looking back.
Alabama (3-1, 2-1) led off on their weakest event, the vault, with a season-low 48.900, and Georgia put the pressure on right away, with Grace Taylor, Katie Heenan and Courtney Kupets recording consecutive scores of 9.9 or above on bars after an opening fall from Nikk Childs.
The Gym Dogs came back down to earth on vault, recording a 48.900 on vault in the second rotation to match Alabama's score on that same discipline, but Alabama was unable to erase Georgia's opening lead.
It was the first time this season the Gym Dogs had recorded a score below 49.000 on vault and was saved from being even lower by a season-high 9.95 from Courtney Kupets.
In the third rotation, the Crimson Tide recorded its lowest score of the season, a 48.600, on the balance beam to give the Gym Dogs a full point advantage, making the final rotation a formality.
The scores for both teams were below their respective season averages, but the Gym Dogs consistently came up with a high score when needed.
"It's not disappointing, because it's just that time of year where
things aren't consistent," Yoculan said of her team's score. "That's really about where a team should be. I was really pleased to see different people pick it up in different places."
Alabama, meanwhile, recorded just two scores of 9.9 or above the whole evening, leaving the Crimson Tide unable to climb out of their early deficit.
The top-ranked Gym Dogs will return to Stegeman Coliseum and compete against their first opponent ranked outside the top five nationally, North Carolina State, Friday at 7:30.
The two schools have combined to win 12 of the 26 NCAA gymnastics championships, and with a sellout crowd of 15,075, the second-largest gymnastics crowd in Coleman Coliseum history, this meeting figured to be another historic chapter in the series.
The Gym Dogs (4-1, 3-0 SEC) were less than sentimental, jumping out to an insurmountable lead after the first rotation and never looking back.
Alabama (3-1, 2-1) led off on their weakest event, the vault, with a season-low 48.900, and Georgia put the pressure on right away, with Grace Taylor, Katie Heenan and Courtney Kupets recording consecutive scores of 9.9 or above on bars after an opening fall from Nikk Childs.
The Gym Dogs came back down to earth on vault, recording a 48.900 on vault in the second rotation to match Alabama's score on that same discipline, but Alabama was unable to erase Georgia's opening lead.
It was the first time this season the Gym Dogs had recorded a score below 49.000 on vault and was saved from being even lower by a season-high 9.95 from Courtney Kupets.
In the third rotation, the Crimson Tide recorded its lowest score of the season, a 48.600, on the balance beam to give the Gym Dogs a full point advantage, making the final rotation a formality.
The scores for both teams were below their respective season averages, but the Gym Dogs consistently came up with a high score when needed.
"It's not disappointing, because it's just that time of year where
things aren't consistent," Yoculan said of her team's score. "That's really about where a team should be. I was really pleased to see different people pick it up in different places."
Alabama, meanwhile, recorded just two scores of 9.9 or above the whole evening, leaving the Crimson Tide unable to climb out of their early deficit.
The top-ranked Gym Dogs will return to Stegeman Coliseum and compete against their first opponent ranked outside the top five nationally, North Carolina State, Friday at 7:30.
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