2007 Georgia Gymnastics Meets #3 and #4

Transcription

1 2007 Georgia Gymnastics Meets #3 and #4 #2 Georgia Gym Dogs (2-0) at #20 Arkansas and at N.C. State (w/ Iowa and #24 Ohio State) 2007 Georgia Schedule National Ranking: #1 GymInfo Poll Date Opponent Time (ET) 1-6 #8 Stanford (CSS, CN8) W, at #22 Kentucky W, at Arkansas 8 p.m at NC State (w/ Iowa and Ohio St.) 1 p.m Florida (FSN-TV) 4 p.m. 2-2 at LSU (ESPN2) 8 p.m Alabama (FSN-TV) 4 p.m Utah (CSS, CN8) 7:30 p.m Auburn (CSS) 7:30 p.m. 3-4 at UCLA 5 p.m. 3-9 Michigan (CSS) 7:30 p.m SEC Championship Little Rock, Ark NCAA Regionals Site TBA 4-26/28 NCAA Championships Salt Lake City Georgia Quick Facts Location... Athens, Ga. Colors...Red and Black Founded Enrollment... 33,660 Nickname...Gym Dogs Conference...Southeastern Athletic Director...Damon Evans Arena...Stegeman Coliseum (10,224) Mascot...Uga VI Head Coach Suzanne Yoculan 2006 National Coach of the Year Record at UGA (Years/Win%): (24/.867) Overall Record (Years/Win%): (24/.867) 2007 Team Record/SEC: 2-0 / 1-0 Now in her 24th year as head coach of the Gym Dogs, Suzanne Yoculan has led the program to seven national titles, 15 SEC championships and 18 NCAA Regional titles. She is a four-time National Coach of the Year and six-time SEC Coach of the Year. Under her direction, 52 gymnasts have earned 267 All-America awards and 29 times they have won NCAA individual titles. For 18 of the last 20 years, Georgia teams have placed in the top three at the NCAA Championships. Suzanne Yoculan Gym Dogs Show CSS: Thursday 5 p.m.; CSTV: Friday 5 p.m. G-Xtra: posted on Thursday Dates: Jan. 19 and Jan. 21 Delayed Television: none Live Internet Broadcasts: G-Xtra on georgiadogs.com Doubleheader On Tap For Gym Dogs Georgia is preparing to compete in its lone doubleheader weekend of the regular season, with one meet at Arkansas on Friday and at N.C. State on Sunday. Until the NCAA Championships in April, Georgia has just one meet per week, and back-to-back open dates prior to the SEC Championship. The Gym Dogs opened their SEC schedule with a win at Kentucky last week. Kelsey Ericksen, who did not finish the meet due to a bruised heel that she re-injured during her floor routine, had the top score of the night with a on bars. Freshmen Courtney McCool and Grace Taylor tied for first place on the balance beam with scores of 9.85 and freshman Marcia Newby tied Katie Heenan for first place on vault at The last time Georgia traveled to Arkansas, the Gym Dogs survived to win, , on Jan. 28, It was the final four competitors on the balance beam that helped Georgia seal the victory. After falls in the first two spots in the lineup, Michelle Emmons, Nikki Childs, Kelsey Ericksen and Katie Heenan all performed well to hold off the Razorbacks. Ericksen won the all-around that night with a The last time Georgia competed at N.C. State was Feb. 6, The Gym Dogs won as Kristi Lichey placed first on the vault and balance beam events with scores of Gym Dogs Remain Undefeated, Fall in Polls For the second straight year, Georgia opened the season as the nation s No. 1 team but fell to No. 2 in the first regular-season poll (decided by average team score). Florida is the current No. 1 and visits Athens on Jan. 27. In each of the previous three seasons, Georgia has lost ground during this same week, only to move back up the ladder in the second regular-season poll. A year ago, the Gym Dogs reclaimed the top spot in the Sites: Fayetteville, Ark., and Raleigh, N.C. second poll and held it the remainder of the season. Georgia s final team score of in its win over Stanford remains the top score in the country, followed by a by Florida. The Gym Dogs event score of on beam in the Stanford meet is also the nation s best. A Look at the Rankings Weekly national rankings through Feb. 12 are by season average Team Team Avg. High Score 1. Florida Georgia Utah Alabama Nebraska Iowa State UCLA Arizona Mich. St Michigan Gym Dog Highs Vault Katie Heenan...vs. Stanford, TEAM...vs. Stanford, 49.2 Uneven Bars Courtney Kupets...vs. Stanford, Kelsey Ericksen...twice, TEAM...vs. Stanford, 49.5 Balance Beam Courtney Kupets...vs. Stanford, TEAM...vs. Stanford, Floor Exercise Kelsey Ericksen...vs. Stanford, 9.95 TEAM...vs. Stanford, 49.2 All-Around Katie Heenan...vs. Stanford, TEAM...vs. Stanford, georgiadogs.com

2 Triple Threat Here s a look at results of teams that attempted a NCAA three-peat since Utah won five straight national team titles in the 1980s: The Utes again won back-to-back team titles in but placed third to Alabama in Georgia had a chance at three straight after consecutive undefeated seasons in The Gym Dogs managed only a thirdplace finish in 2000 as UCLA won the title. UCLA used its 2000 title as a spring board to back-to-back championship seasons, but also couldn t make it three straight, as the Bruins finished third to Alabama s 2002 championship. UCLA had a second chance for three straight in 2005 after winning the NCAA trophy in But a fourth-place finish to the Gym Dogs ended those hopes. Super Six Schedule As usual, Georgia s 2007 regular-season schedule has a championship feel throughout. The Gym Dogs are slated to compete against each of the three other programs that have won NCAA team titles. After traveling to Alabama and Utah a year ago, Georgia hosts the Crimson Tied and Utes on Feb. 10 and Feb. 16, respectively. Georgia travels to UCLA on March 4. The Florida Gators, a Super Six Finals team a year ago, will be in Athens on Jan. 27. Other NCAA Championship teams from a year ago that mark Georgia s schedule include Michigan (March 9), LSU (Feb. 2) and Arkansas (Jan. 19). Conference Domination For the third time in program history, Georgia is looking to win its fourth straight Southeastern Conference championship in The Gym Dogs won four straight SEC titles from and This season the conference championship will be decided in Little Rock, Ark., for the first time. Georgia completed its SEC schedule in 2006 with a 6-0 record. It marked the seventh time in the last 10 years the Gym Dogs were undefeated in conference regular-season action. Georgia has won 15 of its last 16 road meets against SEC competition. Peaking at the Right Time In 2005 and 06, Georgia won its national titles in similar fashion posting its highest score of the season in the Super Six Finals. During the 2005 regular season, Georgia s highest team score was a in a home meet against Utah. The Gym Dogs topped that mark in the NCAA Prelims with a , and were even better on the final night of the year with a That score included season-highs on vault, bars and beam. Last year, Georgia s top score prior to the championship weekend was a on the road at Michigan. During the Super Six Finals, Georgia s season-high also included season-highs on vault and bars. Attendance Record Up for Grabs With the addition of 273 court-side seats in Stegeman Coliseum this year, capacity for Georgia home meets will grow to 10,224. There were 9,002 fans in attendance for Georgia s season-opener against No. 8 Stanford on Jan. 6. For the past several seasons, Georgia has led the nation by filling its Coliseum to over 90 percent capacity, but now has a chance to break a record of its own. Georgia s top home attendance mark of 10,217 was set on Jan. 28, 1994 in the home opener against LSU. That night, Georgia defeated the Tigers, , including perfect scores by Leah Brown (vault) and Hope Spivey (floor). But what is the atmosphere like in Stegeman Coliseum with over 10,000 fans in attendance? There were so many people we really had to use tunnel vision to focus, senior Kelly Macy told the Athens Banner Herald following the meet. I just came out and said, wow, this is cool. Two Prostpects to Join Gym Dogs for 2008 Hilary Mauro of Cincinnati and Cassidy McComb of Las Vegas will attend the University of Georgia as freshmen for the 2008 season. Mauro, who trains at Cincinnati Gymnasts Academy under Mary Lee Tracy, is a two-time U.S. Elite Team member and was an alternate for the 2006 U.S. World Championship team. She placed sixth in the all-around at the 2006 U.S. Classic and was invited by coach Marta Karolyi to compete at a World Cup meet last May in Ghent, Belgium, placing sixth on the uneven bars and balance beam. Mauro was also a competitor in the 2006 Visa Championships. McComb trains with Cassie Rice at the Desert GymCats club in Las Vegas. She finished seventh and fifth, respectively, in the all-around at 2005 and 06 JO National Championships. McComb won the balance beam and floor exercise events at the 2006 Nevada State Championships, and placed first in the all-around at the 2005 Nevada State Championships. McComb is the first Gym Dog to come out of the Desert GymCats club. Gym Dog Olympians The 2007 season marks the first time that Georgia sends two former Olympic medalists to the competition floor in sophomore Courtney Kupets and freshman Courtney McCool. The duo helped lead the U.S. team to a silver medal finish in the 2004 Athens Games, and Kupets added a bronze in the individual uneven bars. It is not, however, the first time Georgia has had two former Olympians on the same team. Georgia s first Olympic duo was Canadian Andrea Thomas and American Lucy Wener on the teams. In those seasons, Georgia claimed national team titles in 87 and 89, and the pair combined for eight All- America certificates in their time together. In , Georgia had another Canada- U.S. combo with Lori Strong and Hope Spivey. The Gym Dogs earned the NCAA title again in 1993 and both gymnasts took home an individual championship in 1994 (Spivey on floor and Strong on bars). Georgia s most recent Olympic twosome featured Puerto Rico s Elieen Diaz and Canada s Stacey Galloway. For one season in 1999, both gymnasts helped the Gym Dogs to their fifth NCAA team championship. Did You Know? Nineteen Georgia gymnasts have combined for s since The last perfect scores by any Gym Dogs were from Cory Fritzinger (BB) and Marline Stephens (FX) at the 2004 SEC Championship. The first 10.0 scored in Arkansas Barnhill Arena was on vault by Fritzinger on Series Records Dating Back to 1980 Georgia vs. Arkansas Georgia vs. N.C. State Georgia vs. Iowa Georgia vs. Ohio State Georgia in the polls... January February March April Pre-Season In last season s second poll, Florida was the nation s No. 1 while Georgia moved to No. 2...Dating back to 1998, Georgia has entered the new year ranked first or second in every pre-season poll marked the fourth time since 1999 that Georgia was the No. 1 team to start a year... UGA has been ranked in the top 10 in each weekly poll in records dating back to 97. georgiadogs.com 2

3 Meet-by-Meet Review Jan. 6, Athens, Ga. #1 Georgia d. #8 Stanford, Att: 9,002 Georgia posted its best score in a seasonopener...katie Heenan won the all-around in the year s first meet for the second straight year...courtney Kupets had a career-high on beam...kelsey Ericksen tied a career high of 9.95 on floor...three freshmen saw action: McCool, Newby, Taylor...Team bars score of 49.5 was the highest for a Georgia team since March 5, 2004 at home against Iowa State. Jan. 12, Lexington, Ky. #1 Georgia d. #22 Kentucky, Att: 6,875 It was Georgia s lowest score since the second meet of 2006, but the Gym Dogs earned the victory at Excite Night...Katie Heenan scored 9.85s on three events to lead the meet in scoring...freshmen Grace Taylor and Courtney McCool tied for first place on beam with 9.85s...The Gym Dogs competed with a lineup of five on the floor exercise. National Rankings Team Vault 1. LSU 2. Georgia Bars 1. Nebraska t2. Georgia Beam 1. Florida 2. Georgia Floor 1. Alabama 6. Georgia Individual Vault 1. Emily Parsons, Nebraska 8. Katie Heenan, Georgia Bars 1. Melanie Sinclair, Florida 1. Jessica Lopez, Denver t3. Kelsey Ericksen, Georgia Beam 1. Nicole Curler, Michigan State 6. Courtney Kupets, Georgia Floor 1. Morgan Dennis, Alabama 1. Tynisha Dennis, West Virginia 10. Katie Heenan, Georgia Suzanne Yoculan Year-by-Year Results Year...Record... SEC...NCAA nd...9th rd...7th st...4th st...1st nd...5th rd...1st rd...3rd st...3rd st...2nd st...1st st...3rd rd...5th st...t3rd st...3rd st...1st st...1st t2nd...3rd st...2nd st...2nd nd...3rd st...2nd st...1st st...1st Total (.867) Team Roster Name Event Ht. Cl. Hometown Club Audrey Bowers UB,BB,FX 5-2 Jr. Lilburn, Ga. Gwinnett Gym Center Paige Burns V,UB,BB 5-3 So. St. Cloud, Fla. Orlando Metro Gymnastics Nikki Childs UB,BB,FX 5-3 Jr. Plano, Texas World Olympic Gymnastics Adrienne Dishman V,UB 5-2 Sr. Athens, Ga. Classic City Gymnastics Megan Dowlen (DOO-len) V,UB,BB 5-4 Jr. Rowlett, Texas World Olympic Gymnastics Kelsey Ericksen A-A 5-5 Sr. Cincinnati, Ohio Queen City Gymnastics Christi Fortunato A-A 5-3 Fr. Martinez, Ga. (MARTIN-ez) Hayden s Gymnastics Katie Heenan A-A 5-3 Jr. South Riding, Va. Capital Gymnastics Lauren Johnson V,FX 5-3 Fr. Cartersville, Ga. Cartersville Twisters Ashley Kupets (ku-pets) A-A 5-2 Sr. Athens, Ga. Hill s Gymnastics Courtney Kupets (ku-pets) A-A 5-3 So. Athens, Ga. Hill s Gymnastics Courtney McCool BB,FX 5-0 Fr. Lees Summit, Mo. Great American Gym Express Marcia Newby A-A 5-7 Fr. Virginia Beach, Va. Excalibur Gymnastics Lauren Sessler V,UB,FX 5-7 Fr. Snellville, Ga. Gwinnett Gym Center Abby Stack A-A 5-3 So. Matthews, N.C. International Gymnastics Grace Taylor A-A 5-0 Fr. Aiken, S.C. Aiken Gymnastics Tiffany Tolnay A-A 5-1 So. Grapevine, Texas Texas Dreams Head Coach: Suzanne Yoculan; Associate Head Coach: Jay Clark; Assistant Coach: Doug McAvinn; Volunteer: Julie Clark georgiadogs.com 3

4 *** These marks represent the season and career bests for the 2007 Gym Dogs.*** Season bests are listed at the top with career bests listed at the bottom. Gym Dogs Vault Bars Beam Floor All-Around Audrey Bowers Career Paige Burns Career Nikki Childs Career Adrienne Dishman Career Megan Dowlen Career Kelsey Ericksen Career Katie Heenan Career Ashley Kupets Career Courtney Kupets Career Courtney McCool Career Marcia Newby Career Abby Stack Career Grace Taylor Career Tiffany Tolnay Career Team Scores Meet-by-Meet Vault Bars Beam Floor All-Around Stanford Kentucky georgiadogs.com 4

5 Bio Updates Paige Burns, 5-3, So., St. Cloud, Fla. Saw action in exhibition in the Stanford meet, but was in the lineup on vault and beam at Kentucky. She was in the leadoff spot in both events. Stanford Kentucky Nikki Childs, 5-3, Jr., Plano, Texas After missing the first meet of the season, Childs was back on her usual three events at Kentucky. Her on beam was one of the top scores on that event. Stanford Kentucky Megan Dowlen (DOO-len), 5-4, Jr., Rowlett, Texas Scored a 9.85 on vault in the first routine of the 2007 season at home against No. 8 Stanford. Also exhibitioned on beam, and was back on the vault at Kentucky. Stanford Kentucky Kelsey Ericksen, 5-5, Sr., Cincinnati, Ohio Tied her career high with a 9.95 on floor in the season-opener against No. 8 Stanford. At Kentucky, she had the highest score of the night with a on bars. She bruised her right heel on the third tumbling pass on floor in Lexington and missed the fourth rotation. Ranked ninth nationally on bars. Stanford Kentucky Katie Heenan, 5-3, Jr., South Riding, Va. Earned the all-around victory in the team s season-opener for the second consecutive year with a score of against No. 8 Stanford. Named the SEC s Gymnast of the Week following that win over Stanford. She has been Georgia s top all-around scorer in the first meet of the season in each of the last three years. At Kentucky, was the meet s high scorer with 9.85s on three events. Ranked eighth nationally on vault and 10th on floor. Stanford Kentucky georgiadogs.com

6 Bio Updates Ashley Kupets (ku-pets), 5-2, Sr., Athens, Ga. Vaulted to a in the season-opener against No. 8 Stanford. Competed on two events at Kentucky. Stanford Kentucky Courtney Kupets (ku-pets), 5-3, So., Athens, Ga. Had a career-best effort on the balance beam in the season-opener against No. 8 Stanford, scoring a Again a three-event night at Kentucky, scoring as high as a on bars. Ranked sixth nationally on beam. Stanford Kentucky Courtney McCool, 5-0, Fr., Lees Summit, Mo. Scored a 9.9 on balance beam in the season-opener against No. 8 Stanford to finish second on that event. Tied for first on beam at Kentucky with a Ranked eighth nationally on beam. Stanford Kentucky Marcia Newby, 5-7, Fr., Virginia Beach, Va. The first freshman to compete for Georgia in the season-opener. Tied for first on vault at Kentucky with a Stanford Kentucky Grace Taylor, 5-0, Fr., Aiken, S.C. Her first routine as a Gym Dog was a 9.9 on the uneven bars in the season-opener. A 9.85 on beam at Kentucky tied for first place. Stanford Kentucky Tiffany Tolnay, 5-1, So., Grapevine, Texas In the Stanford meet, had a second-place finish in the all-around at , scoring a pair of 9.85s on bars and beam. Ranked ninth nationally on beam and seventh in the all-around. Stanford Kentucky georgiadogs.com 6