Gym Dogs Place Third at SEC Gymnastics Championships, Post 196.825 Mark Heading Into NCAA Regionals

As you may have noticed, it’s been a busy day in Bulldog Nation, so I’d be appreciative if you would please pardon me for the brevity of what follows. Since time is short and the news was not what we wanted, I will give short shrift to this afternoon’s SEC Gymnastics Championships at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena.

The fifth-ranked Gym Dogs, who have lost a step since Suzanne Yoculan stepped down but who have improved their performance over the course of the campaign, finished third in an increasingly deep league, posting a respectable 196.825 score.

The Red and Black earned a third-place 49.275 on the vault, a second-place 49.025 on the bars, a third-place 49.225 on the beam, and a third-place 49.3 on the floor. While these were solid figures from Georgia, they were inadequate to overcome the 196.875 posted by No. 1 Alabama and the 197.05 of fourth-ranked SEC champion Florida.

Ere the "Jacksonville isn’t a neutral site!" meme rears its ugly (and whiny) head anew, I would hasten to add that Kat Ding (9.925 on the bars), Hilary Mauro (9.9 on the vault), and Courtney McCool (9.95 in the floor exercise) finished first in three of the four events. The 10-7 Gym Dogs are bound for an NCAA Regional appearance and will learn which of six sites will host them Monday afternoon at 2:00.

Following the April 10 Regionals, the NCAA Championships begin on April 22 in Gainesville, Fla. Now that’s not a neutral site.

Go ‘Dawgs!