Wow!
Seriously . . . no kidding around here . . . just wow!
As already alluded to by NCT, Suzanne Yoculan's Gym Dogs just won the national championship . . . in sort of the same way that the Grand Canyon is just a hole in Arizona.
The Red and Black posted a 49.525 in the vault. The second-best vault score was a 49.4, posted by Florida and U.C.L.A. . . . the very same Gator and Bruin squads, incidentally, that dealt the Bulldogs their only losses of the 2007 campaign.
Georgia earned a 49.425 on the uneven parallel bars. The second-best score on the bars was a 49.275, posted by Florida.
The Classic City Canines received a 49.325 on the balance beam. Only host squad Utah, with a 49.4, was able to match that mark.
The Gym Dogs captured a 49.575 in the floor exercise. The second-best score on the floor was a 49.375, posted by Utah.
The top four gymnasts in the vault, the top three gymnasts on the bars, the top gymnast on the beam, and five of the top six gymnasts in the floor exercise all belonged to Coach Yoculan's team.
The Cornhuskers, after a very solid showing in the preliminary round, finished last with a team score of 195.975. The Cardinal came in fifth at 196.825, coming in just behind the fourth-place Bruins (196.925).
The Gators tallied a 197.225 score . . . and placed third. The Utes put together an impressive 197.25 . . . and their runner-up finish didn't even get them within striking distance of the top spot.
The Gym Dogs captured their third straight national championship by posting a 197.85.
I'll have more on this later. (Right now, I'm finishing up a truly depressing postgame report on the Diamond Dogs' disastrous opening game in Lexington.) For now, though, you need to know two things:
- Anyone who calls Suzanne Yoculan the Steve Spurrier of women's gymnastics is vastly overestimating Steve Spurrier's abilities and achievements as a coach.
- Florida can bite me.