The Gym Dogs closed out the regular season at home on Friday night by hosting Iowa State. The Cyclones were perhaps the weakest opponent on an otherwise daunting slate and it showed in the result, as the Red and Black claimed a commanding 196.75-194.45 victory.
Georgia's performance on the vault in the first rotation was highlighted by Katie Heenan's 9.95, but hers was one of only two scores of 9.8 or better in a round in which the Red and Black carded a 48.95. Nevertheless, this gave the Gym Dogs an early lead over an I.S.U. squad which posted a 48.525 on the bars after no Cyclone earned better than a 9.8.
Despite a fall by Nikki Childs on the bars in the second rotation, Georgia put up a 49.025 mark after receiving a 9.925 from Heenan, a 9.95 from Tiffany Tolnay, and a perfect 10.0 from Grace Taylor. This far outpaced Iowa State's 48.75 in the vault in which the high score was Jennifer Salfen's 9.825.
The Bulldogs were a bit wobbly on the balance beam in the third rotation, as Childs and Megan Dowlen were given 9.7s due to slightly shaky performances. However, a pair of 9.875s from Taylor and Tolnay and a couple of 9.9s from Heenan and Courtney McCool allowed the Red and Black to post a 49.25 overall. The Cyclones' floor exercise, for which the high mark was Jasmine Thompson's 9.85, earned the visitors a cumulative 48.875.
Tolnay fell during her floor exercise in the final rotation, but solid scores from several other Georgia gymnasts were capped off by Heenan's meet-concluding 10.0 to give the Red and Black a combined 49.525. I.S.U. settled for a 48.3 on the beam after wobbles by Nikki Dilbert and Jody McKellar and a fall by Anna Robey.
While this overall performance was not on a par with last week's win over U.C.L.A., the Gym Dogs closed out the regular season solidly, posting a pair of perfect marks to cap off the campaign. Suzanne Yoculan's squad now will begin preparing for the S.E.C. Championships, which will take place at the Gwinnett Center in Duluth next Saturday, March 29.
Go 'Dawgs!