On the second Saturday of the new year, University of Georgia athletics commemorated what would have been Elvis Presley’s 76th birthday by securing a new recruiting commitment in football, carding an impressive win in basketball, and opening the gymnastics season with a victory.
In a quad-meet against Air Force, Brigham Young, and 16th-ranked host squad Denver, the No. 7 Gym Dogs cruised to an easy victory on the road to kick off the 2011 campaign. The Red and Black finished first in all four events, both in team scores and in individual scores, with meet-leading marks of 48.975 in the vault (led by Lindsey Cheek’s 9.85), 48.775 on the bars (led by Gina Nuccio’s 9.875), 48.9 on the beam (led by Shayla Worley’s 9.85), and 48.925 on the floor (led by Nuccio’s 9.85).
Georgia’s total tally of 195.575 was well out in front of the 193.225 score posted by second-place finisher BYU, allowing the Gym Dogs to leap out to a 3-0 start on the young season. The only troubling part of this promising beginning is the fact that the Red and Black notched only four scores of 9.85 or higher, and no scores of 9.9 or higher. Last night, the Gym Dogs, as they usually do, exceeded the marks set by their competition, but they have not yet ascended to a level sufficient to meet the lofty standards expected of the program Suzanne Yoculan built.
Go ‘Dawgs!