Gym Dogs’ Kupets has two perfect 10s

Athens — On one rare night inside Stegeman Coliseum it was perfection times two for Georgia gymnast Courtney Kupets.

Kupets on Friday night became the first Gym Dog since Chelsa Byrd in 2004, and the eighth ever, to record perfect 10s in at least two events in a single meet as Georgia defeated Alabama 197.175-196.275. Her all-around score of 39.825 was the third-highest in team history.

First, Kupets coaxed a perfect score from the judges in the uneven bars. Then she became only the fifth Gym Dog ever to earn a 10 on the balance beam. On her last event, the floor routine, she just missed another perfect score, coming in with a 9.95.

“It’s great. It’s more for the team. Yes, I did get two 10s tonight, which is amazing. I only had one before this and to have two tonight is incredible. But this is really about the team,” said Kupets, a senior from Athens. The 2007 NCAA all-around champion, Kupets missed much of last season with a torn Achilles. Her highest career score Friday emphasized her comeback is complete.

The fourth-ranked Gym Dogs are now 4-0 on the season after the victory over the ninth-ranked Crimson Tide.