DEL.ICIO.USGym Dogs win 5th national title in a row
For the Journal-Constitution
Friday, April 17, 2009
Lincoln, Neb. — No regrets. That is what Georgia gymnastics coach Suzanne Yoculan told her team going into the 2009 Gymnastics Championships, compete without any regrets.
She didn’t say it, but everyone familiar with the Georgia program knew the only regret they would have would be if they didn’t win the national title.
AP
Georgia’s gymnasts celebrate after Tiffany Tolnay (center left) completes her vault to win the NCAA championship in coach Suzanne Yoculan’s final meet.
How could they possibly send Yoculan, the sport’s most dynamic and successful coach, into retirement with a loss?
They couldn’t, and they didn’t.
The Gym Dogs won the 2009 NCAA title in the Bob Devaney Sports Complex with a 197.825.
Rival and SEC champion Alabama was second with a 197.575 followed by Utah (197.425), Florida (196.725), Arkansas (196.475) and LSU (196.375).
The victory is Georgia’s fifth consecutive national title and 10th overall. The 10 ties Utah for the most for a program. In addition, the five in a row ties Utah (1982-86) for the most consecutive NCAA team titles.
It was the only way the Gym Dogs imagined closing out Yoculan’s career. She leaves with 10 NCAA championships, 16 SEC titles and 21 regional titles. In addition, the Georgia program has produced 33 individual champions under her guidance.
A five-time national coach of the year, Yoculan has coached Georgia teams to 20 top four finishes of the past 22 seasons.
After trailing halfway through, the Gym Dogs’ performances on the floor and vault were good enough to afford the Gym Dogs the luxury of celebrating early while other teams were still competing.
Utah, which was tied with Georgia after two events, needed a 49.675 on the uneven bars to tie. The Gym Dogs knew it was too big of a score, so they picked up Yoculan and carried her around the tunnels outside the locker room in triumph.
“Yeeees,” senior Abby Stack yelled, voicing the thoughts of the several hundred Georgia fans in attendance.
Winning the championship wasn’t enough for Georgia. It wouldn’t have been complete without one last Yoculan speech needed when the Dogs started slowly.
During a bye after two rotations when Georgia had stumbled and balked its way through the balance beam and uneven bars, Yoculan gathered her team and reminded them of the message she had given them earlier in the week.
“I told them what we were doing wasn’t going to cut it,” she said. “I told them if we kept competing the way we were competing, we were going to have a lot of regrets on Monday, a lot.”
Georgia’s gymnasts listened and responded. The hesitant, tight routines were gone by the time they came out of the locker room, and in their place was the confident, crisp performances Georgia has become so famous for delivering in the most difficult situations.
Georgia scored a 49.575 on the floor, with every gymnast scoring above 9.9. That performance put Georgia in the lead with a 148.2.
Utah, delivered its own big performance of 49.525 on the vault, allowing the Utes to stay within reach at 148.15. Also with title hopes midway through the meet was Alabama, trailing at 148.075.
But Georgia ended any upset hopes on the vault, delivering a 49.625 capped off by 9.95s from Kathryn Ding and Tiffany Tolnay and a 10.0 from Courtney Kupets, who also earned a 10.0 on the bars.
“We all gave it our all in 24 for 24 routines,” Tolnay said. “It was an exhausting 24 for 24 routines, but it was a total team effort tonight.”
Yoculan’s motto has been there is no such thing as failure. “That allows you to compete freely and fearlessly, without regrets,” Yoculan said.
That was never more true than the second half of the meet.
Georgia’s showing Friday caps a season in which the Gym Dogs went undefeated until Alabama upset them for the 2009 SEC Championship.
The Gym Dogs rebounded by winning the Southeast Regional to enter the NCAAs as the top seed.
The actual seeding didn’t matter though. Everyone already knew Georgia was the team to beat this weekend.
More national titles still could come Saturday night in the individual competition. Senior Courtney Kupets, who became the first gymnast since Jenny Hansen (1993-95) to win three all-around titles when she won Friday, qualified on every event.
She won the vault title in 2006, shared the uneven bars title with Utah’s Kristina Baskett in 2006 and also won the balance beam in 2006.
She finished the season ranked No. 1 on the bars and balance beam and is second on the vault and floor.
Georgia’s Grace Taylor has a chance to defend her balance-beam title and also qualified on the bars.
Other Georgia gymnasts who qualified are Tiffany Tolnay (vault, floor), Kathryn Ding (bars) and Courtney McCool (balance beam). Tolnay finished fourth on the vault in 2008.
Yoculan has promised there will be no comeback, but she promised she isn’t totally walking away from the sport either.
“Next year I’ll be in the stands with the rest of you,” she said.
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