The hope of pulling off one of its classic underdog-turned-champion miracles failed to happen for Georgia’s gymnastics team Saturday night, as Georgia finished sixth in the NCAA’s Super Six with a 196.675 at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion.
Florida came from behind to win its first national title, scoring a 197.575 followed by Oklahoma (197.375), Alabama (197.35), UCLA (197.1) and LSU (197.05).
As the fourth seed, Georgia knew it needed its best meet and for the favorites to have some mistakes for a realistic shot at bringing the title home to Georgia.
Unfortunately for the Gym Dogs, neither storyline materialized, leaving UGA not with a trophy but with the consolation prize of believing it has a solid base for the future.
“This team has been through so much in the last year,” Georgia coach Danna Durante said. “It was a great effort, and we have the talent and the skills, but until you have been here and seen what it looks like and what it feels like, it is something else. There is something that has to come alive inside of you where you have to fight and fight and put it together physically and emotionally to win a championship and we just aren’t there yet.”
Georgia put itself in a bad spot right away when Shayla Worley fell on the floor and Brandie Jay had a stepout for a one-tenth deduction, leaving Georgia with a 49.05 for its opening score.
Meanwhile, some of the favorites had their issues. Florida suffered two falls on the beam, and Oklahoma couldn’t pull the big scores on vault, leaving the Gym Dogs still in the mix.
However, everything changed in the third rotation as the three favorites separated themselves from everyone else.
Alabama followed a 49.5 on the floor with a 49.25 on the vault to stay in the lead with a 98.75. Florida posted one of the highest scores ever on an event at the NCAAs, earning a 49.725 on the floor to leap to second at 98.6, and UCLA was waiting in the wings at 98.55, with bars and beam behind them.
Oklahoma wasn’t far off the mark at 98.5, while LSU had a 98.375 and Georgia had a 98.25 after posting a 49.2 on the vault.
Although the Sooners technically were within striking distance, everyone in Pauley Pavilion seemed to understand it was going to come down to the three leaders, particularly since Florida and UCLA were finishing on strong events and Alabama had all the experience of being in the position to clinch the past two seasons.
As for Georgia, it simply couldn’t muster the big scores the other teams were posting.
Georgia’s bars score was the most telling event of the night, as UGA failed to earn any scores higher than 9.85 despite some good routines. Around them, the favorites were earning 9.925s and 9.95s to pull away.
While it had to be disappointing to see themselves slipping farther and farther behind despite solid efforts, the Gym Dogs never looked at the rebuilding process as a one-year affair.
Just getting back to the Super Six after a three-year absence and doing so with a new coaching staff provided some satisfaction for the Gym Dogs.
Georgia loses four gymnasts, including key contributors Worley and Christa Tanella, but still has enough talent returning to build on the experience of the NCAAs this year.
Despite Saturday’s results, Georgia could come home with a trophy. Jay, Chelsea Davis and Lindsey Cheek were among the 24 competitors who qualified for the vault finals in Sunday’s individual championships, which begin at 4 p.m.
Davis also qualified on the uneven bars.
To qualify, a gymnast had to finish in the top four on her event in Friday’s preliminary round.
Georgia’s last vault champion was Courtney Kupets, who won the title in 2007.
Kat Ding won the bars title for Georgia the past two years.
Having three qualify on the vault was a bit of a surprise for Georgia because Jay is the highest ranked vaulter from the team, at No. 16 with a 9.915 average.
Davis ranks second on the bars with a 9.945 average. She stands a good chance of winning because Florida’s Bridget Sloan, who is ranked No. 1 with a 9.955 average, competes fourth out of the 10 competitors while Davis competes eighth.
By that time, with few gymnasts left, the judges won’t feel much pressure to hold back in scoring if Davis hits a big routine.
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