Gym Dogs good, just not good enough

Balance beam - Bridget Sloan, Florida, 9.9

Floor - Joanna Sampson, Michigan, 9.9375

LOS ANGELES - The theme was constant for Georgia’s gymnastics team in the 2013 NCAA Championships, the Gym Dogs were good, just not good enough.

Georgia was shut out of the NCAA individual finals on Sunday held at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion with Chelsea Davis finishing sixth on the uneven bars with a 9.85 and Lindsey Cheek finished 17th on vault with a 9.825, Brandie Jay was 20th with a 9.8083 and Davis was 23rd with a 9.75.

Georgia didn’t have any individuals qualify for the floor or balance beam finals.

The vault title was shared by Diandra Milliner, Alabama and Rheagan Courville, LSU, 9.925, the bars title was won by Florida’s Alaina Johnson with a 9.9125, Florida’s Bridget Sloan won the balance beam with a 9.9 and Michigan’s Joanna Sampson won the floor with a 9.9375.

Davis was disappointed she didn’t finish higher after she was ranked at or near the top of the bars rankings all year. However, she admitted her body didn’t quite feel 100 percent after competing three days in a row.

“The third day, things don’t kick in quite as well,” she said.

Georgia coach Danna Durante said Davis was just a little too loose on some of her stands and was dinged for a step on the dismount.

“She is such a competitor, I know she wanted more,” Durante said. “But to come out here and compete in this environment, it’s only going to make her better for next year.”

Having three gymnasts qualify for the NCAA vault finals was a surprise for the Gym Dogs.

The trio were among 24 gymnasts who qualified on the event.

“It was a good performance and I am proud of all of them,” Durante said. “We’ve felt like we have been getting better all year and this was a good step for them.”

Georgia’s last vault champion was Courtney Kupets who won the title in 2007.

Kat Ding won the bars title for Georgia the last two years.

The Gym Dogs didn’t need any trophies to feel their time in Los Angeles was a success.

Even though they placed last in the Super Six with a 196.675 the Gym Dogs felt they made progress by getting back to the finals round after a three-year absence.

Florida won the title with a 197.575 followed by Oklahoma (197.375), Alabama (197.35), UCLA (197.1) and LSU (197.05).

Georgia’s gymnasts admit they were surprised at the coaching change following the 2012 season in which Durante replaced Jay Clark. Even if it did catch them off guard, the change was for the better the team now believes.

“Our world was flipped upside down,” senior Shayla Worley said. “It is sad I won’t be here next year because we are rising back up again and I am proud we can hold our heads high again.”

Durante admitted she feels some of the pressure is off too. Durante, who had a short stint as Cal’s coach before taking the job at Georgia, knew she was stepping into a difficult situation and believes the Dogs did well enough to show the future is a good one.

“I feel like we have a fresh start now,” she said. “We’ve got a lot of talent and a lot of depth coming back.”