ATHENS -- A day after the Georgia gymnastics team won the program's ninth national title, a pair of Gym Dogs in sophomores Grace Taylor and Courtney McCool claimed NCAA individual titles Saturday at Stegeman Coliseum.
Taylor captured the title on balance beam with a 9.9500 while McCool won the crown on floor exercise with a 9.9625.
Georgia gymnasts have now won 33 individual titles to lead all teams. This is the 16th year at least one Gym Dog has won an individual title and the ninth time more than one event has gone to a Georgia gymnast. It is the first year two different Gym Dogs won NCAA titles since a trio of gymnasts including Kim Arnold (AA, BB), Jenni Beathard (BB) and Karin Lichey (FX) claimed crowns in 1998.
"The team national championship was a culmination of the last four years here with the seniors building a strong program and tradition," Georgia head coach Suzanne Yoculan said. "The good thing about Courtney and Grace is that they're sophomores so they'll both be back next year. The future is bright for Georgia and I think we're in the position to go out there and compete for a national championship every year."
Taylor is Georgia's fourth NCAA Champion on beam and first since Courtney Kupets in 2006. The Aiken, S.C., native finished second on beam last year at NCAAs. Her score of 9.9500 in the fifth slot held up through six following competitors.
"I want to thank Courtney (McCool) for her inspiration and the team for all they've done," Taylor said. "They were right there with us on every routine. I also want to thank God and this awesome crowd. All of the athletes were tired because we left everything we had out there on the floor last night. That's what made it fun though. There wasn't any stress tonight and we didn't expect anything, so we just got to perform for the joy of gymnastics. We feed off of each other. She (McCool) makes me better and seeing her having fun kept it fresh in my mind."
McCool, who competed in the No. 4 slot on floor, made her first appearance in the individual event finals. A native of Lees Summit, Mo., she is Georgia's eighth NCAA Champion on floor exercise and first since Suzanne Sears in 2000.
"I just want to thank Georgia and all of the fans for what they've done for us," McCool said. "I also want to thank God because I prepared, but then He went out there and did it for me. It was just fun to let everything out on floor. Competing on floor has been so much fun for me this year. I had an amazing opportunity and felt great out there for that event."
Competition began with alternating vault and bar routines. Marcia Newby represented Georgia on vault while four Gym Dogs including Tiffany Tolnay, Katie Heenan, Nikki Childs and Grace Taylor competed on bars.
Newby finished sixth on vault with a 9.7563. LSU's Susan Jackson won the title with a 98563.
On bars, Georgia's Heenan posted a 9.9000, good for a second place finish. Childs (9.8875) tied for fourth, Taylor (9.8500) tied for eighth and Tolnay (9.8250) finished 14th. NCAA All-Around Champion Tasha Schwikert of UCLA claimed the title with a 9.9375.
The second half of the session featured alternating routines of beam and floor. Heenan and Tolnay also competed on beam for Georgia and MComb and Tolnay joined McCool on floor exercise.
Tolnay tied for seventh on beam with a 9.8500 and Heenan finished 11th with a 9.7875.
On floor, Tolnay tied for fourth with a 9.900 while McComb posted a 9.8875 to finish seventh.
SCORING (winners plus all Georgia scores)
Vault: 1. Susan Jackson (LSU)
Thursday
October 24th, 2024
12:24PM
