The Red and Black

Issue date: 4/29/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: RICHARD HAMM Abby Stack leaps into the air during her floor performance at the NCAA Championship Friday at Stegeman Coliseum. [Click to enlarge]

The terms "drop-off" and "rebuilding year" are ones often invoked in sports, and when a team wins four straight national championships, one would expect them to pop up fairly regularly.

Not so for Georgia gymnastics, which will graduate one of the most decorated classes in gymnastics history in May. Just as they have over Coach Suzanne Yoculan's 25-year career in Athens, the Gym Dogs look to retain and add to the talent that has made them nine-time national champs.

"The future looks good," said sophomore Grace Taylor, who captured the NCAA individual beam title on Saturday. "I'll definitely look at the future and smile."

The Gym Dog class of 2008 (Audrey Bowers, Nikki Childs, Megan Dowlen and Katie Heenan) leaves Athens with four NCAA championships as a team, 19 All-American honors, and a wealth of experience.

Next season's seniors look to be just as strong, if not stronger.

Courtney Kupets (2007 Honda Award winner, five-time individual NCAA champion, 10-time All-American) will be back from an Achilles injury, and Tiffany Tolnay (12-time All-American) earned All-American status in the all-around, bars, beam and floor last weekend. Add Paige Burns and Abby Stack to the mix, and it is, yet again, a formidable senior class.

"Looking at the senior class that's going to be here next year in Kupets and Stack and Tolnay and Burns, they're all amazing girls and they're going to be fighting again," said Heenan, Georgia's all-time scoring leader.

"There's no doubt in my mind that they will be a contender for the national title again next year."

Let's not forget about the younger Gym Dogs. Taylor (beam) and sophomore Courtney McCool (floor) are coming off of their first individual national titles last weekend, while classmate Marcia Newby earned her first All-American honors on vault.

With that trio leading the way, next season's junior class looks to be a threat as well.

Continued...

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