The Red and Black

Issue date: 3/20/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: DANIEL SHIREY Gym Dogs senior Abby Stack holds up two fingers during the SEC Championships Saturday. Georgia finished second to Alabama by 0.375.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - That darn beam.

Georgia gymnastics finished strong at Saturday's SEC Championships at the Sommet Center in Nashville, posting a 49.500 on bars and completing a cumulative score of 196.925.

But that was long after the Gym Dogs began the meet with two consecutive falls on balance beam, and it was too little to fully recover, as they finished a distant second behind Alabama's 197.300.

"I don't know what to say," said coach Suzanne Yoculan, named the SEC's Coach of the Year after the meet. "I would have lost a lot of money on tonight's meet on balance beam, that's for sure. I thought if we had mistakes and counted falls it would be on floor exercise."

The Gym Dogs' draw had them beginning the meet on balance beam, a strong event for Georgia but also a focus-intensive one that can be difficult to start on. Sophomores Hilary Mauro and Cassidy McComb proved that by falling in Georgia's first two rotation spots, forcing them to count Mauro's 9.300.

The Gym Dogs went on to score a 48.600 on the apparatus, their lowest score on the event since falling three times against N.C. State on Jan. 30.

"I don't know what happened," Mauro said. "I haven't fallen all year, so I guess we're calling that my mulligan and it's not going to happen again. I guess it was good to get it out. It was the wrong time, but I guess everyone has their mistakes. It's killing me right now."

The four-time defending national champions went on to book a 49.500 on floor, their second highest of the season. A 49.325 on vault and a 49.500 on bars later, and the Gym Dogs were still looking up at Alabama.

Said senior Courtney Kupets, who took the all-around with a 39.775 and was named the conference's Athlete of the Year: "God was there helping us through the rest of the meet, and even though the outcome wasn't in our favor it still shows that we are a fighting team."

SEC GYMNASTICS FINAL STANDINGS:
1. Alabama, 197.300
2. Georgia, 196.925
3. Florida, 196.750
4. LSU, 196.550
5. Auburn, 196.350
6. Arkansas, 195.650
7. Kentucky, 195.000

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