Your #12 Georgia GymDogs went on the road Friday night to take on the #8 ranked Missouri Tigers in the good Columbia. While they came up just short, the meet provided yet more evidence of the turnaround underway under new head coaches Cecile Landi and Ryan Roberts.
The Red and Black notched a season high total of 197.350, but were bested by the host Tigers, scoring a solid 197.425. We’re certainly no fans of moral victories in these parts. Our official position at Dawg Sports is that we want the Classic City Canines to be the absolute best in the nation at everything, all the time.
But we also recognize that’s perhaps a bit of stretch goal, and nights like Friday are a solid waypoint on the path to dominance. The ‘Dawgs broke the 197.00 barrier for the third week in a row. That’s a mark they only hit five times in the entirety of the 2024 regular season. Friday’s score would have been the second highest of last season, but the fact that the GymDogs continue to score higher each week so far inclines me to believe this season could end with them consistently breaking the 197.500-197.600 barrier needed to be competitive with the SEC (and thus the nation’s) dominant programs.
Among the highlights was a new season high on the bars with a 49.475. Sophomore Lily Smith matched her season-high with a 9.950 on the event, while junior Ja’ Free Scott and sophomore Holly Snyder each matched their season highs as well, with a 9.925 and a 9.875, respectively.
The GymDogs also shone brightly on beam with a season-high of 49.550. Sophomore Anya Turner’s electric 9.975 routine tied for first and for the highest individual score of the meet on any event. In fact it was the highest score earned by any GymDog’s routine on any event this season. For a squad that struggled mightily on the beam at times in the past couple of seasons, the emergence of the event as perhaps the Dawgs’ strongest has been a welcome sight.
Freshman Nyla Aquino continued a strong start to her collegiate career on the floor with a 9.925, her second highest career score in the event so far. Aquino continues to develop confidence and hone her precision on the event, and is quickly becoming a must-watch athlete on the event by combining jaw-dropping athleticism with scene-stealing showmanship.
The Red and Black will return to Stegeman Coliseum next Sunday to take on Kentucky at 6:00 p.m. The meet will be broadcast on SEC Network. Until later…
Go ‘Dawgs!!!