Welcome back to NCAA gym! I’m Carolyn Lien here covering Auburn vs Georgia from my couch/recliner aka my favorite place to be! You can watch this meet’s stream here and catch the scores here. Before we dive into the meet, let’s take a look at how these two teams have been doing so far this year.
Auburn comes into this meet ranked No. 7 in the nation with the great power of Sunisa Lee on its side as well as Derrian Gobourne and Cassie Stevens. Lee is even planning to debut a vault tonight that has never been done before in collegiate competition: a Yurchenko half on, front layout off. I’m curious to see what the start value for this vault will be and if she gets it officially named after her in the NCAA CoP. Auburn has won every meet it has competed in so far this year with the exception of LSU, but on the bright side, Auburn doesn’t have any major injuries or gymnasts out for the season so they should be a stellar squad tonight. The Tigers will want to clean up its bars lineup as it still have yet to reach the 49.450-49.500 mark yet this season. Look for Gabby McLaughlin on beam, Derrian Gobourne on vault and floor, Cassie Stevens on bars and beam, and of course, Sunisa Lee on all four events as far as gymnasts to watch go.
Georgia is 0-5 so far in the 2022 season, plus, it recently lost senior Rachael Lukacs to a season ending injury and medical retirement on floor against the Georgia vs LSU meet. How worse can it get? The GymDawgs main issue has undoubtedly been the balance beam as several GymDawg lineups have had multiple falls. Hopefully, we will see that change tonight. Some UGA gymnasts to watch are Rachel Baumann on floor and beam, Soraya Hawthorne on floor, Mikayla Magee on vault, beam, and floor, and Megan Roberts on vault and bars.
With that being said, let’s begin!
I’m just here eating my KFC Famous Bowl and waiting for the Florida vs Kentucky meet to conclude before Auburn vs Georgia begins. 🙂
Rotation 1: UGA VT, AU UB
Looks like the first two vaulters were Cashman with a 9.775 and a 9.850 from Magee.
Auburn started with a 9.850 from Sabados and Groth just received a 9.725 moments ago.
Ward (UGA): Here we are! Tsuk full, beautiful form in the air, almost stuck but takes a step forward. 9.825
Stevens (AU): Starts off with her toe on to huge Ray, great work. Double layout for her dismount, small hop back. Alicia Sacramone Quinn and John Roethlisberger are our commentators tonight! 9.800
Hawthorne (UGA): Lots of amplitude with a step back, looks like she could easily add the extra half twist but both ankles are taped so she might continue with the full for now. 9.850
Smith (AU): Toe on to Maloney and catches one hand but comes off. Tries the Maloney again, catches and slips again, this time almost to her face. Back up and doesn’t try the Maloney, but lands the dismount. 8.075
Baumann (UGA): Yurchenko 1.5, step back after a semi-squatty landing, but she looks happy with it. 9.825
Gobourne (AU): Crazy height on the tkachev to Pak. Looking great, SUPER high above the bar on her full-in dismount, aaaaalmost sticks it. 9.850
Roberts (UGA): 1.5, pops out of the landing, good clean vault to end for the Dawgs. 9.825
Groth’s score was just raised to a 9.775 for Auburn.
Lee (AU): Maloney to Pak to Van Leeuwen, and completes her connections right there, stuck dismount, not QUITE perfect but should be a good score.
After 1: UGA 49.175, AU 49.150
After one, UGA is leading by 0.25! This should be an exciting night if scores are that close after just one event! Still waiting for that score for Lee… pretty good start for Georgia, and a rough one for Auburn after having to count a 9.775, hopefully they can bounce back with Sunisa Lee’s new vault coming up in the next rotation. Alright, Lee got a 9.925.
Rotation 2: UGA UB, AU VT
Walsh (AU): Tara Walsh and Cassie Stevens had a warmup battle meaning that whoever had the better warmup got to compete and it looks like Walsh got the call. FTY, almost sticks it but ultimately has to take a step forward. 9.775
Hattway (UGA): Gienger, no issues on that. Bail, good handstand. Really aggressive on the kip up to the high bar and giants, double layout, hop forward. Just her second time competing on bars this season, she looked great though! 9.700
Groth (AU): FTY, tries to stick it, but “college” sticks it to quickly salute the judge before she takes a step. 9.825
Ward (UGA): Takes a pause after her release up to the high bar, good double layout dismount. 9.100
Hubbard (AU): 1.5, hop forward on the landing. 9.850
Finnegan (UGA): Sky high Ray, really clean throughout this routine. STICKS the full-in dismount! She is great! 9.875
Watson (AU): 1.5, just the smallest bit of leg form in the air, hop forward but overall shows excellent control in the hop. 9.900
Schild (UGA): Ray with a large straddle position, hitting her handstands, ooh, bit of a (for lack of a better word) janky body position in the air on her double layout dismount and takes a big step forward. 9.550
Gobourne (AU): Fantastic height on her 1.5, hop forward. I LOVE to see those open hips in the air, this really shows her abdominal strength and how she doesn’t rely on her arms twisting her around. 9.850
Roberts (UGA): Good first handstands, Maloney to bail, quick routine here. Double layout dismount, makes it look easy. Stuck! 9.925
Lee (AU): Here it is everyone! Yurchenko half on to front layout, some leg separation in her form to whip that front layout around, little step to the side. LOVELY! You guys need to watch this once it is uploaded to Youtube. 9.925
Nguyen (UGA): Piked jaeger, lovely. Timing on the Pak was just the slightest bit off but could be just me. Double layout, gets it right around for a stuck landing! 9.800
After 2: UGA 98.000, AU 98.550
Now Auburn has the lead! I LOVE THIS. Of course with Georgia having to count Schild’s 9.550, this shouldn’t come as a surprise, this should be a crazy meet! Broadcast says Gobourne and two choreographers (with one being her brother) helped create her Missy Elliott routine. BONUS! She can sing too! #MargzettaVibes
Rotation 3: UGA BB, AU FX
Magee (UGA): BHS BHS LOSO, nails it. No wobbles on her leaps, RO 1.5 twist, her gymnastics reminds me of Norah Flatley’s. Excellent leadoff routine for the GymDawgs! 9.700 Um I am perplexed by this score?
Hubbard (AU): Full-in to open up, nice pass for the freshman. RO 1.5 to front full for her ending pass, gosh I love that pass. 9.800
Schild (UGA):Gorgeous press handstand mount, the Georgia crowd seems to love that. Front aerial to BHS BHS, some feet form on the last BHS will be deducted. Switch leap to split jump, great. Side aerial to back full for her dismount, she looks ecstatic about that routine. 9.875
Watson (AU): Yessss I love Drew Watson. Double arabian for her first pass for her first pass and a 1.5 to front layout for her second pass. Fun fact: this is her 183rd career routine for the Tigers. Double tuck is over-rotated but she saves it. She ends off from her music and does a little bow? Maybe it cut out? 9.850
Cohen (UGA): BHS LOSO for her acro series, a little unsure of the landing. Switch leap to split jump for her jumps. Side aerial to split jump, could get that front leg up a little more on the split jump. Double full dismount, nice beam routine for Cohen. 9.850
Stevens (AU): Front layout to Rudi, perfect landing. These Auburn warmup pants blend right into the leo, that was trippy for me when I first noticed them. Double tuck to close, no problems on that landing either, she is so confident in her gymnastics! 9.875
Nguyen (UGA): Intricate mount, love to see that originality. Onodi to BHS, very pretty. Leg up turn to inward turn to split jump, major wobble on the split jump. Side aerial to back full dismount, solid fight after the split jump incident. 9.850
Groth (AU): Front double full, bound forward. RO 1.5 to front layout. She and Suni are Auburn’s two all-arounders tonight. Rudi, solid finish for Groth. 9.875
De Jong (UGA): Phenemonal beam rotation for Georgia so far. Front aerial to straddle jump for her mixed series. BHS LOSO, lands with one foot and sort of swings her foot around but stays on! Side aerial to back full twist, Another great routine! 9.875
Lee (AU): Opens up with her HUGE double layout, I can definitely see her doing an easier pass towards the end of her college career as that one was pretty whippy. RO 1.5 to front full, amazing routine. 9.950 Career high!
Baumann (UGA): Side aerial to LOSO, rock solid landing. Beat jump to switch side for her leaps. Just the dismount left. RO 1.5, step back on the landing. 9.825
Gobourne (AU): Here is the floor routine I talked about earlier. Ooh it is fun so far! Open double tuck, really milking the facial expressions after her first pass. FHS front full to front layout for her combination pass. Double pike, giant pass. Little dance after she finishes her ending pose and a sassy walk off the floor post-salute! Love it! 9.875
After 3: UGA 147.275, AU 147.975
Auburn holds onto the lead after three! Looks like Georgia has officially put their beam problems behind them as they go six for six. This is the perfect point in the season for that to happen as postseason looms closer and closer. As for Auburn, they have only one fall so far tonight and are looking to keep up that momentum moving forward in order to continue this lead.
Rotation 4: UGA FX, AU BB
Hollingsworth (AU): The former elite starts off with a confident BHS LOSO. Switch leap to switch half to beat jump, not quite sure if she will get the connection between the leaps? Side aerial, doesn’t get her back foot on the beam and does her back full gainer-style off the mat and falls to her knees. Scary fall but she is okay. 9.175
Perez-Lugones (UGA): I love this music and dance! Clean double pike to open this routine, more energy than she bargained for on her middle pass but holds on. Double tuck, chest the tiniest bit down on the landing. 9.750
Smith (AU): Switch leap to switch half, looking good. BHS LOSO, SNAPS those arms down. BHS 1.5, stuck! What a stellar comeback routine for the Tigers! 9.825
Magee (UGA): Piked full in, stuck landing. The crowd enjoyed this “Devil Went Down to Georgia” music for 0.5 second before it turned into a remix and then they stopped clapping hahaha. RO 1.5 to front layout, not even close to the corner on her step forward. Double pike, gets kinda hung up in the air but pulls it around. 9.900
Stevens (AU): BHS LOSO with some arm swigs to gain her balance back. Iconic front toss to her knee, gosh I love that. Wolf turn for her turn connection. RO 1.5 to a stick! 9.800
De Jong (UGA): Triple twist, gigantic hop back and stays in bounds. I love her hair! The alumni love this music. Double tuck, tight tuck position in the air. Some TikTok moves going into her RO 1.5 to front layout ending pass. 9.750
Groth (AU): BHS LOSO BHS, we don’t see that combo too much! Switch leap to switch half, gets it. Head coach Jeff Graba says before Suni Lee got to the gym, Sophia Groth was the star of the gym and that Suni raised the bar even more after she arrived. Side aerial to back full twist, stuck landing. 9.950
Roberts (UGA): Interesting air time as she stays in the same place in the air on her piked full in. Last pass is a front tuck through to a double tuck, low chest on the landing. 9.500
McLaughlin (AU): Beam is her one and only event tonight as expected. Switch leap to BHS LOSO, I have never seen that connection before and I dig it! Beat jump to side aerial, noticeable balance check on that. John Roethlisberger stop saying flirting challenge (iykyk.) Piked gainer for her dismount, the highlight of the routine for me was the switch leap to BHS LOSO, wow that was fun. 9.650
Baumann (UGA): RO 1.5 to front full, super floaty front full, she knew where she was in the air and covered it. Double pike, slid that front foot back but otherwise, that routine was perfect! I have never noticed until now how similar the Baumann sisters do their gymnastics which I guess is a dumb thing to notice as they have competed against each other for so long? Like why did I notice is just now? 9.800
Lee (UA): Front aerial to BHS for her acro series. Switch leap to switch half, great. BHS to gainer full, stuck dismount! I mean this in the way that there were no issues in the routine but man, that was so good that it was almost boring! 9.975
Hawthorne (AU): Gigantic double pike, does not have the control on that pass, I REALLY want her to upgrade that, wow. Front layout to Rudi to split jump, I wish the front leg on her split jump was at the same level as her back leg. 9.750
FINAL: Georgia 196.300, Auburn 197.175
And Auburn gets the win! It was the Sunisa Lee show tonight as she won every. single. event. title. I also linked her vault down below for you <3 because you guys just have to see it. As for Georgia, they had overall a really good night, especially after hitting every beam routine- a feat they couldn’t accomplish a couple weeks ago. This is the growth we want and need to see at this point in the season! Love it!
Well everyone, that is my event coverage tonight! I will see you next time! So long my friends, farewell, goodbye!
AA Winner: Sunisa Lee (Auburn) 39.775
VT Winner: Sunisa Lee (Auburn) 9.925
UB Winner: Sunisa Lee (Auburn) 9.925
BB Winner: Sunisa Lee (Auburn) 9.975
FX Winner: Sunisa Lee (Auburn) 9.950
Here it is!
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