The No. 11 LSU gymnastics team posted better than a 196 team score for the fourth consecutive meet, but it was not enough to overcome No. 5 Georgia.The Gym Dogs (4-4, 3-3) took down the Tigers (5-4-1, 2-3-1), 196.575-196.05, in front of 9,988 people Friday night in Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga.”We did not finish all of our events like we wanted to, but we managed to earn another solid road score tonight,” said LSU coach D-D Breaux. “We still need to work on sticking our landings and doing the little things that cause small deductions, but I like the way we competed in a tough environment.”LSU senior Susan Jackson won the all-around title for the sixth time in seven meets this season with a 39.450 score.Jackson also won the vault title and shared the uneven bars title. She tied her season high on the vault with a 9.95.”I felt good about vault and floor,” Jackson said. “Overall, I was pleased.”Jackson posted a 9.775 on the floor exercise, but she said she incorporated a new pass into her routine for the first time. She said the new pass, which she called a “cross double layout,” makes her routine one of the most difficult in the country.Junior Sam Engle also had a big night for the Tigers, tying her season high on the floor exercise with a 9.825 and setting a new career high on the balance beam by posting a 9.875.”Beam was good,” Engle said. “I got a career high — that was really nice. It felt good to know that my work had finally paid off on beam.”The Tigers also enjoyed having the opportunity to compete in front of the large crowd the Gym Dogs pull in for their meets.”I really like going to Georgia,” Engle said. “It was a fun crowd.”Georgia improved its home record to 4-0 behind the leadership of seniors Courtney McCool and Grace Taylor.”They are being seniors and they are leading us, but we need everyone to carry their weight,” Georgia coach Jay Clark said in a news release. “We’ve talked about unity and oneness and what that can do for the consistency of a team, and that’s what we really have to focus on. The seniors are doing a great job and continue to close it out.”Taylor scored a 9.850 on the uneven bars, a 9.925 on the balance beam and a 9.850 on the floor exercise.McCool was nearly identical to Taylor, posting a 9.875 on the uneven bars, 9.925 on the balance beam and 9.950 on the floor exercise.McCool and Taylor split the balance beam title, and McCool took home the floor title.The trip to Stegeman Coliseum was the first for the Tigers since the 2008 Super Six competition, the first in LSU’s history.The Tigers return home from their two-meet road trip next Friday when they take on Oregon State in the Etta James Memorial Meet. The meet is sponsored by former LSU and current Dallas Cowboys linebacker Bradie James’ Foundation 56.–Contact Rob Landry at [email protected]
Gymnastics: No. 5 Georgia Gym Dogs defeat No. 11 Tigers
February 28, 2010