Coach Kupets Carter’s Georgia GymDogs have overcome a lot this season. Injuries, inexperience, it’s felt like this team was always just a little ways away from putting things together. While one shouldn’t count their chickens before they hatch or their landings before they’re stuck, on Friday night the Dawgs may have taken a definitive step in the right direction.

The GymDogs posted a season high score in downing the visiting #14 ranked Auburn Tigers 197.550 to 196.900. In fact it wasn’t only their highest score of 2024. It was the highest team score for the Red and Black since the 2019 NCAA Regionals in Athens.

It wasn’t just a win over a rival. It was the most complete meet we’ve seen from this squad in some time. Georgia posted the top scores on each event. Freshman Lily Smith botched her second career overall title with a solid 39.450, including a career high 9.950 to close the meet out on the floor.

Smith’s electrifying floor performance was the exclamation mark on an evening that saw several Bulldogs set career bests. That included freshman Ady Wahl turning in a 9.950 on the vault, freshman Holly Snyder and sophomore Ja’Free Scott (who shared the meet title with a 9.925 on bars), and freshmen Jaydah Battle and Anya Turner tying for the win on beam with a 9.925.

As we’ve said all season, this GymDog squad has unbelievable potential. Gymnastics observers knew the Bulldogs signed arguably the best freshman class in America in 2023, and that several of those freshmen would likely push for time in the rotation. But injuries to veteran leaders like Haley de Jong and Vanessa Deniz required those freshmen to take center stage more quickly than the coaching staff probably planned.

But after some shaky early results it’s looking like this young lineup may be coming into its own and building confidence as we head toward the post-season. #20 Georgia will travel to Ann Arbor on Friday to take on the #7 ranked Michigan Wolverines. The Maize and Blue are coming off a tough loss to #1 Oklahoma, and the trip will be a good chance for this young team that’s struggled on the road in SEC competition to show it can perform outside the Stege. Until later…

Go ‘Dawgs!!!