The Georgia gymnastics team lost at home against the Missouri Tigers in an SEC showdown at Stegeman Coliseum on Saturday.
Despite freshman Lily Smith’s perfect ten on bars and 9.950 on beam as well as JaFree Scott’s three 9.825+ scores, Georgia could not match Missouri’s consistently strong performances and lost 197.4-197.050.
Despite the loss, the crowd in Stegeman was impressed by Smith’s expertise. Smith’s perfect ten was the first by a Georgia freshman since 2001.
“It feels amazing,” Smith said. “I can’t even put it into words. I’ve been dreaming about getting a 10 on a college team because it is just so different than getting it in a club. The energy in Stegeman is amazing and it’s great to see all of my teammates and my coaches so happy.”
Although Scott and Ady Wahl scored an impressive 9.825 and 9.875 on the vault, no other Georgia gymnast secured over a 9.775. Missouri stayed steady on the bars, with all six Tiger gymnasts scoring a 9.800 or higher. Mara Titarsolej, Missouri’s anchor on bars, notched a near-perfect 9.975, the highest bars score in Missouri history. Georgia left the first rotation trailing Missouri 49.250-49.025.
In rotation two, Smith anchored bars for Georgia and dominated with her perfect 10.000. Wahl and Scott continued to bring 9.825+ individual scores for the Bulldogs, but the Tigers held their lead with consistent and solid marks, scoring a 49.325 on vault.
The Bulldogs continued their strong season start on the beam, highlighted by Smith’s nearly perfect 9.950 performance as well as 9.875s from Battle, Turner and Scott.
However, Missouri dominated on the floor in rotation three, finishing with a 49.425 event score. The Tigers increased their lead after the third rotation to 148.000-147.625.
On floor, Smith led Georgia with a 9.925 while Wahl and Sidney Fitzgerald each secured a 9.900. Georgia and Missouri tied in rotation four with 49.400 each, ultimately securing the meet for Missouri.
The Bulldogs will travel to Lexington, Kentucky on Friday, Jan. 26 to face Kentucky at 7:00 p.m. Their next home meet is on Feb. 2 at 6:45 p.m. against Florida in Stegeman Coliseum.