Georgia will make its 28th appearance in the NCAA gymnastics championships this weekend at Gwinnett Arena. The Gym Dogs will make their semifinals appearance Friday night at 6 p.m. against top-seeded Florida, No. 4 Alabama, No. 8 Arkansas, No. 9 Oregon State and No. 12 Ohio State. The top three in the semifinals will advance to the Super Six Saturday, while the individual finals will be held Sunday.
The Gym Dogs are seeded fifth this year, a departure from past seasons when they were accustomed to being seeded higher.
Georgia leads the nation with 10 national titles after winning five straight from 2005-2009, and have finished third or higher in 21 of the last 24 years.
HAACK’S HACKERS
The No. 25 men’s golf team will take part in the SEC Championships this weekend at Sea Island Golf Club on St. Simons Island. The Bulldogs have won a conference-best 28 titles, including five of the past 11. Under coach Chris Haack, Georgia has won seven SEC titles.
This year’s team, however, is one of the youngest in Haack’s tenure. Georgia has just one golfer who has played in an SEC championship, junior T.J. Mitchell, and will start three sophomores and a freshman this weekend. Last year’s other starters, Harris English, Russell Henley, Bryden McPherson and Hudson Swofford are all playing professionally now.
“We know the guys we have now are extremely talented. The only thing that’s really missing is experience,” Haack said. “But unlike football or basketball where you go head-to-head against someone else, our sport is you against the golf course. If our guys can take care of the mental part of the game, then we’ll be fine.”
REBELS ROUTED
The Diamond Dawgs turned back No. 18 Ole Miss over the weekend, taking two of three from the Rebels. A six-run eighth inning and a complete game by Michael Palazzone helped Georgia to an 8-4 win Thursday night in the opener before a 6-3 win Friday clinched the series. Ole Miss salvaged Game 3 Saturday to escape Athens without being swept.
David Perno’s troops then played an odd Monday game, defeating Liberty 5-3. On Tuesday, however, a five-run fourth inning by Furman undid the Bulldogs in a 5-4 loss. Palazzone, a former Lassiter star, got the loss after giving up the five runs, dropping him to 1-5 on the season.
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