Coming so close to a goal and failing to reach it cannot feel good to any team as it ends their season.
That’s exactly how the DU gymnastic team feels after falling 191.150-194.075 to the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs at the Southeast Region Championships.
The Pioneers finished in a tie with North Carolina and the Florida Gators took the overall title with a team score of 196.575. A victory would have given the Pioneers the second spot and would have sent them to the national tournament.
This has been the third year in a row that the squad fell short of making the tournament, and it was a loss that will stay with the team until the start of next season.
The team was in perfect position for the second spot going into the final rotation of the meet.
Needing a good performance on the balance beam, the squad saw two gymnasts fall on their routines, handing the Bulldogs the final spot to Nationals. The Pioneers posted a 47.375 while the Bulldogs finished the event with a 49.350.
The inexperience of the young Pioneers proved to be too much as they failed to keep the momentum heading into that final rotation.
“I think the youth and inexperience of our younger gymnasts played a major role on the balance beam, and we couldn’t block out the fact that we were so close to upsetting such a great Georgia team,” said Head Coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart.
She continued, “There was a lot of pressure on our younger gymnasts and no matter how much preparation we had in practice, it is really hard to prepare for that kind of pressure.”
The Pioneers showed that they had the ability to compete with the high-ranking Gators and Bulldogs. They had their best start of the season after opening the meet on the floor exercise and posting a 48.925. Freshman Sasha Sullivan scored a team high 9.85 on the floor exercise. Heather Huffaker and Casey Dobyns each earned a 9.8.
After scoring a 48.850 on the vault, the Pioneers moved to their best performance of the night on the uneven bars. They scored a season high 48.925 and lead the Bulldogs 146.700-146.000 going into the final rotation on the balance beam.
Unfortunately, that is when the squad was forced to count two falls and eventually lost its grip on the final position to make Nationals.
“It was heartbreaking for us, but I am really proud of how the girls came to compete,” said Rinehart.
She said, “Their routines before the balance beam were very good, they performed well and we realized that we can compete with Top 10 teams. We can win if we don’t make those mistakes. That is the lesson that we will be able to take with us after such a loss.”
Sullivan agrees that cleaning up the inconsistency should have the Pioneers back on track next season.
“As a team we just need to work on our consistency. Our chemistry is really good. We just need to stay consistent,” said Sullivan.
As an individual, Huffaker was able to qualify for her second consecutive trip to NCAA Nationals, posting a 39.150 and finishing fifth in the all-around competition.
“It’s pretty exciting to go to Nationals, but not as exciting as it would have been if our team had made it,” said Huffaker. “We were right there and everything just fell apart. Next year we really have to focus on practicing harder and try not to get ahead of ourselves when we are in that position again.”
