April 26, 2007
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -
Competing in her third straight NCAA Championships, junior Julie Dwyer finished in a tie for 14th in the all around with a score of 39.025 in the first session of the 2007 NCAA Championships at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Thursday.
"She had a great day," head coach Jeff Thompson said. "Her bar routine was the best I have ever seen her do."
Dwyer was paired with Alabama throughout the meet and began the night on floor, scoring a 9.675 after stepping out of bounds. The score placed her in a tie for 36th. In the second rotation, the regional vault champion scored a 9.800 which tied her for 28th on vault.
After a bye before bars, Dwyer came through with a solid routine on bars, scoring a 9.800 to place in a tie for 18th. With just one event to go, Dwyer needed at least a 9.900 on beam to advance to Saturday's individual finals. The Bloomington, Ind., native came away with a 9.750, tying for 28th.
"Alabama is a great team, and we were excited that Julie was going to be rotating with them," Thompson said. "Unfortunately they didn't have a good meet in front of her tonight, and the scores reflected that."
"I am extremely proud of the effort she gave, and I think she learned a lot from tonight," Thompson said. "She tried a double pike on her last pass on floor, and unfortunately was too aggressive and stepped out. Next season, she will be back here and nail it."
The top three teams from each session advance to Friday's Super Six team finals. In the first session, Georgia finished first with a 197.700. Also advancing to the Super Six was Florida (197.400) and Nebraska (196.625). The second session will take place later this evening. The top four gymnasts in each event from both sessions advance to the individual event finals, which will be held on Saturday at 8 p.m. CT.