April 20, 2012
DULUTH, Ga. - An outstanding 2012 season came to a close on Friday for Auburn gymnasts Kylie Shields and Bri Guy at day one of the 2012 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship at the Gwinnett Center.
"This was a great experience for us," Auburn head coach Jeff Graba said. "We needed to be here, because if we want to come back as a team next year someone needs to have this experience. It is good that Bri will now be able to take this experience back to the team. She has already said that she is having a talk with the team as soon as she gets back to let them know what they need to do in order to be prepared for next season."
Shields posted a score of 9.700 on her lone event of the day on vault. The score placed her 41st overall at the event and brought to a close an outstanding four-year career for the Mahopac, N.Y. native.
"I thought Kylie did a pretty good job," Graba said. "This is completely different than anything she has experienced all year. You don't have your team with you and you warm up with another team, usually in a way that is completely different than what you have done all year. Kylie did a great job though. She had a good vault and she finished her career out in a solid manner. I'm really, really proud of Kylie."
The regional appearance was the second in as many years for Shields.
All-around competitor Guy recorded a total score of 37.800 as she finished 21st overall. The freshman rotated with SEC rival LSU and after a bye began the afternoon on uneven bars. Guy scored 9.025 on the apparatus, her lowest mark of the season, after suffering her first fall of the season on the bars.
Next, Guy moved to beam where she rebounded with a 9.850 on beam. That score was good enough 12th overall the event. The score was the freshman's highest since her career-best 9.950 against Florida on February 17.
Her next event was floor, but a deduction for stepping out of bounds and a fall on her third pass resulted in a disappointing 9.175. The mark was the lowest of the season for Guy.
Guy closed the event on vault with a score of 9.750.
"Bri warmed up great on Thursday, but she struggled with the different environment," Graba said. "It didn't surprise me that she had a couple of bobbles. She hit on beam though and did a good vault. She had a great floor routine going until the end. Overall, we came to get experience for next year and we got that. I'm proud of how she performed."
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ResultsBri GuyVault: 9.750, Bars: 9.025, Beam: 9.850, Floor: 9.175, All-Around: 37.800Kylie ShieldsVault: 9.700