Karra Gentry
Assistant Sports Communications Director
University of Georgia gymnast Lily Smith has been named the Southeastern Conference Gymnastics Freshman of the Year, the conference office announced Wednesday. The postseason awards are voted on by the league’s head coaches.
In addition, Smith was placed on the All-SEC and All-Freshman teams, and was joined by fellow freshman Anya Turner and sophomore Ja Free Scott.
Smith is the highest ranked SEC freshman and tenth overall on bars with an NQS of 9.950. She also ranks in the top 25 on floor and all-around. She scored a season-high of 9.850 on vault, 9.950 on beam and floor, and a Perfect 10 on bars.
The Limerick, Pennsylvania native was a five-time SEC Freshman of the Week throughout the season. She claimed 17 event titles- six on bars, two on beam, five on floor, and four in the all-around.
Smith notched a historic all-around score this season for the GymDogs, capturing her first-ever all-around title in her second meet competing all four events. She totaled a 39.600 against the Gators, which is the highest all-around score from a Georgia freshman since Courtney Kupets in 2006. She matched that score at the SEC Championship after beating it with a 39.625 at the Kidney Cares Gymnastics Championship in Nashville.
In her third meet as a GymDog, Smith scored a Perfect 10 on bars. She is only the fourth freshman in Georgia gymnastics history to record a Perfect 10 on bars and the tenth to achieve a 10.0 in their rookie season- marking the first since 2001.
To add to her recognition total, Smith earned All-SEC recognition for her scores on vault, bars, beam, floor, and all-around at the SEC Championship and was named SEC All-Freshman on bars, beam, and all-around.
Turner, a native of Highlands Ranch, Colorado, received All-SEC and All-Freshman recognition for her performance on beam at the SEC Championship. Her and Smith scored a 9.950 for their routines, the highest score on the apparatus for that session, finishing SEC Champion runners-up overall.
Sophomore Ja Free Scott was tabbed All-SEC for her bars routine. Her and Smith both scored a 9.925 on the event, finishing tied for third overall for the championship.
The GymDogs are set to compete at the NCCA Florida Regional April 4-7 at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center in Gainesville. Session II of the second round will feature No. 4 seed and host Florida, No. 13 seed Missouri, and Georgia as well as the winner of Clemson and Iowa State from the first round on Friday, April 5 at 5 p.m.
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