Georgia freshman Kaylan Earls tore her Achilles tendon tumbling in practice with the Gym Dogs Thursday, thinning an already thin team as it prepares for its season opener Jan. 8 at Denver.
"We'll survive it, we'll bounce back," Georgia coach Jay Clark said during an interview with Examiner.com Thursday afternoon. "We've just got to figure out a way to get somebody else ready."
The injury occurred as Earls was punching into an Arabian double front, the same skill former Georgia star Courtney Kupets tore her Achilles doing in 2008. Kupets went on to have one of the most dominant seasons ever in NCAA gymnastics.
Earls, a freshman from Arena Gymnastics in Illinois, is a powerful tumbler and vaulter who was also a threat to work her way into Georgia's bar lineup. She had recently upgraded her release skill from a Tkatchev to a Hindorff, Clark said.
"Right out of the gate, she was in the lineup as a starter. So it's a bit of a setback," said Clark, adding that she most likely would have been competing on beam for Georgia as well. Earls will redshirt the season, which will allow her an extra year of eligibility.
Georgia will face off with Denver, BYU and Air Force in its first campaign of the 2011 season. Georgia will rely heavily on its underclassmen, as well as seniors Cassidy McComb and Hilary Mauro as it attempts to return to the NCAA Championships.
It's not a good day in NCAA gymnastics: Word emerged this afternoon from Michigan State that senior Kathryn Mahoney was in serious condition after fracturing her C6 vertebra while vaulting Wednesday. MSU Athletic Director Mark Hollis has expressed support for Mahoney and her family in a statement to a local TV station. Mahoney, 21, is a former Level 10 National qualifier from Illinois Gymnastics Institute. She is studying chemical engineering.
Other NCAA news: Utah freshman Alyssa Gale has retired from gymnastics and become the Utes's team manager, The Salt Lake Tribune is reporting. Gale was unable to recover sufficiently from knee surgery more than a year ago. Healthy, she would have been one of the team's best vaulters, given her pre-college resume, which boasted a Yurchenko 1.5.
Also, Utah freshman Victoria Shanley has come down with mono and is unlikely to compete in Utah's season opener against UCLA on Jan. 7, according to The Tribune.
Coming up: A full transcript of the interview with Coach Clark.
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