NCAA GYMNASTICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Grable reaches pinnacle, twice

Arkansas' Katherine Grable, right, celebrates with coach Mark Cook after competing on the vault during the individual competition at the NCAA college women's gymnastics championships on Sunday, April 20, 2014, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Arkansas' Katherine Grable, right, celebrates with coach Mark Cook after competing on the vault during the individual competition at the NCAA college women's gymnastics championships on Sunday, April 20, 2014, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Arkansas’ Katherine Grable made her last collegiate meet a memorable one on Sunday, winning the Razorbacks’ first outright individual title in floor exercise and sharing first in the vault at the NCAA Gymnastics championships at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Center in Birmingham, Ala.

Being the 13th and final competitor in the floor exercise didn’t faze Grable, who made a career of performing in the anchor position during her Arkansas home meets.

Grable took the floor Sunday afternoon knowing that there was a three-way tie for first at 9.95, but she scored 9.962. Grable was awarded 10s by two of the six judges on the floor exercise and 9.95s by the other four to help her slip past Haley Scaman and Maileana Kanewa of Oklahoma and Michigan’s Joanna Sampson, who all tied for second at 9.95.

As the second competitor in the vault, Grable matched LSU’s Rheagan Courville at 9.975, the highest NCAA winning vault score. Grable, of Oshkosh, Wis., earned three 10s and three 9.95s in the vault scoring.

Grable tied for second in the all-around on Friday with Florida’s Alaina Johnson by scoring a 39.6 to finish behind Alabama’s Kim Jacob (39.625).

“I never thought going into this weekend that I’d be bringing home two national championships and a second-place all-around,” Grable said. “It’s just unbelievable.

“It has been a dream of mine for my floor and vault routines to be recognized during my time as a Razorback. To win both events in the final meet of my career is surreal.”

Grable possesses or shares the school record in the all-around and three of the four individual events.

“We have gotten close with a few gymnasts in the past,but this is a history-making moment for our program,” Arkansas Co-Coach Mark Cook said in a UA release. “It is such an honor to bring back these national championships for our program, but also for the Arkansas Razorbacks and for the whole state of Arkansas.”NCAA gymnastics results

INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONS

FLOOR EXERCISE

Katherine Grable, Arkansas .... 9.962

VAULT

Katherine Grable, Arkansas .... 9.975

Rheagan Courville, LSU ............... 9.975

UNEVEN BARS

Bridget Sloan, Florida ................9.9375

BALANCE BEAM

Taylor Spears, Oklahoma ............. 9.925

ALL AROUND

Kim Jacob, Alabama .................... 39.65

TEAM RESULTS PL. TEAM SCORE

  1. Oklahoma .............................198.175
  2. Florida ..................................198.175
  3. Alabama ...............................197.550
  4. Georgia .................................197.050
  5. LSU ......................................197.600
  6. Nebraksa ..............................196.500

Sports, Pages 13 on 04/21/2014

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