5 Georgia seniors who deserved better endings to their Bulldog careers

No one imagines that their athletic career will be cut short by a global pandemic.

Yet, that’s exactly the situation collegiate winter sports athletes all around the country find themselves in due to the coronavirus outbreak. Spring sport athletes could be in line for an extra year of eligibility from the NCAA, but years of hard work for winter athletes have been suddenly halted by a circumstance not within anyone’s control.

Georgia is no different, as seniors across all winter sports have had to cope with the reality of unfinished business. Here are five Bulldog seniors who deserved a better ending to their time in Athens:

Sabrina Vega, gymnastics

One of the most electric gymnasts in Georgia history never got to celebrate her Senior Night. Georgia’s home meet with Missouri on March 14 was canceled, bringing an abrupt end to Vega’s spectacular career.

She was named an All-American by the Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association for the second consecutive year. For the past three seasons, Vega has held the honor of performing Michael Jackson’s moonwalk during her beam routine, a tradition always handed to the top beam performer on the squad.

But it was floor where Vega truly excelled, becoming a fixture in the anchor spot. She earned five event titles and seven scores of 9.900 or higher in her senior season. Five times in 2020, she posted a mark of 9.950.

No one knew it at the time, but the 2019 SEC Specialist of the Year’s last performance in Stegeman Coliseum came on Feb. 28 against Florida. One can only imagine what she had in store for her Senior Night, as well as the upcoming SEC and NCAA championships.

Jordan Harris, men’s basketball

Harris’ career has been filled with more adversity than perhaps any other winter athlete. He’s been in and out of the doghouse throughout his career, and he was ineligible the first nine games of 2019-20.

Once he returned, Harris became a critical piece for an inexperienced team. His athleticism helped him make plays on both ends of the court, and he took on more of an offensive role later in the year as he started the final 13 games of the season.

His last game as a Bulldog turned out to be one of his best. In the SEC tournament against Ole Miss, he scored a season-high 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting and added seven rebounds as well.

Georgia won that game 81-63. The tournament came screeching to a halt the next day, ending Harris’ swansong on its highest note.

Stephanie Paul, women’s basketball

Paul has been a fixture for the Bulldogs ever since she started 13 games in her freshman season. Far from the tallest player on the team at 5-foot-10, she nonetheless gave Georgia a physical presence in scoring and rebounding down low.

She started every game in her senior season, averaging 6.4 points and 4.5 rebounds per contest. Paul’s career likely would have extended into the WNIT, but the coronavirus forced the plans for that event to be scrapped.

Veronica Burchill, women’s swimming and diving

Burchill anchored the women’s swimming and diving team as one of the top seniors. She ranks No. 4 and No. 5 all-time at Georgia in the 200- and 100-meter freestyle, as well as holding the second-best mark in school history in the 100 butterfly.

The freestyling star won the 200 freestyle at the SEC championships, an event she ranked second in the country in for her senior season. She qualified for the 2020 NCAA Championships in the 50-, 100- and 200-meter freestyle, but the cancellation of those events leaves Burchill wondering if she could have possibly brought home a title.

Walker Higgins, men’s swimming and diving

Like Burchill, Higgins is another star in the freestyle who won’t get the chance to test his talents at NCAAs one more time.

In the history of Georgia swimming, he ranks second in the 200-meter freestyle and third in the 500 freestyle. The two-time All-American took home a bronze medal in the 800 freestyle relay at the SEC championships, as well as top-10 finishes in the 500 and 1,650 freestyle.

But also like Burchill, and the other athletes on this list, Higgins’ season and career were cut short by the coronavirus. When they look back on their final campaigns, there will always be that lingering feeling of, “What if?”