2005 Season Preview
1/5/2004 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
Sarah and David Patterson have led Alabama to 19 top-4 national finishes over the past 22 seasons, including last year's third place NCAA Championship finish. Under their guidance, Alabama has won four NCAA Championships and posted five second place finishes. The Pattersons, now in their 27th season coaching the Crimson Tide, know what it takes to compete at the highest level, year in and year out. They know that each season comes with its own set of challenges, but that if they follow the plan, then success will follow.
One of this year's challenges will be replacing 18-time All-American and 2004 NCAA All-Around champion Jeana Rice along with Lauren Holdefer and All-American Stephanie Kite.
It's hard to replace that kind of experience and proven ability, but the Pattersons, along with assistant coach Bryan Raschilla, in his ninth season with the Tide, and volunteer coach Dana Dobransky Duckworth, have been working hard to get the current Tide in a position to make a run at NCAA title No. 5.
And soon, when the season starts, they will go about the work of improving through the competitive season, getting stronger each week, getting stronger with each meet.
"We are very talented this year," Sarah Patterson said. "But we don't have a lot of depth, so keeping everyone healthy will be one of the keys to our success."
One of the key players in 2005 is arguably the most anticipated rookie in Alabama history. Terin Humphrey hails from Bates, Mo. but this summer she spent some time in Athens, Greece, where she helped the United States win a silver medal at the Olympic Games. Humphrey, the first Olympian to join the Crimson Tide gymnastics team, also won a silver medal of her own on the uneven bars. A member of the 2003 U.S. World Championship team that won gold, she spent the fall on the T.J. Maxx Champions Tour, joining her Tide teammates in late December.
"We're not going to rush Terin along," Patterson said. "I've told her that it's not important where we are in January, but where we are in April. She's a seasoned competitor and an extraordinary talent. I know that our fans are looking forward to meeting her."
Leading the Tide's charge will be three-time NCAA Champion Ashley Miles. Miles, a junior, became the first Alabama gymnast to win an NCAA vault title as a rookie. Last season she repeated on the vault and added the NCAA Floor Exercise title as well. The San Antonio, Texas native reported back to school in the best shape of her career and is poised to have, if possible, an even bigger impact on the Tide's fortunes this season. A three-event All-American as a sophomore (giving her five honors for her career) Miles will be available for all-around duty this year. In addition to adding the balance beam to her normal workload, Miles has upgraded her skills on the uneven bars and will be unveiling a new floor exercise routine that could, by midseason, include a very rare fourth tumbling passes.
The senior trio of Alexis Brion, Shannon Hrozek and Michelle Reeser were freshmen on the Tide's 2002 NCAA Championship team and they would like nothing better than to close out their careers with another title. Brion, a three-year All-American, earned two honors last season, one each on the vault and floor exercise. The Virginia Beach, Va. native has worked hard to upgrade her routines going into her final season and will be available for all-around duty throughout the season.
Hrozek was an All-American as a freshman and sophomore, but an injury during warm-up at last year's NCAA Championships hampered her bid to earn the honor again. Hrozek slammed her shoulder into the vault table during a practice run. The tough Texan came back though and turned in gritty performances during both the prelims and Super Six Team Finals. Before nationals she had scored career high marks in the all-around and won a share of the NCAA West Regional Uneven Bars Championship. The Woodlands, Texas native has come back on fire this season and should return to all-around duty again this year with some exciting additions to her repertoire.
Reeser has been the Tide's lead-off rock on the balance beam the last two years, a vital role she should carry into her senior season. A crowd favorite on the floor exercise, the Monroe, La. native could also see action on the uneven bars as well.
From the junior class, All-American Mari Bayer will again contend for an all-around berth. She will debut a new vault this season as well a new dismount to her popular uneven bars routine. With her long lines and graceful presence, the San Jose, Calif. native bring a classical style to her gymnastics, especially the balance beam and floor exercise.
Juniors Dana Filetti and Dana Pierce have both made strides coming into this season and both will be available for all-around duty. Filetti is in the best shape of her career, starting off in the gym ahead of where she finished last season. The Chesapeake, Va. native has added skills to all her routines and her floor routine should quickly become a favorite. Pierce is another Tide gymnast in the best shape of her career coming into this season and another one that has upgraded her skills. The Advance, Ind. native also brings an upbeat and positive outlook to the gym that is another plus for the team.
A beam specialist her first two seasons, Rachael Delahoussaye, should figure in that lineup again this season. She has also put together a floor exercise routine that should prove highly entertaining letting the Mandeville, La. native put her vivacious personality on display.
Sophomore Brittany Comeaux saw extensive duty on the uneven bars and vault as a freshman and will again be available on those events this season. Sophomores Meredith Laxton and Erin Rightley both saw limited action last season, but both have stepped it up this year and are ready for more. Laxton, from Papillion, Neb., has come a long way since her rookie season. She will be pushing for a spot in the balance beam lineup, putting her long, clean lines to good use. She is also working a 10.0 vault that could help the Tide down the line.
Rightley, who spent last year on the verge of the lineup, is ready to make a big statement in 2005. She brings great power to her routines, and has the highest leaps on the beam of anyone on the Tide roster. If the Ft. Walton Beach, Fla. native can maintain the pace she has set in the preseason, fans will see a lot of her in the vault, balance beam and floor exercise lineups.
The rest of the Tide's freshman class struggled a little early in the preseason, but have worked hard to catch up. Kaitlin White had to have surgery early in the preseason which has put her behind while Jessie Silver has been working to get back in the swing of things. White, a four-year member of the U.S. National team, will be working toward a spot in the Tide's uneven bars lineup early on and could help on the vault and floor exercise before the season is over. Silver, a happy surprise for the Tide when she showed up in August, had been out of the sport for more than two years when she enrolled at Alabama. The Forney, Texas native has combined a hearty work ethic and talent to make great strides early on.
The road to April, and the NCAA Championships, will again be a tough one for the Crimson Tide, including five teams that finished in last year's top-7. The 2005 schedule features perennial powerhouses Georgia, Stanford, LSU and Florida along with up and coming programs UNC, Iowa State and Auburn. The season again starts with a bang as Alabama will defend its Super Six Challenge crown against Georgia, host Florida, Iowa, Arizona and Penn State on Jan. 7 in Gainesville, Fla. The home opener, the first of the Tide's five "Fun Family Fridays", comes against Iowa State Jan. 14.
The postseason will be a 'close to home' affair for the Tide. The Southeastern Conference Championships will be in Marietta, Ga., the NCAA Central Region Championships will be in Tuscaloosa and the NCAA Championships will be just down the road in Auburn. It will mark the fourth time the national championships have been held in the state of Alabama, which will put the Tide's streak on the line. Sarah Patterson and the Tide have never lost an NCAA title contested in Alabama.
And that is of course the goal of this program, this year and every year, to find a way between now and April to contend for a fifth NCAA crown, to be on the floor of the national championships on the last night of competition, with a chance to win.
