Bama Gymnastics Advances to NCAA Super Six Team Final
4/16/2004 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
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LOS ANGELES, CALIF - It was the University of Alabama gymnastic team's last routine of the night and senior Jeana Rice's balance beam routine was doubly important here at Pauley Pavilion in the evening session of the NCAA Championships team preliminaries.
If Rice hit her routine, Alabama was guaranteed the second of three slots in tomorrow night's NCAA Super Six Team final and if she hit big, she would win the NCAA All-Around Championship.
She did both, scoring a session best 9.9 on the balance beam to advance the Tide with a 197.325 and score a 39.650 all-around total.
"This is why I came to Alabama, to win national championships," Rice said. "I've won a team championship and now I've won an individual title. It's still sinking in, but I'm very, very excited."
"This is the kind of performance that we've come to expect from Jeana," assistant head coach David Patterson said. "She has been a rock for us for four years; it was great for her to be able to have her career culminate with the all-around title. It is well deserved."
Defending champion and host UCLA posted a 197.675 to take first on the night while Utah grabbed the third spot with a 196.925. The second three teams did not advance to tomorrow. LSU was fourth on the night, followed by Michigan and Arizona State. The all-around was the only title decided tonight.
"We did extremely well tonight," head coach Sarah Patterson said. "Especially considering the fact that one of our top all-arounders, Shannon Hrozek, got hurt yesterday during warm-ups. While she was able to go on the balance beam tonight, we put our depth to the test and we came through with flying colors.
"For our ladies to respond the way they did, was incredible," Sarah Patterson said. "After the problems we faced at regionals, our ladies came back the last two weeks and we've finally gotten the intensity that we've been looking for as a coaching staff over the last two months of the season."
The Tide, Bruins and Utes will be joined by Florida and Stanford, who tied for the top score in the afternoon session, scoring twin 196.85s. Georgia rounded out the afternoon's advancing trio with a third-place 196.775. Nebraska was fourth in the afternoon followed by Oklahoma and Iowa.
Powered by Rice's 9.9, Alabama scored a 49.025 on the balance beam. Sophomore Mari Bayer posted a 9.825 while juniors Alexis Brion and Shannon Hrozek both scored 9.775s.
"After Michelle Reeser had some problems first up on the balance beam and we came back five routines strong," Sarah Patterson said. "Which was especially impressive considering that Shannon was barely able to warm-up due to her injury and then came through with a great routine."
Two weeks ago at the regional championships, two falls almost kept Alabama home from this weekend's competition, but tonight the Tide was outstanding, posting a 49.45 behind a 9.95 from Rice. Miles scored a 9.925 while sophomores Dana Filetti and Mari Bayer both scored 9.875s. Freshman Brittany Comeaux rounded out the Tide's scoring.
"One of our strengths tonight was our performance on the uneven bars, and that's the event we had to count a fall on at regionals," Sarah Patterson said. "I was very proud of how we responded tonight."
At the half-way point of the meet, Alabama was in second place, just behind UCLA having scoring a 98.85 to the Bruins 99.00. Utah was in third at that point with a 98.45 while Michigan was in fourth at 98.375.
Alabama blasted out of the gate on the floor exercise posting a 49.45 behind 9.925s from Brion and sophomore Ashley Miles. Rice scored a 9.9 while seniors Lauren Holdefer and Stephanie Kite both posted 9.85s. The Tide's mark tied UCLA for the best on the night.
On the vault, Alabama was equally strong, getting a 9.925 from Miles and 9.9s from Brion and Rice to lead the Tide to post the night's best score, a 49.400. Comeaux chipped in a 9.875 while Filetti went 9.8 to round out the scoring.
Alabama has advanced to the Super Six team finals for the 11 of the 12 years since the current format came into play in 1993, including the last seven in a row.
