Gymnastics Finishes Third at NCAA Super Six Team Finals
4/22/2006 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
Corvallis, Ore ?? The Alabama Gymnastics team finished third at the NCAA Championships with a 196.725 here in Gill Coliseum, marking its 17th top-3 national finish.
Georgia won its second championship in a row with a 197.75, followed by Utah’s 196.800. Alabama finished just .075 behind the Utes despite counting a fall on its last event, the balance beam. Florida finished fourth with a 196.275, followed by Nebraska at 196.175. Iowa State finished sixth with a 194.725.
Alabama went into the last rotation just .025 behind Georgia, but even before the Tide’s falls, the Dogs 49.65 on the vault put the championship out of reach.
“We win as a team,” Alabama head coach Sarah Patterson said. “One thing I wanted to impress on the ladies is that our falls on balance beam didn’t cost us a championship. I am very proud of the way our ladies went out there and were outstanding through the first three events and really kept the pressure on. I told them “make them be great” and they did that.”
Miles 39.600 all-around total was the second highest on the night.
Freshman Brittany Magee led Alabama off on the balance beam with a 9.85, bouncing back nicely from a fall during yesterday’s preliminaries. Freshman Melanie Banville was up next and she scored a 9.825. Senior Ashley Miles scored a season best 9.9 to lead the Tide in the third spot. Miles routine was followed by back-to-back falls by junior Erin Rightley and senior Mari Bayer. Freshman Terin Humphrey picked the Tide back up with a 9.85 to close out the rotation.
After sitting on a bye to start the meet off, Alabama got off to a strong start, scoring a 49.375 behind Miles’ 9.95, a 9.9 from Banville and a 9.875 from Magee. Freshman Ashley O’Neal got the Tide’s night started with a career best 9.85 in the lead off spot. Rightley rounded out the scoring with a 9.8.
Alabama came back even stronger on its second rotation, scoring a 49.400 on the vault with 9.9s from Banville and Magee and a huge 9.95 from Miles. Senior Dana Filetti posted 9.85 while Humphrey posted a 9.8.
The Tide kept up its stellar start with a 49.3 led by a 9.9 from Humphrey, her best mark since the Georgia meet at midseason. Filetti and Banville both scored 9.875s. It was a season best for Filetti. Senior Mari Bayer tied her season best with a 9.85. Miles led the Tide off with a 9.8, a score matched by freshman Cassie Martin in the second spot.
Miles and Humphrey return to action Saturday at 7 p.m. with the individual event finals. Miles will compete on vault and floor exercise while Humphrey will go on the balance beam. Miles owns three NCAA titles, vault in 2003 and 2004 and the floor exercise in 2004. Humphrey won the uneven bars last season.
