Alabama Gymnastics Celebrates Season at Year-end Banquet
4/29/2006 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
The Alabama Gymnastics team celebrated the 2006 season Saturday night with its annual awards banquet. The banquet, hosted by the Crimson Tide’s booster organization, The Medalist Club, was held in the Bryant Conference Center.
The Crimson Tide took third in the NCAA Super Six Team Finals, giving the program an NCAA best 21 ??final four’ national finishes. They added that finish to a second place SEC finish and a win at the NCAA West Regional Championship, the Tide’s 21st regional title.
During the banquet head coach Sarah Patterson announced the creation of the “Pat Huet President’s Award”, which will be given to those giving extraordinary service to the Medalist Club. Huet, the 2005-06 Medalist Club President was presented the inaugural award that will bear his name.
“The Medalist Club is so important to this program and all we do,” Patterson said. “Their support is second to none. There have been so many people over the years who have made such a difference with their service and commitment and Pat Huet has exemplified the selfless, tireless and dedicated service that has made the Medalist Club one of the nation’s premiere support organizations.”
The Crimson Tide honored 2005 and 2006 co-captain Ashley Miles as its MVP. Miles won the 2006 NCAA Vault Championship, the fourth of her career and her third national vault title, making her only the second gymnast in NCAA history, and first in over 20 years, to win three national vault titles in a career. Miles earned All-American honors in the all-around, vault and floor exercise, pushing her career total to 12, all of which are first team honors.
Miles also won the NCAA West Region floor exercise and vault titles, closing out her career with four consecutive regional wins on both those events. She also won the SEC floor exercise championship, becoming the first gymnast in SEC history to win an event four years in a row. She finished her career with 20 postseason championships during her career, including four NCAA, six SEC and 10 NCAA Regional championships. She was named the 2006 NCAA Central Region Gymnast of the Year
Junior Erin Rightley earned the Lewis Each Courage Award, given to the member of the Alabama gymnastics family that best emulates the example of former sports writer Lewis Each who covered the gymnastics team in the mid-90s before succumbing to cystic fibrosis in 1998. Rightley was presented the award by Each’s mother, Jean.
The David Dutton Award, awarded to the person or persons who go above and beyond the call of duty for Alabama Gymnastics was presented to Chad Anderson. The junior broadcasting major initiated Alabama’s groundbreaking radio broadcasts last season. He, along with Medalist Club member Leesa Davis, has broadcasted all the Tide’s meets, home and away, for the past two seasons. Anderson and company gives the Tide the nation’s only gymnastics radio broadcast.
Senior Mari Bayer, a two-time All-American, joined Miles as co-captain while fellow senior Dana Pierce was named to the SEC Good Works Team for the second year in a row.
The Tide also recognized its 2006 All-Americans during the banquet. In addition to Miles, sophomore Terin Humphrey earned first team honors on the balance beam and second team All-American honors in the all-around and on the uneven bars and floor exercise. She now has eight career All-American honors, including four that are first team. Humphrey also won the NCAA West Regional balance beam title.
Freshman Melanie Banville earned second team All-American honors on the balance beam and won the uneven bars at the SEC Championships. Freshman Brittany Magee was second team All-American on the floor exercise and shared the NCAA West Regional vault and floor exercise titles and the SEC floor exercise championship with Miles.
