Pretty in Pink, Alabama Gymnastics Beats Auburn
1/26/2007 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ?? Awash in a sea of pink, the Alabama Gymnastics team found its form, posting a 197.475, the nation's top score to date, bettering Auburn's 195.900 here in Coleman Coliseum. It was Alabama's best score of the season by a point and a half.
It was Alabama's third annual "Power of Pink" meet, with both teams, and most of the sellout crowd of 15,075 dressed in pink, supporting breast cancer awareness. The Tide's crowd was the second largest in school history after last season's standing-room-only total of 15,162. It was Alabama's best team score since the 2004 season.
Freshman Kassi Price won her third consecutive all-around, scoring a career best 39.575 followed closely by junior Terin Humphrey's 39.55 and Morgan Dennis' 39.525. Dennis won the vault and the floor exercise. Sophomore Cassie Martin and Price tied for top honors on the uneven bars while Auburn's AJ Mills won the balance beam with a 9.9.
"We really wanted to go out and hit our routine the hardest we could," Price said. "We worked really hard this week this week on practice on beam. We went through those situations to make sure that we were comfortable tonight. I think it helped."
Prior to the meet, a check for $225,000 was presented to the DCH Breast Cancer Fund, created to support head coach Sarah Patterson's "Power of Pink" initiative. The Breast Cancer Fund helps women in need prevent, detect and treat breast cancer.
"It was a great experience tonight," Patterson said. "What I hope happened did happen. That was that we would perform really well, we would have a tremendous crowd, and that we would have a great reception for both teams.
"I hoped we would do something that would help a lot of people. That was my goal from three years ago when I started this. I could not have asked for anything better to be better tonight."
The meet will be broadcast on espn2 on a tape-delay basis, with former United States Olympians Bart Connors and Kathy Johnson Clark calling the action. The meet's first showing is Tuesday, Feb. 13 at 1:30 p.m. CT.
Alabama came out of the gate strong, scoring a season best on the vault and uneven bars, posting a 49.375 and 49.475 respectively. The Tide was led on the vault by Dennis who posted a 9.95 and Price who scored 9.925, both of which were season best marks. Lebegern tied her season best with a 9.850 while Humphrey and Magee both scored 9.825. Auburn scored a 49.15 on the vault and 48.975 on the uneven bars in its first two rotations.
On the uneven bars four of the Tide's six routines were career best marks. Junior Kaitlin White led the Tide off with a career-best 9.875. Sophomore Cassie Martin posted a career-best 9.925 followed by Dennis' 9.85, also a career best. Price tied Martin with a career-best 9.925 while Humphrey closed out the rotation with a 9.9.
Alabama went on to post its best balance beam score of the season, going 49.1 behind a 9.875 from Humphrey, a 9.85 from senior Erin Rightley and a 9.825 in the leadoff spot from Brittany Magee. Humphrey's and Rightley's marks were season best scores.
The Tide continued strong on the floor exercise scoring a season best 49.525. Alabama was led on the apparatus by four gymnasts reaching or setting their career bests. White started Alabama off with a career best 9.825. Rightley followed with a solid 9.85. Humphrey tied her career best with a 9.95 followed by a career best 9.925 by Price. The evening was capped by Dennis' near perfect score of 9.975, also a career best. Auburn finished off with a 49.175 on the beam and a 48.6 on the floor exercise.
During the meet, former Alabama All-American Marie Robbins, associate athletics director for the Crimson Tide and its senior woman administrator, was presented with the "Sarah Patterson Distinguished Alumni Award" given annually by the Medalist Club, the Tide's booster organization, to a member of the Alabama gymnastics family that has gone on to lead a life of distinction after graduation.
Alabama returns to action next Friday, February 2 at home against Kentucky. The meet will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased by calling (205) 348-BAMA or logging on to www.rolltide.com.
