Alabama
California
Alabama Gymnastics Scores 197.3875 in NCAA Semifinals; Advances to 22nd Super Six Team Final
4/15/2016 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
April 15, 2016
FORT WORTH, Texas - Strong throughout the night, the Alabama gymnastics team finished with a flourish to take second and advance to the NCAA Championships Super Six Team Final Friday night in Fort Worth, Texas taking second place in their semifinal session with a score of 197.3875.
"We wanted to start strong, stay strong and finish strong and the team embraced everything we talked about," UA head coach Dana Duckworth said. "Not only this week trusting themselves but believing in one another and having fun."
The top three teams from both of Friday's semifinal sessions advanced to Saturday's team finals. The Tide finished second in its semifinal session to advance along with first-place Oklahoma (197.7875) and third place UCLA (196.7000). Earlier in the day it was all about the Southeastern Conference as Florida (197.475), LSU (197.3375) and Georgia (196.725) advanced out the first semifinal session
Alabama has now advanced to the Super Six Team Final an NCAA-record 22 times since the format's inception in 1993, the year Duckworth, then Dobransky, was a senior.
"You never take making it to the Super Six and competing for a national championship for granted," Duckworth said. "We can't wait until tomorrow."
The Crimson Tide went into the vault, its final rotation, just needing to be solid to advance to Saturday. Instead, Alabama was brilliant, posting a season-best 49.4875, paced by Katie Bailey's 9.95, which earned the junior the individual NCAA vault championship. It was Alabama's 26th individual NCAA title and fifth on the vault. The Tide also got 9.9-or-better vault scores from sophomore Mackenzie Brannan (9.9125) and senior Lauren Beers (9.9).
After starting the night on a bye, Alabama moved smoothly through its first event, scoring a 49.3125 on the uneven bars behind Bailey's 9.9 and Brannan's 9.8875. Sophomore Kiana Winston and junior Aja Sims led the way for Alabama on the balance beam, going 9.9 and 9.8875, respectively to pace the Tide to a 49.300 team score. Alabama then scored a 49.2875 on the floor exercise led by Winston's 9.9 and a 9.8625 from Bailey and senior Carley Sims.
As the second place team from the second semifinal session, Alabama will start the Super Six Team Final on a bye before beginning competition on the floor exercise, marking the fourth time in the past five years, including the Tide's 2012 NCAA Championship season, that the Tide has drawn that rotation. Following the floor, Alabama will head to the vault and will follow that with its second bye before finishing on the uneven bars and balance beam.
The NCAA Super Six Team Final gets underway at 8 p.m. CT and will be broadcast live on ESPNU as well as being streamed on WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN app.
Fans can keep up with the Tide via Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by following BamaGymnastics
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