The Battle Plan presented by Mercedes-Benz

Passing the Torch

Last week was a great week in the life of the University of Alabama Department of Athletics. Greg Byrne was introduced as the next Director of Athletics last Thursday, January 19. He will officially report for duty March 1. Greg introduced his beautiful wife, Regina, his handsome sons, Nick and Davis, and his Mom and Dad, Marilyn and Bill Byrne. Greg has had a very successful career and has been at the top of virtually every AD search over the last two years.

I have known his father, Bill, for several years. Our company worked with Bill when he was AD at Nebraska and Texas A&M. Bill was a great partner and director. Greg was raised on college campuses and pretty much knows all there is to know about the business of running an athletics department. Alabama is very fortunate to get him, and he is very fortunate to get the Alabama job at this time.

Greg has impressed me with the meticulous way he goes about hiring coaches. I have spoken with him over the last two years about our searches for coaches. He is highly respected in the industry by the leaders of the universities and conferences he has served. He is also much respected by those who work for him.

I hope you will join me in embracing Greg as he comes to Alabama next month. It is my hope that you will make him feel as welcome as you made me when I came back. Greg recognizes what a great place Alabama is and what a great time it is to be here. I will do everything in my power to make his transition as smooth as it can be.

I want to thank you, our staff, student-athletes, coaches, faculty, students, and fans for the trust and support you have given me over these last four years. While I never wanted to be a director of athletics, you have made this an incredibly valuable and enjoyable experience in my life. I can't say that every day was enjoyable, but then I can't say that playing here for Coach Bryant was enjoyable every day, either! Looking back, both have been very educational and life changing experiences. I am honored and feel very privileged to have been selected to lead our department these last four years. Thanks, again, for the opportunity.

Our plan all along was to stay four years, but I told Dr. Bell last summer, before my transplant procedure, that I planned to finish out this year through June. My doctors and I thought I could get through the transplant ok and could be back in action before the football season started, but I told him he needed to begin to identify my replacement, whenever that might be. As the end of the football season came around, I felt the department was in very good shape with staff, coaches, facilities and financially, and this year was a good time to pass the torch. The search process identified Greg early, so there was plenty of time to vet him. When the story broke, it broke before we planned but, at the end of the day, the best outcome was achieved.

Mary and I have enjoyed our experience here so much, and we have chosen to stay in Tuscaloosa. The best of all worlds, to me, would be to stay involved with the University and make meaningful contributions, and to be able to do so without the daily responsibility of being an AD. We would also enjoy being able to work from some of the places we both enjoy, but haven't had time to spend these last four years. Dr. Bell has agreed to allow me to serve as a Special Assistant to the President, to work on strategic initiatives to help him carry out his Mission. If I can make a significant contribution in that role I will enjoy staying involved.

Finally, and most importantly, I am thankful to my wife, Mary, for picking up from our comfortable lives in Atlanta with a week's notice, and getting us moved, settled into a new house, and embarking on a new career. She has been a champion in every respect, and has been a great asset both to me, the University, and the community. I am most proud of her and love her dearly.

In retrospect, having spent four years at Alabama playing for Coach Bryant, and being a part of an SEC championship and his first national championship team at Alabama was special. To spend my next four years at Alabama, fifty years later, working with Coach Saban, and being a part of three SEC championships and his fifth national championship was even more special. All Alabama people should be very proud and even more thankful that the two greatest college football coaches in history walked the sidelines of Bryant-Denny Stadium, led Alabama teams to championships, and made men out of boys at our great university.

More Than 400 Student-Athletes Recognized for High GPA

Previously in this space, I shared the amazing statistic that more than 400 of our student-athletes came into the current semester carrying a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or better. On paper, that figure is very impressive, but it's nothing compared to seeing it represented in person.

On Thursday, Jan. 12, during halftime of our women's basketball game against Kentucky, we honored those student-athletes, bringing them onto the court at Coleman Coliseum. Each student-athlete came out of the tunnel, one-by-by one, in a seemingly endless stream – and that was without some of the teams who couldn't attend due to their practice or competition schedules. When everyone was in place, our honorees covered the floor – an extraordinary sight.

Among those honored, there were more than 70 with a 4.0 GPA for their careers and more than 250 that carry a 3.5 or better cumulative GPA. Those student-athletes come from all 17 varsity programs. It is truly an impressive time for our student-athletes in competition and in the classroom!

Fulfilling the Mission: Saluting Haylie McCleney

Last week, I was privileged to be present at ceremonies honoring one of the most impressive student-athletes in our history as softball player Haylie McCleney received her NCAA Top 10 award Wednesday night in Nashville, Tenn., at the NCAA Honors Celebration, which is part of the association's annual convention.

The NCAA Top 10 Award recognizes student-athletes who have completed their athletic eligibility for their success in competition, in the classroom and in the community. Haylie is the 14th Alabama student-athlete to earn the award and the second honoree from our softball program (Brittany Rogers, 2009).

Haylie is the epitome of the student-athlete ideal. While she has earned numerous honors by her school, the SEC and the NCAA, she is a fantastic example of the tremendous guidance of her family and her coaches. Factor into that her tremendous competitive spirit, particularly evident in the way that she competes in the classroom, on the softball field and in any endeavor she undertakes, and it is clear to anyone why she is destined for success in life.

I am very proud of her and I was very pleased to hear her say that she's interested in mentoring young people so they learn to have her qualities. We need more teachers like that in our communities. I encourage you to read more about Haylie and this honor.

Crimson Tide Foundation Update: Scholarship Endowment Opportunities

Opportunity is a word we hear quite often, but I'd like for you to think for a moment about the opportunities you have had in your life. Some we work for, some we are given, and sometimes we are in the right place at the right time. Occasionally, our opportunities have the potential to change our lives. Our student-athletes have worked tirelessly for years to be afforded the opportunity to receive an education at an institution like The University of Alabama. While they are here, that work doesn't stop. They are focused and determined in their practices and during their training. For some, that work might yield a career in professional sports. But, for many, that work, day in and day out, pays dividends not only in competition, but in having the ability to earn their degree. Every day, many student-athletes come through our doors who would not have the chance to graduate from The University of Alabama if it weren't for the athletic ability that afforded them a scholarship. Would you like to provide a young person with the opportunity to change his or her life through the benefit of an education? When you endow a scholarship with the Crimson Tide Foundation, you are creating opportunities that can change the lives of young people for generations to come. To talk with someone about how you can create opportunities for student-athletes to receive an education, please contact the Crimson Tide Foundation at 205-348-9727 or ctf@ia.ua.edu or visit their website at www.crimsontidefoundation.org.

Sports Updates

Men's Basketball

We have a pair of conference games this week beginning with a road contest at Georgia on Wednesday night, followed by a home game on Saturday against Mississippi State. We lost for only the second time in our last eight games Saturday night at Auburn. A pair of freshmen have really stepped up lately. Forward Braxton Key leads the team in scoring, rebounding and minutes while guard Dazon Ingram ranks second in points and minutes, while leading the team in assists, steals and three-point shooting. Six of our seven leading scorers are underclassmen. The Tide continues to lead the SEC in rebounding margin both overall and in league play and we have not been outrebounded in 11 straight games, including all six SEC games. We are a perfect 10-0 when holding teams to fewer than 62 points, but 1-7 when allowing opponents to score more than 62. Coach Avery Johnson's squad won for the sixth time in seven games last Wednesday night in a victory over Missouri. That victory came closely on the heels of a road victory last Saturday at LSU. The Tide is off to its first 4-2 start to SEC play. The game at Georgia on Wednesday, Jan. 25, is slated to tip off at 8 p.m. CT on ESPNU.

Women's Basketball

Coach Kristy Curry's program got some exciting news last week when Jasmine Walker, the 2016 Alabama Miss Basketball, signed with the Tide. Jasmine will be transferring in after one semester at Florida State. She is the second mid-year enrollee for the team, joining Amber Richardson who signed on January 6. Both had extremely successful high school careers and will be solid additions for the team next season. After a tough loss last Thursday against No. 4 Mississippi State our team responded by winning on the road Sunday at Ole Miss, 65-57. We have now matched our victories total from last year and the 15 wins over the first 20 games is the most since the 2000-01 season. Sunday's win at Ole Miss gave us consecutive SEC road victories for the first time since 2011. Freshman Jordan Lewis, junior Hannah Cook and junior Meo Knight led the way while freshman Ashley Knight had four blocks to move her season total to 52 and tie her with Dee Merriweather (2004-05) for third on the UA single-season block list. Meo is now 16 blocks away from the record set by Yolanda Watkins (1993-94). The Tide has a road game this week at Vanderbilt on Thursday before returning home for a matchup with Auburn on Sunday at 5 p.m. in Coleman Coliseum.

Baseball

Coach Greg Goff and his team are set to begin full-squad practices this week, so the season is on the horizon! Greg and the team also are continuing preparations for their "First Pitch Dinner" set for Friday, Feb. 10. Season tickets are on sale in four separate mini-plan options. The largest option is a 16-game flex ticket plan, featuring 16 individual tickets for any game with a maximum of six tickets allowed for use at one game. The flex plan option is $120 with only 250 total packages available. Other possibilities are 12-, eight- and four-game plans. A 12-game bundle costs $95 for an adult, $85 for youth (18 and under), while an eight-game option for an adult is $65 and $55 for children. The four-game mini-plan package is just $35 for an adult and $30 for youth. We will host 37 home games this season with the season opener set for Friday, Feb. 17, against Presbyterian College. TIDE PRIDE and public season tickets start at $190 for the season, while faculty/staff seating (limit of four per person) is $152. A full season package for seniors (65-plus) are $95 (limit of four per person).

Gymnastics

Coach Dana Duckworth's team had an outstanding meet at then-No. 8 Missouri Friday night. After what Dana described as a shaky start on our first event, the gymnasts caught fire on the vault and then finished with one of the best balance beam performances in our storied history. I'm most proud of the way our ladies fought when things weren't going our way and finished strong. Junior Nickie Guerrero had an amazing night, posting a career-best 9.95 on the vault before coming back and closing out the meet with a 9.95 on the balance beam, helping the Tide post the fourth-highest beam total in school history. Missouri was our third consecutive opponent ranked in the top 10 nationally, following No. 1 Oklahoma Jan. 6 and then No. 1 LSU on Jan. 13. The squad is on the road again this Friday in Arkansas followed by a 4 p.m. CT Sunday contest at Legacy Arena in Birmingham against Auburn. The next home meet is Friday, Feb. 3, against Florida in the annual Power of Pink meet. Tickets are available through the Alabama Ticket Office (205.348.2262), located in the lobby of Coleman Coliseum, and online at RollTide.com.

Softball

Coach Patrick Murphy and his program hosted the third annual Trivia and Games Night on Saturday at the Tuscaloosa River Market. Pairing up with the Bama Softball Walk-Off Club, the event sold out for the third consecutive year and raised approximately $15,000 for the softball program. Coach Murphy's 2017 team is slated to open its season at the Kickin' Chicken Classic in Conway, S.C. on Feb. 10-12 with our home opener scheduled for the following Wednesday, Feb. 15, against South Alabama at 5 p.m. CT. The Tide placed in a tie for third in this year's SEC preseason coaches' poll, as voted on by the league's 13 head coaches. Florida, the defending conference champion, earned the top spot followed by Auburn with Alabama and LSU tied for third. The Tide has won five SEC regular season titles, including four in the last seven years, and five SEC Tournament titles in our history. Fourteen players return from last year's team that made our 11th Women's College World Series appearance, finishing sixth nationally with a 51-14 record.

Swimming & Diving

It was a busy weekend for Coach Dennis Pursley and our swimmers and divers. We started the weekend on the road at Georgia Tech on Friday and then came right back on Saturday to face Florida State on Senior Day. We swept both meets against some very challenging ACC opponents. Over the two meets, we won all eight relays and 34 individual events. On Saturday, before the meet, we recognized our 24 seniors. Coach Pursley credits this class, the first that he recruited to the Capstone, for putting Alabama back in the national conversation. We're certainly proud of all they have accomplished to this point, and I, for one, can't wait to see how they finish off their Crimson Tide careers during the upcoming championship portion of the season. The women's seniors recognized were: All-American Bridget Blood, All-American Caroline Korst, Leah Bird, Kara Fredlock, Erika Nist, Dakota Toner, Taylor Zablocki, Emily Zapinski and manager Cleone Skinner. The senior men recognized were: All-Americans and Academic All-Americans Anton McKee, Connor Oslin and Pavel Romanov, All-American Alex Gray, Szymmy Day, Jack Hadjiconstantinou, Jacob Kelsoe, Carl Madden, Michael Messuri, J.J. Pursley, Robert Ramoska, Carlo Rezzonico, Brent Sagert and Kyle Simpson. Both Anton and Jack competed at the 2016 Olympic Games while Conner and Pavel swam legs on our 2016 NCAA champion 200 medley relay, the first national relay title in Alabama history. We also recognized three-time NCAA champion Kristina Gkolomeev, who missed his senior day last season. The men took Alabama to our first top-10 NCAA finish since 1994 and the first back-to-back top-10 finishes since the mid-1980s. The women took Alabama to our first top-30 national finish since 2005. Congratulations to all the seniors!

Men's Tennis

Coach George Husack's squad has opened its 2017 season by winning two of its first three matches. The Tide has victories over East Tennessee State (4-2) and Samford (4-0), both coming in a doubleheader last Monday, Jan. 16, at the Roberta Alison Baumgardner Tennis Facility. Alabama earned six singles victories and four doubles wins on the day. The team traveled to Orlando, Fla., on Saturday to take on 21st-ranked Michigan in the inaugural College MatchDay series at the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona, sustaining a loss to the Wolverines. Up next, the Tide is set to participate in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend on Friday, Jan. 27, at Athens, Ga., taking on Washington at 9 a.m. CT.

Women's Tennis

Coach Jenny Mainz's team is 3-1 through its first four matches of the season. The Tide opened the season impressively Jan. 15 with victories over UAB (4-0) and Alabama State (7-0), taking nine singles wins and six doubles victories combined. In doubles, senior Danielle Spielmann and sophomore Andie Daniell, along with the duo of senior Erin Routliffe and freshman Maddie Pothoff, clinched the doubles point for Alabama to give the Tide a 1-0 match lead going into singles play. Erin, who is currently among the top 100 singles players nationally, earned the first singles point with a straight sets win to give the Tide a 2-0 lead. After Illinois cut the Alabama match advantage to 2-1, Danielle won her No. 2 singles match in straight sets before Maddie's victory at No. 4 clinched the 6-1 victory. The Tide suffered its first setback of the season on Saturday afternoon against Washington in a match that went the distance, 4-3. In a match that went all the way down to a three-set thriller at No. 5 singles, the Huskies barely escaped. This week, the Tide is slated to compete at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend on Friday, Jan. 27, in Columbus, Ohio, taking on Harvard at 12 p.m. CT.

Track & Field

Our track & field team was outstanding this past weekend in Birmingham! Both the men and women won team titles at the Auburn Invitational held at the Birmingham CrossPlex on Saturday, defeating highly-ranked LSU, Auburn and Ohio State in both divisions. For the men, Jereem Richards won the men's 200 meters in the fastest time in the nation so far this season in his first race of the year. For the ladies, Stacey Destin did a little bit of everything, clearing 6-0 in the high jump (one of the top 10 efforts in the event nationally this year) and running a personal-best time of 8.64 in the 60-meter hurdles. As if that wasn't enough, she found time to place fourth in the shot put in her first-ever attempt in that event. What a day for that young lady! One week earlier, a pair of school records and a number of personal bests and top-10 finishes led a strong outing at the Commodore Invitational at Vanderbilt. Daniel Haugh (men's weight throw) and Will Herrscher (men's pole vault) set school records last weekend. Daniel's mark of 73-8 1/4 is the best in the nation so far this season. Will won the collegiate pole vault while tying the indoor school record set in 2002. Seniors Robbie Farnham-Rose and Kyle Felpel won the men's 3,000 meters and men's shot put and junior Filippa Fotopoulou won the women's long jump. Our outstanding senior long jumper, Quanesha Burks, has earned a spot on the Preseason Women's Bowerman Award Watch List, collegiate track and field's highest individual honor. The Crimson Tide men are ranked 17th nationally while the women are 22nd in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Preseason Indoor National Team Rankings. Congratulations to Coach Waters and the entire team for their performance!

Upcoming Action

Here's a summary of athletic events over the next several days (times listed are for the location of the event: CT is Central Time, ET in Eastern Time, MT is Mountain Time, PT is Pacific Time). Take a complete look at our upcoming calendar.

Wednesday, January 25

Time	Sport	Event	Location
9 p.m. ET	Men's Basketball	at Georgia	Athens, Ga.

Thursday, January 26

Time	Sport	Event	Location
8 p.m. CT	Women's Basketball	at Vanderbilt	Nashville, Tenn.

Friday, January 27

Time	Sport	Event	Location
10 a.m. ET	Men's Tennis	vs. Washington	Athens, Ga.
7:30 p.m. CT	Gymnastics	at Arkansas	Fayetteville, Ark.
All Day	Track & Field	at Bob Pollack Invitational	Clemson, S.C.

Saturday, January 28

Time	Sport	Event	Location
12 p.m. CT	Women's Tennis	vs. Harvard	Columbus, Ohio
5 p.m. CT	Men's Basketball	vs. Mississippi State	Coleman Coliseum
5 p.m. CT	Men's Tennis	vs. Georgia or Purdue	Athens, Ga.
All Day	Track & Field	at Bob Pollack Invitational	Clemson, S.C.

Sunday, January 29

Time	Sport	Event	Location
11 a.m. or 3 p.m. CT	Women's Tennis	vs. Ohio State or Florida State	Columbus, Ohio
5 p.m. CT	Men's Tennis	vs. Georgia or Purdue	Athens, Ga.
4 p.m. CT	Gymnastics	vs. Auburn	Birmingham, Ala.
5 p.m. CT	Women's Basketball	vs. Auburn	Coleman Coliseum

Wednesday, February 1

Time	Sport	Event	Location
6 p.m. CT	Men's Basketball	at Arkansas	Fayetteville, Ark.

Friday, February 3

Time	Sport	Event	Location
6 p.m. CT	Men's Tennis	vs. Texas Tech	Roberta Alison Baumgardner Tennis Facility
7:30 p.m. CT	Gymnastics	vs. Florida	Coleman Coliseum

Where to See, Listen and Follow Alabama Sports

Here's how to follow Crimson Tide teams via TV, radio, rolltide.com, Twitter and Facebook:

Swimming & Diving

Live Stats: www.rolltide.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AlabamaSwimDive
Twitter: @AlabamaSwimDive

Men's Tennis

Live Stats: www.rolltide.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AlabamaMTN
Twitter: @AlabamaMTN

Women's Tennis

Live Stats: www.rolltide.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AlabamaWTN
Twitter: @AlabamaWTN

Track & Field

Live Stats: www.rolltide.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AlabamaTrack
Twitter: @AlabamaTrack

Catch Alabama Athletics on the SEC Network

Here's a summary of our athletic events to be televised over the next week on The SEC Network and its platforms. Read this schedule closely as some events can be seen via SEC Network+, which is available online via WatchESPN. If you can't make it to our games in person, catch us on radio or TV. (All times listed are Central Time)

Monday, January 23

Time	Sport	Event
12:30 p.m.	RE-AIR: Gymnastics at Missouri	SEC Network

Tuesday, January 24

Time	Sport	Event
8:30 a.m.	RE-AIR: Gymnastics at Missouri	SEC Network

Thursday, January 26

Time	Sport	Event
4 a.m.	RE-AIR: Men's Basketball at Georgia	SEC Network
11 a.m.	RE-AIR: Men's Basketball at Georgia	SEC Network
8 p.m.	Women's Basketball at Vanderbilt	SEC Network

Friday, January 27

Time	Sport	Event
4 a.m.	RE-AIR: Women's Basketball at Vanderbilt	SEC Network
7:30 p.m.	Gymnastics at Arkansas	SEC Network

Saturday, January 28

Time	Sport	Event
5:30 a.m.	RE-AIR: Gymnastics at Arkansas	SEC Network
5 p.m.	Men's Basketball vs. Mississippi State	SEC Network

Sunday, January 29

Time	Sport	Event
5 p.m.	Women's Basketball vs. Auburn	SEC Network

Monday, January 30

Time	Sport	Event
5:30 a.m.	RE-AIR: Women's Basketball vs. Auburn	SEC Network
12:30 p.m.	RE-AIR: Gymnastics at Arkansas	SEC Network

Tuesday, January 31

Time	Sport	Event
4 a.m.	RE-AIR: 2004 Men's Basketball vs. Mississippi State (March 6, 2004)	SEC Network
9:30 a.m.	RE-AIR: Gymnastics at Arkansas	SEC Network

Wednesday, February 1

Time	Sport	Event
6 p.m.	Men's Basketball at Arkansas	SEC Network

Thursday, February 2

Time	Sport	Event
4 a.m.	RE-AIR: Men's Basketball at Arkansas	SEC Network

Friday, February 3

Time	Sport	Event
7:30 p.m.	Gymnastics vs. Florida	Coleman Coliseum

Many thanks for your continued support of our program and our Mission. It really does take all of us to Keep the Tide Rising!

University of Alabama Athletics