Sania Mitchell to Join the Alabama Gymnastics Team in January
11/20/2018 4:06:00 PM | Gymnastics
Mitchell is the first Tuscaloosa native to join the Crimson Tide since Jacqueline Shealy prior to the 2007 season
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Tuscaloosa native Sania Mitchell is slated to join The University of Alabama gymnastics team in January head coach Dana Duckworth announced Tuesday.
"We are excited to add a Tuscaloosa gymnast to our roster this January," Duckworth said. "Sania will be a wonderful addition to the energy and hard work of this 2019 team. Graduating a semester early and having already enrolled in UA's Early College, Sania obviously embodies our academic mindset but her tenacity to improve as a gymnast will add to our standards of excellence in the gym."
Mitchell will be the first Tuscaloosa native to join the Crimson Tide gymnastics program since Jacqueline Shealy in 2007.
"As a little girl growing up in Tuscaloosa, I would see pictures of the gymnasts and other athletes at Alabama, and I would think, 'I want to be just like them one day,'" Mitchell said. "Not many kids get to live out that dream, let alone be a part of such an amazing program in their hometown, so I'm thankful that the coaches here believe in me enough to give me the chance to be successful, not just as an athlete, but as a person as well."
The 2018 Alabama state vault champion, Mitchell is coached by former Crimson Tide All-American Dara Stewart Lowery as well as John Lowery, Brooke Leonard-Fincher, Kait Dewey, Chéree Baker and Josh Sullen at JamJev Gymnastics.
"I've watched Sania grow up a Bama Bounder coached by Alabama gymnastics alum Erin Holdefer-Kightlinger and finish her high school career at JamJev coached by Dara Stewart Lowery and her staff," Duckworth said. "She is full of life and beyond eager to listen, learn and grow into her athletic talent. We believe Sania will continue to blossom athletically and personally and we are excited to see what is in store for her gymnastics future."
Mitchell won the all-around, vault and floor exercise at the 2018 Sand Dollar/Whitlow Invitational as well as medaling in the all-around and uneven bars at the 2018 Charleston Cup. In addition to winning the vault, she also medaled in the all-around and floor exercise at the 2018 Alabama State Championships.
"I am honored to be given the opportunity to live out and carry on the Alabama gymnastics legacy of passion, heart and excellence that was established years ago," Mitchell said.
A senior at American Christian Academy, she is a member of the National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta as well as The Beta and French clubs. She is already taking classes at Alabama as part of UA Early College and has earned Dean's List and Director's List honors and has joined the National Society of Collegiate Scholars as well as the Society of Women Engineers. She is the daughter of Latonia and Santez Mitchell.
Mitchell and the rest of the 2019 Crimson Tide squad get things underway on January 4 in Coleman Coliseum. Season tickets are available through the Alabama Ticket Office (205.348.2262) located in the lobby of Coleman Coliseum or online at RollTide.com.
For all the latest information on Alabama gymnastics, follow BamaGymnastics on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and head coach Dana Duckworth on Twitter and Instagram at @UACoachDana.
