Alabama
NCAA Championships - Semifinal I
Alabama Gymnastics Holds Final Practice of 2018 Season at NCAA Championships
4/19/2018 4:21:00 PM | Gymnastics
The Crimson Tide trained for approximately 90 minutes on the podium in Chaifetz Arena, site of the 2018 NCAA Gymnastics Championships
ST. LOUIS – The Alabama gymnastics team went through its last practice of the 2018 season Thursday afternoon, the day before the NCAA Championships Semifinals gets underway in Chaifetz Arena.
This week marks Alabama's third trip to St. Louis in the past year after advancing to last season's NCAA Super Six Team Finals here and taking second at last month's Southeastern Conference Championships that was also held in Chaifetz.
"There's no doubt that having competed in this arena before is bonus for us," UA head coach Dana Duckworth said. "We know the lay of the land, where the locker rooms are, how to navigate the arena – but at the end of the day, we come into these championships grateful for everything and entitled to nothing. We know that we have to earn it every day."
Alabama advanced to its 36th-consecutive NCAA Championships by winning the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional Championship on April 7 with a score of 197.225. The Crimson Tide has now won an NCAA-best 32 regional team championships. Alabama's 36-consecutive NCAA Championship appearances is second all-time to Utah's 37.
The Tide will compete in the afternoon session of the NCAA Championships Semifinals starting at 12 p.m. CT and broadcast live on ESPN2. Fans can also catch wall-to-wall coverage on the WatchESPN App and WatchESPN.com
The afternoon session also includes LSU, Georgia, Arkansas, UCLA and Nebraska. The Tide, Bruins and Bulldogs have all won NCAA titles in the past.
Alabama will start its semifinal session on the uneven bars and will then move to the balance beam before going to its first bye. After its first bye, Alabama compete on the floor exercise, then vault, before going to its second bye to finish off the meet.Â
The evening session (semifinal session II) starts at 6 p.m. CT Friday and is comprised of Florida, Oklahoma, Utah, Kentucky, Washington and California. Florida, Utah and Oklahoma are all past champions. The top-three teams from each semifinal session will advance to Saturday's Super Six Team Final.
This season marks the first time that six SEC teams – Alabama, Florida, LSU, Georgia, Arkansas and Kentucky - have advanced to the NCAA Championships, the most by any conference.
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.
