Alabama
Temple
Alabama Gymnastics Opens 2019 Season with Quad Meet Win
1/4/2019 10:36:00 PM | Gymnastics
The Crimson Tide scored a 194.750 to earn wins over Northern Illinois, Temple and Southeast Missouri State in its season opener
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The No. 6-ranked Alabama gymnastics team posted a 194.750 to win its season opening quad meet over Northern Illinois (193.325), Temple (191.925) and Southeast Missouri State (187.800) in front of 8,449 fans Friday night in Coleman Coliseum.
"I think that among some challenges, some falls, some very uncharacteristic things that we certainly haven't seen in practice, what I saw tonight was an unbelievable team of potential," UA head coach Dana Duckworth said. "I see a team of greatness and I cannot wait for them to get back out here next week and learn from what we did today."
The Crimson Tide is now 62-11-1 since 1979 in season openers and 52-2-1 in home openers over that same span.
Alabama won all five individual events, with sophomore Lexi Graber taking top honors in the all-around (39.125), balance beam and floor exercise. Freshmen Shallon Olsen and Emily Gaskins opened their collegiate careers with wins on the vault and uneven bars, respectively.
Alabama got off to a solid start on the vault, posting a 49.075 led by Olsen's 9.875 and a 9.850 from senior Abby Armbrecht. Gaskins posted a 9.875 and senior Ariana Guerra scored a 9.850 to pace the Tide to a 49.100 on the uneven bars.
The Tide ran into trouble on the balance beam, scoring a 47.700 after a trio of mistakes in the middle of the lineup. Armbrecht and Graber then closed the rotation with scores of 9.725 and 9.750, respectively.
"Even after we had uncharacteristic falls on the balance beam Abby and Lexi came back strong," Duckworth said.
Graber and Guerra led the way on the floor exercise, scoring a 9.825 and 9.800, respectively, to push Alabama to a 48.875 team total.
Alabama returns to action next Friday with another quad meet, facing off against No. 9 Michigan, No. 13 Denver and Bowling Green State starting at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets can be purchased online at RollTide.com and through the Alabama Ticket Office (205.348.2262).
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.
Players Mentioned
