Alabama
Arkansas
No. 6 Alabama Gymnastics Beats No. 14 Arkansas, 196.625-196.100
2/14/2020 8:56:00 PM | Gymnastics
The Crimson Tide overcame two falls on the balance beam and an injury to its leadoff on the floor exercise to post its third-consecutive SEC win
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – A resilient Alabama gymnastics team rallied past a pair of falls on the balance beam and an injury on the floor exercise to beat No. 14 Arkansas,196.625-196.100, Friday night in Coleman Coliseum in front of a crowd of 9,098.
Shallon Olsen came up after fellow sophomore Griffin James, who was injured on the first pass of her floor exercise routine and buoyed the No. 6-ranked Crimson Tide with a 9.900. Three scores of 9.925 followed and was capped by a career-best 9.850 from junior Alonza Klopfer, a late addition to the floor lineup, in the anchor spot to push Alabama to a season-best 49.525 team score.
Earlier in the meet both Klopfer and Olsen came up in the middle of a balance beam rotation that started with a fall and steadied the Tide, with Klopfer posting a 9.850 to lead Alabama on the event.
The win was Alabama third in Southeastern Conference win in a row and marked its fifth consecutive team total over 196.500 this season.
Head Coach Dana Duckworth Said
"I want to applaud the floor team for The University of Alabama because that was the epitome of 'for her.' We have had similar situations of coming up after an injuries in the past and you can imagine how traumatic that moment can be. I thought the team did an amazing job of being able to refocus, reset, and then do every floor routine for their sister. That is an incredible thing for this team and is something that we will carry into the rest of the season with us."
Four Rotations for the Crimson Tide
- Led by a trio of 9.925s from seniors Maddie Desch and Shea Mahoney and junior Lexi Graber and a 9.9 from Olsen, the Tide scored a season-high 49.525 on floor exercise to close out the night
- Led by a 9.900 from Graber and 9.875s from Olsen and freshman Luisa Blanco, Alabama posted a 49.350 on the vault
- Freshman Makarri Doggette posted a 9.900 to lead Alabama to a 49.225 on the uneven bars
- Klopfer led the way on the balance beam with a 9.850, but two falls during the rotation pulled the Tide down to a 48.525 on the event
Inside the Score Sheet
- Blanco posted a career-best 9.875 on the vault
- With a 49.350 against the Razorbacks, Alabama posted better than a 49.300 on the vault for the second week in a row after going a season-best 49.375 last week against Missouri
- With her 9.900 against Arkansas, Doggette has posted a 9.875-or-better in all six of her uneven bars routines this season
- Following an injury to James after her first tumbling pass, Alabama posted four marks of 9.9-or-better on the floor exercise, culminating in a 49.525 rotation score
- Desch (9.925), Mahoney (9.925), Graber  (9.925) and Olsen (9.900) all either posted a season-best or tied their season best score on the floor exercise
- Klopfer posted a career-best 9.850 after stepping in as Alabama's anchor on the floor exercise
- Graber has posted at least a 9.900 in all five of her floor exercise routines this season
- Alabama's 49.525 was its best floor exercise total since going 49.575 against Oklahoma on March 16, 2018
Alumni Night
- Friday was also Alumni Night for the Crimson Tide, with more than 60 members of the gymnastics family in attendance
- The gathered crowed recognized the 1990 and 2000 SEC Championships teams, celebrating anniversaries of 30 and 20 years this season, respectively
- Alabama also honored long-time administrators Marie Robbins and Rita Martin, who both retired during the offseason
Up Next
- After two weeks at home, Alabama goes back on the road for its sixth meet of the season, heading to Gainesville, Fla., to take on the Florida Gators
- The meet will be held in the Exactech Arena at Stephen C. O'Connell Center starting at 5:45 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live on the SEC Network
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
