Byrne Notice presented by Mercedes-Benz
11/1/2021 4:32:00 PM | General
Celebrating Champions
This Friday, we're celebrating the latest teams to earn a place on the Sarah Patterson Champions Plaza, which honors all our national and conference championship teams outside of football, with the addition of a trio of SEC Championship teams - men's basketball (regular season and tournament), gymnastics and softball. Men's basketball, who will also receive their rings on Saturday at the Alabama-LSU football game, claimed its first regular-season title since 2002 while also winning its first tournament championship since 1991 and seventh overall. Gymnastics is celebrating its 10th SEC title and first since 2015. Softball has won 12 SEC championships, including last season's tournament title in Tuscaloosa. The Celebration of Champions begins at 5 p.m., and we hope you'll join us at the Patterson Champions Plaza in front of Coleman Coliseum.
Celebrating Champions Part II
While Friday's ceremony at the Sarah Patterson Champions Plaza honors team titles from men's basketball, gymnastics and softball, we will honor last year's individual NCAA Champions at halftime of Saturday's Alabama-LSU football game. A total of eight Crimson Tide student-athletes from four different teams earned gold last season, including our first cross country champion, Mercy Chelangat, our first women's swimming relay winners, Kalia Antoniou, Morgan Scott, Flora Molnar and Cora Dupre in the 400 freestyle relay, gymnasts Luisa Blanco and Lexi Graber, as well as track and field hurdle king Robert Dunning. We're extremely proud of the way this group represents the Crimson Tide, both in and out of competition.
2011 National Champions Recognized
We are excited to welcome back members of our 2011 national championship football team, who will be honored during a pregame recognition on Saturday. With the 21-0 victory over LSU in the BCS National Championship in New Orleans, this team won the Crimson Tide's 14th national title and posted the first shutout in BCS history. We encourage all fans attending to be in your seats early to help us celebrate and applaud this incredible championship team!
Talking About Champions
Competing in the first championship event of the 2021-22 academic year, Mercy Chelangat and Eliud Kipsang swept the individual titles at the 2021 SEC Cross Country Championships, leading the women's team to a third-place finish and the men to fourth place, respectively. It was Mercy's second-consecutive SEC title and the first for Eliud and was our first sweep since 1988. Prior to winning her second SEC cross country title, Mercy was named the SEC Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year, becoming the first woman to both win an SEC title and be voted the league's scholar-athlete of the year in women's cross country. We also led the league in All-SEC honors with 10, including four first-team, two second-team and four freshman accolades. Both the men and the women continue their postseason run at the NCAA South Regional Championships on Friday, Nov. 12 in Huntsville, Ala.
SEC Tournament on Deck for Soccer; Reyes Named First Team All-SEC
Following a win over No. 19 Auburn last Thursday, our soccer team moved up to the six seed at this week's SEC Tournament in Orange Beach, earning its first bye at the conference championships in program history. Head Coach Wes Hart's squad is scheduled to take on No. 3-seed Ole Miss in Tuesday's quarterfinals at 2:30 p.m. CT. Congratulations are also in order for Reyna Reyes, who was named First Team All-SEC by the league coaches on Sunday!
Men's and Women's Tennis Head to ITA National Fall Championships
With wins at their respective ITA Southern Regional Championships, both our men's and women's tennis teams will be represented in doubles at the National Fall Championships this week in San Diego. Our men's duo of Juan Martin and Filip Planinsek and women's pair of Loudmilla Bencheikh and Anne Marie Hiser make up two of the 32 teams across the nation advancing to the fall's final site. Match play begins on Thursday, November 4 at the Barnes Tennis Center and concludes Sunday, November 7.
Basketball Doubleheader to Open 2021-22 Season
The start of the regular season for basketball is nearly here with a season-opening doubleheader scheduled for Tuesday, November 9 in Coleman Coliseum. The women get the evening started at 5 p.m. against Charleston Southern while the men follow with Louisiana Tech at 8 p.m. Both teams will have had the opportunity to host exhibition matchups prior to next week with the women hosting Alabama-Huntsville on Thursday at 6 p.m. and the men having already faced Louisiana, which the Tide won, 73-68. Tickets for both men's and women's basketball are available now and can be purchased through the Alabama Ticket Office. See you in Coleman!
Swimming and Diving Opens SEC Slate Friday
After opening its 2021-22 home season with a win over Delta State and its road slate with a victory over Birmingham Southern, Margo Geer's swimming and diving squads return to the Don Gambril Olympic Pool this Friday, opening SEC competition with the LSU Tigers. Diving gets underway at noon, while the swimming events start at 1 p.m. University Programs is holding a tailgate outside the Alabama Aquatics Center starting at 11 a.m. We hope you'll come by and support the Crimson Tide as we open the weekend with the first of two Tuscaloosa-based Alabama-LSU competitions.
Alabama and Team USA
In other news from the deck of the Don Gambril Olympic Pool, we are excited to share that Rhyan White and Ozzie Quevedo have both been named to U.S. Swimming's 2021 FINA World Championships squad, which will compete in Abu Dhabi this December. Rhyan, who is coming off an extraordinary performance at last summer's Tokyo Olympics, will swim the 50, 100 and 200-meter backstrokes, while Ozzie will serve as an assistant coach for Team USA.
Women's Golf Victorious at The Ally; Moresco Wins Individual Title
Our women's golf team closed out its fall season in dominating fashion, winning The Ally at Old Waverly Golf Club with a 22-under-par 842 tournament total last week. With the victory, we had top-five finishes across the board this fall for the first time since 2017. Individually, Benedetta Moresco earned the first title of her career, pacing the field with a 19-under-par 197 for the tournament, setting the school record for lowest 54-hole total. Job well done, and we look forward to seeing even more out of this team in the spring!
Rowing Closes out Fall Schedule
Our rowing team had the opportunity to compete twice this fall, first in Oklahoma and second over the weekend right here in Tuscaloosa against Clemson. Head coach Glenn Putyrae was pleased with the valuable experience gained by the different crews, and we look forward to their return to the water in 2022!
Baseball Wraps up Fall Season
Baseball wrapped up its fall schedule on Saturday afternoon with a scrimmage against Ole Miss in Oxford. The team traveled to Starkville earlier this month to take on the reigning national champions, Mississippi State, before the matchup with the Rebels. The pair of exhibitions saw the Tide compete with two of the nation's top programs and highlighted the team's fall practice schedule. Coach Bohannon's team will now spend the next few months putting in extra work in the weight room before returning to the diamond in the spring to prepare for the upcoming 2022 season.
Softball Concludes Fall Ball
After opening fall ball with a doubleheader in Nashville against Lipscomb, a homecoming for Franklin, Tennessee native Jenna Johnson, Patrick Murphy and his squad returned to Rhoads Stadium for six home games throughout the month of October. Softball fans packed the Rhoads House, applauding the return of a number of standouts from last year's SEC Tournament Championship squad and welcoming in each of the nine newcomers. It was an exciting showcase for what should be another great season for the Crimson Tide, which officially kicks off February 11-13 in Tucson, Arizona.
Student-Athlete Thank-A-Thon
Our student-athletes, coaches and staff are all deeply aware of the impact our donors have on Alabama Athletics. Last week, nearly 200 student-athletes participated in our seventh annual Thank-A-Thon, taking time to call over 1,700 Crimson Tide Foundation donors and share their heartfelt gratitude. We are humbled by the tremendous generosity of those who give charitable contributions to Alabama Athletics. Every gift is important to us and very much appreciated!
University Spotlight
Dr. Jennifer M. Feltman, assistant professor of art history, is one of 14 specialists appointed to a team given special access to begin working on the restoration of Notre Dame in Paris. If you recall, a fire devastated the cathedral in 2019 while it was already undergoing renovation and restoration. Feltman's work will focus on the sculptures of the west facade's central portal.
#RollTideFriday
Disney is our common theme in this week's #RollTideFriday photos. First, we have Allan Guenther, a familiar voice for those of you who attend many of our sporting events such as women's basketball and baseball, and his wife, BJ, at the Tree of Life. Secondly, we have Gaylon McAlpine's photo from in front of Cinderella's Castle.
Allan Guenther
Gaylon McAlpine
Remember to use the hashtag #RollTideFriday in your social posts and tweet your photos to me at @Greg_Byrne. We will select two photos to feature in each blog and add even more to our #RollTideFriday Fan Hub. Let's keep these great photos coming!
Schedule of Events
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