Alabama
Oklahoma
No. 6 Alabama Falls at No. 3 Oklahoma, 197.400-195.875
1/9/2022 7:51:00 PM | Gymnastics
Mati Waligora led the Crimson Tide in her all-around debut, taking second place with a score of 39.175
NORMAN, Okla. – The No. 6-ranked Alabama gymnastics team fell at No. 3 Oklahoma, 197.400-195.875 Sunday afternoon at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla. It was the season opener for both teams.
Alabama started out the season with a 49.250 on the uneven bars, nearly a tenth better than it scored in its first meet a year ago. Alabama followed that with a 48.950 on the vault. Cameron Machado led the way on the bars with a 9.875, while Makarri Doggette posted the Tide's top vault, going 9.850.
After running into trouble on the floor exercise, scoring a 48.575, the Crimson Tide bounced back on the balance beam, led by the junior duo of Ella Burgess and Mati Waligora. Burgess, back in the lineup after sitting out last season with an injury, led the Tide off with a 9.850, while Waligora tied her career-best of 9.925, pushing the Tide to a 49.100.
Head Coach Dana Duckworth Said
"We came into this meet with a lot of confidence and fire. I asked the ladies to be very aggressive, and they were, so that wasn't an issue for us. This is a great team with a ton of promise, but we have to overcome the mental errors we had today. We had to shuffle the lineups all week, which was somewhat chaotic, but we have to be ready for the unexpected as this season goes on. There are lot of lessons to be learned as we move forward and despite the final outcome there were several positive moments that we can take into this week."
Inside the Score Sheet
- Mati Waligora made her all-around debut, scoring a 39.175 to take second overall
- In addition to Waligora, Shania Adams and Emily Gaskins both went in the all-around
- Waligora and Cameron Machado both made their Crimson Tide debuts in the floor exercise
Up Next
- Alabama remains on the road for week two of the season with another Sunday meet, taking on the No. 2 Florida Gators in Gainesville, Fla., Jan. 16 at 2 p.m. CT
- The UA-UF meet will be the first regular-season collegiate gymnastics meet to be broadcast on ABC
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Players Mentioned
