Alabama
Florida
No. 11 Alabama Gymnastics Falls to No. 2 Florida Friday Night, 197.325-196.450
1/20/2023 9:36:00 PM | Gymnastics
The Crimson Tide won the floor exercise with its highest event score of the season
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The No. 11 Alabama gymnastics team came up short against the No. 2 Florida Gators, 197.325-196.450, Friday Night in Coleman Coliseum. The Crimson Tide rallied after a slow start with its highest balance beam and floor exercise totals of the season so far.
After counting a fall on the uneven bars for a 48.675 rotation total, Alabama surged back on the balance beam with a 49.250, led by a leadoff 9.900 from Ella Burgess. The Tide then closed out the night with a 49.425 on floor exercise, led by four consecutive scores of 9.9-or-higher: Shania Adams (9.900), Gabby Gladieux (9.900), Lilly Hudson (9.925) and Luisa Blanco (9.950).
Jordyn Paradise won her first event title of the year on vault (9.900), while Blanco earned her second title of the year on floor exercise and fifth overall with her 9.950.
Head Coach Ashley Johnston said
"It was great to get three new faces into the lineup. That was actually unexpected, and I think they did a really good job of responding and stepping up when they were needed. It's always hard to have back to back falls like that, and it was a big moment for our team to learn how to recover from those mistakes and not let that affect the next person. I give a lot of credit to Mati Waligora for turning the corner and stepping up and going big in her approach. Taking that over to beam and floor and having our two highest scores of the year so far says a lot about this team and how they come together and just commit to each moment. I was so excited to see all of the fans out there tonight and the student section at capacity. It truly makes a huge difference and brings so much energy. I think this meet helped us get better, and we'll continue to see people step up and get a few people healthy as we move forward throughout the season."
Inside the Scoresheet
- Alabama won the floor exercise in the matchup, scoring a 49.425 to Florida's 49.300 on the event
- The Crimson Tide recorded seven scores of 9.9-or-higher in the matchup: Jordyn Paradise on vault (9.900), Luisa Blanco on the uneven bars (9.900), Ella Burgess on balance beam (9.900) and Gabby Gladieux (9.900), Shania Adams (9.900), Lilly Hudson (9.925) and Luisa Blanco (9.950) on floor
- Adams' 9.900 matched her career high
- Burgess' 9.900 on balance beam gives her a 9.900-or-higher on eight of her last 10 routines, with no score below 9.850
- Gladieux has now scored 9.875-or-higher in all three of her floor routines so far this season
- Shania Adams, Sania Mitchell and Lauren Little all made their first appearances in the Tide's lineups this season, with Adams competing on vault and floor exercise, Little on vault and the uneven bars and Mitchell on the vault
- Lilly Hudson was the Tide's sole all-around competitor, scoring a 39.425 with scores of 9.875 on the vault, 9.775 on the uneven bars, 9.850 on balance beam and 9.925 on floor exercise
- The Crimson Tide's balance beam (49.250) and floor exercise (49.425) rotation totals were its highest of the season
Up Next
- Alabama heads back out on the road to Lexington, Ky., to compete against the Kentucky Wildcats on Friday, Jan. 27 at 6:30 p.m. CT
- The meet will be broadcast live on SEC Network
- Following the meet against the Wildcats, the Tide will return home to compete against the Auburn Tigers in Coleman Coliseum on Friday, Jan. 3 at 6:30 p.m. CT
For all the latest information on Alabama gymnastics, follow BamaGymnastics on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
– UA –
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