Alabama
Arkansas
No. 7 Alabama Finishes Second at 2024 SEC Championships
3/23/2024 11:57:00 PM | Gymnastics
For the 25th consecutive year, the Crimson Tide finished in the top three of the conference championship meet, with 21 of those being a top-two finish
NEW ORLEANS, La. – The No. 7 Alabama gymnastics program finished in second place at the 2024 Southeastern Conference Championships with a score of 197.750 to secure a top-three finish at the conference meet for the 25th straight year, while recording a top-two finish for the 21st time during that span. With the result Saturday night, the Crimson Tide is still the only program in the league to never finish outside the top four.
The Tide started the night on the floor exercise and used four straight scores of 9.900 to capture a share of first place (49.475) through the opening rotation. The event was highlighted by Gabby Gladieux's sixth-straight score of a 9.9-or-higher as Lilly Hudson posted her eighth 9.9-or-higher mark of the season on the floor exercise. Before Luisa Blanco recorded her third consecutive 9.9-or-higher score on the apparatus, Jamison Sears made her SEC Championships debut with a score of 9.9 – her second on the event in as many meets.
On Alabama's second rotation, Corinne Bunagan and Blanco each hit a 9.9 on vault – Bunagan's second straight on the apparatus and the fourth meet in a row for Blanco – as the Tide maintained its top-two place in the team standings. In her conference championship debut, Chloe LaCoursiere posted a career-high-tying 9.925 as leadoff on the uneven bars. Blanco bookended the rotation with a mirroring 9.925, but despite the two scores, the Tide found itself back in third place heading into the final event of the night.
In the final rotation, Alabama calmly rolled to a 49.550 on the balance beam – its second-highest score on the apparatus this season – as four UA gymnasts recorded four scores of 9.9 or higher, highlighted by a season-high 9.925 from Shania Adams and a 9.950 from Blanco as anchor.
The Crimson Tide came into the championship as the No. 4 seed in the conference and No. 7 nationally, defeating No. 6 Kentucky (197.600), No. 4 Florida (197.300), No. 13 Missouri (197.275), No. 12 Arkansas (197.050), No. 14 Auburn (196.775) and No. 18 Georgia (196.075). The No. 2 LSU Tigers took home the title with a 198.075.
Head Coach Ashley Johnston Said
"I am so incredibly proud of our team tonight. [Prior to the meet], we talked as a group about keeping our mission greater than the distractions; it would have been easy to get off track tonight with the noise and how energetic the arena was, but I am just really proud of our group for staying locked in and for staying connected with each other. We beat two teams that were ranked ahead of us coming into tonight and I'm just really proud of the effort all together – from the six people that were up on each event, to our sideline of supporters and to our Alabama fans in the stands. This really was a collective effort and a great confidence-builder as we head into the regional championships."
Inside the Score Sheet
- Alabama is the only team in conference history who has never finished outside of the top four at the SEC Championships
- The Crimson Tide has now finished in the top three for the 25th consecutive year with 21 of those being top-two finishes
- Luisa Blanco finished second in the all-around with a 39.675, posting scores of 9.9-or-higher on all four events
- In the opening rotation, the Tide earned four consecutive 9.9 scores on the floor exercise on the way to a 49.475 rotation total, with Lilly Hudson, Jamison Sears, Luisa Blanco and Gabby Gladieux all hitting the mark
- Corinne Bunagan posted her second-consecutive 9.9-or-higher score of the season on vault as Blanco's second 9.9 of the night led UA to a 49.300 mark on the event
- Blanco and Chloe LaCoursiere bookended the uneven bars rotation with mirroring 9.925 scores en route to the Tide's 49.425 rotation total
- Alabama closed its night on the balance beam with a 49.550 event score, with four scores of 9.9+ from Hudson (9.925), Ella Burgess (9.900), Shania Adams (9.925) and Blanco (9.950)
- In total, eight UA gymnasts earned 12 scores of 9.9 or higher
Up Next
- After the SEC Championships, Alabama will be placed in one of four regionals and will compete in the NCAA Regional Championships, April 4-6
- The NCAA Selection Show will be held on Monday, March 25, at 11 a.m. CT
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Players Mentioned
