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NATIONALS BOUND! No. 8 Alabama is Headed to Fort Worth after Second-Place Finish at NCAA Regional Final in Ann Arbor
4/6/2024 8:19:00 PM | Gymnastics
The Crimson Tide punched its ticket to the NCAA Championships Semifinals in Fort Worth, Texas, behind a 197.575 score in the regional final
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The No. 8-ranked Alabama gymnastics team is headed to Fort Worth, Texas, for the 2024 NCAA Championships Semifinals, for the 39th time in program history. UA advanced after punching its ticket with a 197.575 in the finals of the NCAA Ann Arbor Regional Championships Saturday night in Crisler Center on the University of Michigan campus.
The Oklahoma Sooners edged the Tide with a 198.400 and will also advance to the national semifinals. Ohio State was third (197.200) and Penn State took fourth (197.050) to round out the regional final.
Alabama got the evening off on the uneven bars with a 49.350 as Shania Adams (9.900) and Luisa Blanco (9.925) highlighted the opening rotation with 9.900+ scores. It was Adams' second 9.9-or-higher score while competing at the Ann Arbor Regional, while Blanco calmly hit at least a 9.925 for the fifth consecutive meet.
As UA moved to the balance beam, the Tide posted a mirroring 49.350 rotation score as Adams claimed her second 9.9+ score, this time a 9.925, as the senior finished her weekend with four consecutive scores of at least a 9.9 across both the semifinal round and the regional final. Junior Lilly Hudson also earned Alabama a 9.900 score as leadoff on the event.
The Crimson Tide steamrolled its way through the floor exercise, posting its third-highest score of the season on the apparatus, a 49.650, as all five countable scores for Alabama were a 9.9-or-higher, highlighted by back-to-back 9.95s from Blanco and Hudson in the heart of the lineup.
In the final rotation, Blanco helped solidify the Tide's ticket to Fort Worth with a 9.900 on vault – her ninth time this season hitting at least a 9.9 on the apparatus.
Head Coach Ashley Johnston Said
"What a night. I am so incredibly proud of this group. They were gutsy, they were brave and they stayed present and focused on the things that they could control while taking it step-by-step, routine-by-routine, approach-after-approach to put together a really great performance. A year ago at this time, we were a great gymnastics team but mentally and emotionally, we didn't always respond the best in moments that challenged us. We took a year and really dug in, worked on our culture, worked on our mindset and worked on our mental/emotional preparation, and it's just so fulfilling to see that pay off in moments like this. This [part of the season is] never easy. There's hard moments after hard moments where you got to step in and be clutch to deliver performances that help the team keep building momentum. Overall, I'm just so proud of this group, their collective belief, their gutsy energy, their bravery and we're looking forward to getting back out there and we cannot wait to be in Fort Worth."
Inside the Score Sheet
- Alabama's 49.650 on the floor exercise is the third-highest of the season on the apparatus as all five, countable scores in the rotation were above a 9.900
- Shania Adams' two scores of 9.900-or-higher on the uneven bars and balance beam, respectively, secured the Columbus, Ohio, native four straight 9.9s spanning across the regional semifinal round and the regional final
- Alabama posted a pair of 9.9+ scores on its opening two rotations – a 9.9 from Adams and a 9.925 from Luisa Blanco on the uneven bars and a 9.9 from Lilly Hudson and a 9.925 from Adams on the balance beam to take control of second place
- Luisa Blanco finished second in the all-around (39.625), while also earning a share of second place on the uneven bars (9.925) and a share of third place on both the vault (9.900) and the floor exercise (9.950)
- Six gymnasts earned a total of 10 scores of 9.9-or-higher
- Adams – 9.900 on uneven bars, 9.925 on balance beam | Blanco – 9.00 on vault, 9.925 on uneven bars, 9.950 on floor exercise | Gabby Gladieux – 9.925 on floor exercise | Hudson – 9.900 on balance beam, 9.950 on floor exercise | Cameron Machado – 9.925 on floor exercise | Mati Waligora – 9.900 on floor exercise
Up Next
- The NCAA Championships Semifinals will be held Thursday, April 18, in Fort Worth, Texas, and will feature two sessions of four teams each
- The top two from each semifinal will then advance to the NCAA Championship Finals, which will be held Saturday, April 20
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