Alabama
Florida
Ra-Akbar Shines in All-Around Debut as Alabama Comes up Short against Top-Ranked Florida
1/16/2026 9:15:00 PM | Gymnastics
The Crimson Tide freshman became the second UA gymnast in as many weeks to earn three 9.900-or-higher scores in one meet
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Despite leading the top-ranked Florida Gators (4-0, 1-0 SEC) through the opening two rotations, the No. 4 Alabama gymnastics team (1-1, 0-1 SEC) came up short Friday night in Gainesville, falling 197.425 – 197.275. The Crimson Tide's uneven bars rotation highlighted the night, as the bars squad recorded a 49.550 rotation score – tied for the second-highest score on the event in the nation, at the time of the meet.
Standout freshman Azaraya Ra-Akbar made her all-around debut for Alabama, registering a 39.600 score to claim the all-around title. Teammate Chloe LaCoursiere added an event title, on the uneven bars, behind a career-high 9.975 performance on the apparatus.
Alabama Head Coach Ashley Johnston Said
"[To begin this year,] we've been approaching each meet like it's our sixth meet – halfway through the season, knowing we can handle anything. We've gone in with the mentality that no matter what the chaos a rotation brings, we know we can handle it – to be present, to be where our feet are, and I think the team did a really great job of stepping up tonight.
"I feel like championship teams are those that can go five up-five count when it matters. I think that moment [on beam after Cawley's fall as leadoff], while it stung a lot as the win was in our grasp, I do think that moment is going to be the push and the drive that carries this team even further. We have to be thankful for moments like that because they prepare us for cutthroat environments. This was an amazing environment, but the team was certainly nervous. They train for that but there's nothing quite like having to go five up-five count in that situation. I think it made us better. We're going to learn from it, figure out what we need to tweak and put it into our practice next week."
Team Stats
- Alabama's 49.550 rotation score on the uneven bars is tied for the second-highest bars score in the nation, as of Friday night
- The Tide earned a pair of individual event titles:
- Uneven Bars – LaCoursiere – 9.975
- All-Around – Ra-Akbar – 39.600
- Ra-Akbar became the second gymnast in as many weeks (LaCoursiere – Jan. 9) to secure three 9.900-or-higher scores in one meet
- Uneven Bars – 9.950
- Vault – 9.925
- Floor Exercise – 9.900
- LaCoursiere's 9.975 on the uneven bars became a career high
- Kylee Kvamme recorded a career-high 9.925 on the balance beam
- Jamison Sears tallied her second consecutive 9.900 score on the floor exercise to begin her junior campaign
How it Happened
Uneven Bars
- Alabama opened the night with an electric 49.550 rotation score
- Chloe LaCoursiere delivered a career-high 9.975 before Azaraya Ra-Akbar anchored with a 9.950
Vault
- The Crimson Tide scored a 49.200 on its second rotation of the night
- Ra-Akbar highlighted the event with a career-high 9.925 as anchor
- UA held a 98.750-98.725 lead after two rotations
Floor Exercise
- Alabama used consecutive 9.900 scores from Jamison Sears and Ra-Akbar to gather a 49.350 rotation score
Balance Beam
- Kylee Kvamme highlighted the final event with a career-high 9.925 as the Tide ended its night with a 49.175 event score
Up Next
- Alabama will open its home slate of competition Friday, Jan. 23, against the Missouri Tigers
- The meet will begin at 6:30 p.m. CT and will stream live on SEC Network+
Players Mentioned
