| NEWS 🏆🤸: 2024 NCAA Nationals, April 18th -20th. (ESPN 2 @ 8 CT.)

NATIONALS BOUND! No. 8 Alabama is Headed to Fort Worth after Second-Place Finish at NCAA Regional Final in Ann Arbor - Alabama Athletics

The Crimson Tide punched its ticket to the NCAA Championships Semifinals in Fort Worth, Texas, behind a 197.575 score in the regional final

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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."

 

[alabama mike]

Best of luck to our ladies gymnastic team.

 

[BamaFan334]

Roll Tide

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

I didn't watch on ESPN but was checking in with the live scoring every 15 minutes or so... OU (who I assume was the favorite) started off with 3 terrible vault scores, had to count 2. Started to get the feeling Bama might sneak into the finals... not too much longer after that though, I check back in and Bama fell 3 times on the beam. Then a 4th while I had the scores updating. I don't even know when Bama fell 4 times on beam last... I just went ahead and closed out that browser window at that point. Just went back and checked the final scores... Bama finished with a 195.4125. Ouch.

 

[BamaFan334]

I didn't watch on ESPN but was checking in with the live scoring every 15 minutes or so... OU (who I assume was the favorite) started off with 3 terrible vault scores, had to count 2. Started to get the feeling Bama might sneak into the finals... not too much longer after that though, I check back in and Bama fell 3 times on the beam. Then a 4th while I had the scores updating. I don't even know when Bama fell 4 times on beam last... I just went ahead and closed out that browser window at that point. Just went back and checked the final scores... Bama finished with a 195.4125. Ouch.

Man, we had gotten so much better over the last few years on the beam too. It was our nemesis for years while we performed so well in every other rotation. Oklahoma giving an opening like that, you gotta take advantage. Hate we didn't.

 

[Tidexc1]

There is some controversy about the beam being loose and moving while Bama was on it. After our rotation they tightened it back up which seems very odd to me. I'm not a gymnastics guy but that shouldn't happen at a national championship event.

 

[BamaFan334]

There is some controversy about the beam being loose and moving while Bama was on it. After our rotation they tightened it back up which seems very odd to me. I'm not a gymnastics guy but that shouldn't happen at a national championship event.

Would make sense seeing as Oklahoma struggled too and they were absolutely dominant all year long.

 

[footballer]

If equipment was faulty, there should have been a do over for OK and AL. My opinion.

 

[bamafan4ever]

Oklahoma crapped out on the vault. BAMA took the beam just after Utah aced it so, I am not buying faulty equipment. Our girls basically choked last night and we have watched them all season. Its too bad because it seemed they were getting better towards the end of the season.