Alabama gymnastics finishes second in SEC Championship

Alabama Gymnastics is catching fire at the right time in the season.

The Crimson Tide have scored three of their four highest scores in the final three meets of the season, including a 197.825 in the SEC Championships last Saturday in Birmingham.

That final score was good enough to finish second in the conference for the 31st time in program history.

Alabama also scored a 198.075 against Arkansas on March 4 and a 198.000 in the Elevate the Stage meet in Huntsville on March 6. Those two scores were their highest marks of the season.

Alabama Gymnastics Head Coach Dana Duckworth said she is very proud of how the team has performed late in the season.

“They continue to just grind it out,” said Duckworth. “The highlight was the bar rotation. They caught on fire, and just kept it going and carried it over to the balance beam.”

Alabama scored five ‘9.9s’ on the uneven bars and two more on the balance beam in the final two rotations of the meet. Overall, the Crimson Tide recorded 11 ‘9.9s’ in the event, which was second most of the eight teams competing. 

“So, we just need to make sure that everyone gets healthy, and that we can continue to build on the faith and confidence that they are capable of going all the way,” said Duckworth.

Up next for Alabama will be the NCAA Regional Championships, whose fields will be announced March 22. The Crimson Tide hope to continue their late season hot streak through regionals on their way to Fort Worth, Texas, for the National Championship.