Led by Seniors, Alabama Gymnastics Has Best Score of Season to Beat Arkansas

Lexi Graber, Shallon Olsen, Emily Gaskins and Sania Mitchell score career bests to lead Crimson Tide.

Edwin Stanton | Mar 4, 2022

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — It was a night to honor the seniors, so it made sense they took center stage.

Alabama’s gymnastics meet with Arkansas started with Shallon Olsen scoring a season-best on the vault. It finished with Lexi Graber bringing the crowd to its feet with a career-best 9.975 on the floor to cap a record-breaking night.

Alabama team turned in its best score of the season behind Graber, Olsen, Emily Gaskins and Sania Mitchell, to beat Arkansas, 198.075-196.00.

It ties the second-highest score in school history.

"My girls just set me up to go out there and be free," Graber said. "We went out and laid it out there, and I couldn't be more proud."

Mitchell was stunned after learning of the Crimson Tide's results.

"I didn't even know that was the score, that's unreal," she said.

With the SEC Championships on the horizon, it was a much-needed effort for an Alabama squad trying to gain momentum.

But the night was about the seniors. Olsen kicked off the record-setting night with vault, and capped her night with a career-best 9.925 on the floor.

Not to be outdone, Graber finished first on balance beam with a season-best 9.90 and first on the floor. Gaskins turned in a season-best 9.90 on uneven bars.

It was the floor routine of Mitchell, however, that brought the house down. Mitchell, a Tuscaloosa native who competed in just three meets this season on floor, scored a career-best 9.95 to finish second behind Graber.

"I don't think there are words in the dictionary to describe it," Mitchell said. "It's a dream come true just to be on this team. It's unreal, it really is.

"I was so happy when the score came up, but I was going through in my head of what I could have done better. I'm really hard on myself. But I was really excited. I wasn't expecting it at all."

The Crimson Tide’s six seniors were recognized prior to the meet, and while Olsen, Graber, Gaskins scored big, Jordyn Paradise (vault), Lily Hudson (uneven bars) and Luisa Blanco (bars) took some of the spotlight with career-best efforts.

The Crimson Tide excelled on the uneven bars with all gymnasts scoring season or career bests. The result was a season-best 49.650, and Blanco, who scored a 10 by one of the judges, got a 9.975 to lead the way.

The momentum continued through the balance beam with a 49.25 and to the floor with the 49.70.

"It felt like SECs last year," Graber said. "We started off on a steady pace, and kept building and building. At the end, we had no idea what the score was. It was just the energy that we built from each other and carrying it from person to person."

Griffin James capped the night with an exhibition routine on the floor exercise, recording a career-best 9.95 for her last meet at Coleman Coliseum.

"I went out there with the attitude that I have nothing to lose," James said. "I went out and competed free and with a huge smile on my face."

Alabama (6-4) is back in action Sunday for Elevate the Stage in Huntsville.