Meeting Every Moment: Alabama Gymnastics 2023 Season Preview

Ashley Johnston is hoping to honor the past where she once competed as a gymnast for the Crimson Tide, while creating a new future as the head coach.

Since 1978, there have been just two women to lead Alabama gymnastics as the head coach during a meet. That changes this Friday night when the Ashley Johnston era officially kicks off at Coleman Coliseum as the Crimson Tide opens the season against Michigan State.

Johnston was a gymnast at Alabama from 2009-2013 and was a part of two national-championship winning teams and also won two SEC championships. She fully understands the excellence and tradition of Alabama gymnastics, and the type of pressure and expectations that can come along with it. That's why the theme for this year's team is meeting every moment. It came from a place of trying to get rid of the pressure and expectations. 

"I think Alabama has a legacy of succeeding at the highest level and with that comes a level of feeling expectation to win and to think about the outcome," Johnston said. "And while those are all things that this team wants to do, and they’re goals for us, ultimately, we're not going to do that without being present and without focusing on the process, embracing the process and just taking it week by week, moment by moment, routine by routine, thought by thought. 

"And so really it came from thinking about the bigger goal, the bigger picture, but then dialing it back to how do we actually create that? And that's by investing in the process and staying in the moment.”

Entering her first season as a collegiate head coach, Johnston feels like she has just the right mix of talent and experience to get things started with a roster that features six seniors or grad students, six freshmen, three sophomores and three juniors. 

"You really couldn't ask for a better balance," Johnston said. "And I think with that comes a level of seasoned experience, along with an eagerness and an excitement from the freshman class to get out there. And so I think it's a great mix. There's a lot of depth, a lot of talent, a lot of competition on this team. And I think as long as they handle that well, which up to this point they've done a really good job at, this team is going to go really far.”

The senior class features former SEC Gymnast of the Year Luisa Blanco, Makarri Doggette, Ella Burgess and Mati Waligora, plus graduates Sania Mithcell and Olympian Shallon Olsen, who both returned for their fifth season. The most significant loss from last year's roster is Lexi Graber. 

Both Blanco and Doggette dealt with injuries some last season, but have scored perfect 10s for Alabama in the past and are fully capable of competing in the all-around if healthy. Olsen has continued to compete on the biggest stages around the world representing Canada and brings back her high skillset and level of difficulty for a fifth year with the Crimson Tide. And sophomore Lilly Hudson is poised for a big year after earning SEC All-Freshman honors last season. 

The freshman class was one of the largest and highest-rated in the country with Karis German, Gabby Gladieux, Zoe Gravier, Lillian Lewis, Lauren Little and Rachel Rybicki all joining the team. 

"I’m super excited for the freshmen to get to debut themselves," Waligora said ahead of the first meet. "We have a very strong freshman class. We have very strong team. We have a lot of strong lineups, and I'm just excited to for them to get to showcase that.”

The freshmen got a small taste of what it's like to perform in Coleman Coliseum with the Crimson and White preview meet in mid-December. Johnston learned about the depth of her team, and how they are ready to roll 10-deep at all four rotations. 

The depth and talent on the roster is why the coaches still ranked Alabama No. 7 in the preseason poll even with the coaching changes. 

Johnston said there is not a set number of gymnasts who will compete in the all-around each week, but that the coaching staff is focused on putting out the best six routines on each event from week to week. However, the Crimson Tide is working on having six 10.0 start value vaults in the lineup and has amped up the difficulty level on beam dismounts thanks to an NCAA rule change in the offseason that requires a minimum C-level dismount on the beam. 

Despite it being a more difficult to dismount to land, Johnston said fans can expect a few roundoff double back dismounts on the beam. 

"We're looking to go big—no holding back—and just do what we've been training," said sophomore Jordyn Paradise. 

The new head coach is not expecting perfection in the first meet. She knows there will be mistakes, but she's looking to see how her team will respond to those mistakes. And if they respond in the right way, it can be a building block for the rest of the season. 

"As an alum of this program, I have so many fond memories being out there in Coleman Coliseum," Johnston said. "And this program has accomplished some really amazing accolades. And I think at times we take for granted how difficult the process is. And so along with honoring the past, there's this excitement and this energy around creating the future, and what better time then to have a new coaching staff, six freshmen, so much opportunity to really turn the page and move forward and be excited about what's to come.”

Ahead of her initial meet as head coach, one phrase that has been running through Johnston's mind is "honor the past and create the future." It has now been more than a decade since Alabama won a national championship in gymnastics after winning six under legendary head coach Sarah Patterson. She is replacing Dana Duckworth as head coach, who served in the role from 2014-2022. 

Johnston will create the new future starting this Friday inside Coleman Coliseum when No. 7 Alabama hosts No. 12 Michigan State at 6 p.m. on SEC Network. 

"As an alum of this program, I have so many fond memories being out there in Coleman Coliseum," Johnston said. "And this program has accomplished some really amazing accolades. And I think at times we take for granted how difficult the process is. And so along with honoring the past, there's this excitement and this energy around creating the future, and what better time then to have a new coaching staff, six freshmen, so much opportunity to really turn the page and move forward and be excited about what's to come.”

See also:

Ashley Johnston Steps In to Dream Job with Alabama Gymnastics

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2022-23 SEC Men's Basketball Power Rankings: Week 9