No. 6 Alabama Gymnastics Narrowly Defeats Defending Conference Champions

The Crimson Tide hit the roads for its first away meet in SEC play against the Gators.

The No. 6 Alabama Crimson Tide went into Gainesville on Friday night and defeated the No. 8 Florida Gators by a razor-thin margin.

The Crimson Tide was boosted by a 10 from Lilly Hudson on the vault and an all-around championship performance by super senior  Luisa Blanco who scored a 39.7. 

Alabama improved to 5-0-1 through the early part of the season after defeating the defending SEC Champions, who hadn't lost at home since 2019. 

The Crimson Tide took a .15 of a point lead into the third rotation after Hudson stuck her vault, a moment Alabama coach Ashley Johnston called a "breakthrough".

"We talk all the time about, keep working, keep making tweaks. We never want to overhaul the technique or what we're doing, but just make small tweaks. We talk a lot about finding our edge and sometimes you're going to go a little over, and sometimes you're going to be a little bit under and I think Lilly is somebody that has experienced that, but because she continues to be brave, to step up and to really go for it, she found that edge tonight," said Johnston. "She had that breakthrough moment and so I almost think it was less about the 10 and it was more - it was just the stick. She really went for it. No matter what the score was I think the team would have reacted the same way because everybody could just feel that that was a breakthrough moment for her."

The Gators were unfazed by Alabama's strong score and closed the gap in the third rotation, with four of its five scores on balance beam coming at 9.9 or higher. Unfortunately for the defending SEC Champions, who were celebrating alumni night, Alabama's best event is also the balance beam. With the meet on the line, trailing Florida entering he last routine Blanco stepped up and managed a 9.95 to take the lead and put the pressure back on the Gators last performer.

Morgan Hurd stepped out of bounds on an early pass in her routine and was only able to score a 9.7, ensuring the Tide stayed unbeaten in conference action.

The Crimson Tide returns to Coleman Coliseum on Friday against the Kentucky Wildcats. 

How it happened...

(latest updates at the top)

Final Score: Alabama - 197.575, Florida - 197.425

All Around Standings; 

1st - Luisa Blanco - AL  - 39.7

2nd - Leanne Wong - Fla - 39.575

Rotation 4: (Alabama Balance Beam, Florida Floor Exercise)

The Score is TIED: 148.150 -148.150

Alabama beam lineup:

Gabby Gladieux - 9.775

Mati Waligora - 9.85

Ella Burgess - 9.90

Lilly Hudson - 9.825

Shania Adams - 9.90

Luisa Blanco - 9.950

Alabama Team Total: 49.425

Florida floor lineup:

Lori Brubach- 9.825

Victoria Nguyen - 9.850

Anya Pilgrim - 9.825

Sloane Blakely - 9.925

Leanne Wong - 9.850

Morgan Hurd - 9.70

Florida team total: 49.275

Rotation 3: (Alabama Floor, Florida Balance Beam)

Alabama leads 98.775 - 98.625

Alabama floor lineup: 

Ella Burgess - 9.875

Cameron Machado - 9.875

Jamison Sears - 9.80

Lilly Hudson - 9.925

Gabby Gladieux - 9.725

Luisa Blanco - 9.875

Alabama Team Total: 49.35

Florida Beam Lineup:

Skylar Draser - 9.825

Sloane Blakely - 9.925

Anya Pilgrim - 9.925

Ellie Lazarri -  9.90

Victoria Nguyen - 9.90

Leanne Wong - 9.875

Florida Team Total: 49.525

Rotation 2: (Alabama vault, Florida uneven bars) 

Alabama leads 49.375 - 49.275

Alabama vault lineup: 

Jamison Sears - 9.825

Chloe LaCoursiere - 9.725

Lilly Hudson - 10.00

Luisa Blanco - 9.95

Gabby Gladieux - 9.85

Makarri Doggette - 9.775

Alabama Team Total: 49.40

Florida bars lineup: 

Sloane Blakely - 9.875

Victoria Nguyen - 9.275

Gabby Disidore - 9.80

Anya Pilgrim - 9.85

Ellie Lazzari - 9.925

Leanne Wong - 9.90

Florida Team Total: 49.35 

Rotation 1: (Alabama uneven bars, Florida vault)

Alabama bars lineup:

Chloe LaCoursiere - 9.825

Mati Waligora - 9.350

Natalia Pawlak - 9.825

Cameron Machado - 9.875

Makarri Doggette - 9.925

Luisa Blanco - 9.925

Alabama Team Total: 49.375

Florida valut lineup: 

 Skylar Draser - 9.825

Anya Pilgrim - 9.925

Ellie Lazzari - 9.150

Victoria Nguyen - 9.975

Leanne Wong - 9.950

Danie Ferris- 9.60

Florida Team Total: 49.275

Pre-meet notes 

(Courtesy of Alabama Athletics)

FRIDAY’S MEET

• Alabama is led by Ashley Johnston, in her second season as UA’s head coach, while Jenny Rowland is in her ninth year at the helm of the Gators
• The two teams last competed against each other inside Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center on January 16, 2022, with Florida taking home a 197.000 - 196.925 win
• Both programs are unbeaten in conference play with UA recently tying No. 4 Arkansas via a 197.525-197.52 score and Florida taking home a victory of its own at Auburn via a 197.325-197.025 score

LAST TIME OUT

• The Crimson Tide scored a season-high 197.525 score in a tie against the No. 4 Arkansas Razorbacks, bettering its team score for the second straight meet against a top-four nationally ranked opponent
• The Tide’s 49.600 on the uneven bars was only 0.75 away from tying the program apparatus record of 49.675 at the 2021 NCAA Regional Final
• Nine season-high scores were recorded by the Tide throughout the four rotations as Chloe LaCoursiere (9.850 – vault) and Ella Burgess (9.950 – balance beam) recorded or tied their respective career bests

THE TIDE IN THE RANKINGS

• Alabama sits all alone as the national leader on the uneven bars, with an average score of 49.558, while simultaneously posting top-seven rankings on all four events within the SEC (No. 1 – UB; No. 5 – VT; No. 6 – FX; No. 7 – BB)
• Individually, Luisa Blanco is No. 2 nationally on the uneven bars at 9.950. Blanco also holds top-25 rankings on vault (8th - 9.900) and balance beam (24th - 9.883).
• Senior Cameron Machado and freshman LaCoursiere both hold a share of the No. 13 national ranking on the uneven bars, averaging a 9.908 through the first three meets of the season