By outreach@cw.ua.edu (Matthew Speakman)
No. 5 Alabama gymnastics suffered its third loss of the season, falling to No. 23 Arkansas on the road, 195.825-195.325. Alabama posted its worst team score since its meet with Arkansas on Jan. 14, 2011 (194.900).
Alabama changed its lineup in many different events for its match up with Arkansas. On the uneven bars, sophomore Abby Armbrecht made her debut in the event while senior Keely McNeer acted as the anchor for the uneven bars. The team finished the event with a 49.125 with seniors Amanda Jetter and Aja Sims both posting 9.875s.
For the vault, sophomore Jenna Bresette led off the Crimson Tide and made her 2017 debut. Bailey’s 9.825 and McNeer’s 9.8 helped the team earn a 48.925 for the event.
Moving to the floor exercise, Alabama struggled early in the lineup. The team suffered two falls in its first three routines. Junior Kiana Winston picked the team back up, posing a 9.925- her third consecutive 9.9-plus floor routine of the season. Alabama finished with a 48.300 in the floor exercise.
Alabama’s best score of the night came in the balance beam. Sims led the way with a 9.9, while Ambrecht earned a 9.825 in the event. The Crimson Tide posted a 49.950 overall on the balance beam.
“We had a plan tonight and we stuck with it,” said UA head coach Dana Duckworth in a press release. “Individually we had some people who did not deliver what they are capable of. We will learn from tonight and move forward. I chose to test our depth tonight and learned a lot in the process.”
Alabama was able to take home individual honors for the night. Bailey took first on both the vault and the uneven bars, sharing that honor with Jetter. Winston won the floor exercise, while Sims finished with the top spot on the balance beam.
Next, Alabama will take on No. 16 Auburn in the third-annual Elevate the Stage meet in Birmingham, Ala. The meet will take place in the BJCC’s Legacy Arena, and will start at 4 p.m. CT.
Source:: The Crimson White Sports
