By: McKalyn Crabtree
No. 9 Alabama Gymnastics faced off against No. 17 Western Michigan and No. 25 North Carolina in a tri-meet in Coleman Coliseum. The Crimson Tide looked to rebound after a close loss at Auburn the week before.
The Tide started the first rotation on the vault, which hurt the team with several significant deductions against the Tigers. Shallon Olsen kicked off the night with a 9.900, followed by Shania Adams with a career-high of 9.950. The momentum continued to the uneven bars as Luisa Blanco and Makarri Doggette closed out the second rotation with two near-perfect scores, 9.950. The Crimson Tide finished the vault rotation with a 49.500, the highest score since the 2021 SEC Championship.
Alabama finished 49.475 on the beam with a 9.950 from Blanco in the anchor sport. Lily Hudson, Lexi Graber, and Doggette all scored in the 9.900s to help seal the win for the Tide. The team closed out the night on the floor, finished with a 49.925, and won with the season’s best of 197.875. The Crimson Tide won every event and swept the all-around title.
“We focused on if there was a mistake, do not dwell on it, the next second is more important. The more we do that, the more resilience is being built,” Alabama head coach Dana Duckworth said. “Overall, they did exactly what we wanted to do tonight…”.
The Crimson Tide picks up two wins after a rocky start to the season and is now 3-3. The North Carolina Tarheels finished in second place with a 195.325, followed by Western Michigan with a 194.875. Alabama will look to add another win as they host Georgia on Friday at 6:30 p.m. on the SEC Network,
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