By: Adam Hambright
TUSCALOOSA, Ala.- No. 8 Alabama finished their regular season with a comfortable win over Boise State on senior night by a final score of 197.125-194.775.
The meet was never close as the Crimson Tide won every event and each individual title.
Lilly Hudson won the all-around with a score of 39.475 and the individual title on vault with a 9.950. Makarri Doggette scored 9.900 to take home the title on bars while Gabby Gladieux scored 9.900 to win the title on beam. Then Shania Adams posted a career-high score of 9.925 to win the individual title on floor.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better senior night,” Doggette said.
For most of the season Alabama has had to rely on finishing strong to overcome slow starts, but tonight was a different story.
The Tide posted their second-highest team score on vault of the season with a 49.400 to start the meet. Gladieux lead off with a score of 9.850 which seemed to energize the team. The lowest score of the rotation would be 9.825 and they would lead after the first rotation by 1.35 points.
Alabama would continue with their solid start in the second rotation on bars with their lowest score once again being 9.825. Hudson lead off with a 9.875 and was followed by Mati Waligora who posted a score of 9.850. Adams received a score of 9.875 before Doggette scored the event high score of 9.900. Luisa Blanco anchored with a score of 9.875 to bring their total team score for the meet to 98.775.
At this point it looked like the Tide would have their highest score of the season but they would have some uncharacteristic mistakes on what is usually their best events.
“The seniors really wanted to finish on the best note possible and sometimes that adds an additional layer of pressure,” said Alabama Head Coach Ashley Johnston.
Other than Gladieux who won the event every gymnast had mistakes on beam which caused the team to tie their lowest score of the season on the event with a score of 49.125.
Alabama would perform slightly better in the final rotation on floor but would finish with a floor score of 49.225, their lowest score on the event in over a month.
“Moving forward we’re going to go back to the process and just do the little things throughout practice to make sure that we’re approaching everything calm and confidently,” said Johnston.
The Tide will need to put their best performances together if they hope to accomplish their goals for the postseason.
“We’re not done yet,” said Johnston. “We’ve got a lot in store. We’ve got SEC’s next week, we’ve got regionals around the corner, and we’ve got our eyes set on coming in strong on a national championship.”
Alabama will be back in action at the SEC Championships on Saturday, March 18. The Crimson Tide will be competing in the evening session starting at 7 p.m. and the event will be televised on the SEC Network.
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