The No. 7 Alabama Crimson Tide gymnastics traveled to the No. 14 Auburn Tigers on Friday. The meet ended with the Tigers winning 197.725-197.05.
“I think overall we just gave away too many things,” head coach Ashley Johnston said. “We always say that we want to be so prepared that we can walk into any arena knowing that it’s ours to defend as long as we just do our job.”
The meet started with navy blue lights throughout Neville Arena instead of the normal crimson lights in Coleman. The Alabama gymnasts prepared for the uneven bars as the Auburn student section mocked their every move.
The first rotation ended with the Auburn Tigers scoring 49.5 on the vault, and the Crimson Tide scoring a 49.175 on the uneven bars. For Alabama gymnastics, senior Cameron Machado posted the highest score, 9.925, and earned the uneven bars title.
In the second rotation, the Alabama gymnasts posted a 49.45 on the vault, to bring their score to a total of 98.625. This vault rotation was a season high for the Crimson Tide. The Tigers brought their score to 98.725 by posting a 49.225 on the uneven bars.
For the Crimson Tide, freshman Chloe LaCoursiere and graduate student Luisa Blanco each posted a 9.95. These were the highest scores for the Crimson Tide. The vault title went to LaCoursiere and Blanco. LaCoursiere’s score was a career high.
“I haven’t watched it back yet, but I would imagine her [LaCoursiere’s] face, and her reaction, probably says it all. When you put so many repetitions in day after day, she’s been doing that vault since August like that,” Johnston said. “She made some very intentional changes this week, and that paid off. So, I think that’s encouraging both for her to see and also for her teammates to see.”
The Crimson Tide entered the third rotation while the Auburn student section mimicked the beginning and end of each floor routine. The rotation ended with Auburn leading Alabama 148.2-147.975. On the floor, Alabama posted a 49.35. On the balance beam, Auburn posted a 49.475.
Previously, the Alabama gymnasts and Johnston have said that they have been preparing for the environment at Neville Arena. Johnston talked about how the preparation worked.
”I think overall our team was actually really prepared to take on this environment. I thought they did a good job of not trying to ignore it, but to kind of use it and help them move forward,” Johnston said.
For Alabama on the floor, the highest score came from junior Lilly Hudson. She posted a 9.925. Her “Alabama” routine even got the Auburn fans to join along in clapping to “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Dixieland Delight,” with their own Auburn twist, of course. The floor title went to Hudson and Auburn’s Olivia Hollingsworth.
For the fourth and final rotation, Alabama competed on the balance beam. The Crimson Tide posted a 49.075 on its beam rotation, and Auburn posted a 49.525 on the floor. This brought the scores to 197.05 and 197.725, respectively.
On the balance beam, Alabama suffered some falls and stumbles. Sophomore Rachel Rybicki suffered from a complete fall off the beam and posted a 9.325. Graduate student Mati Waligora saved herself from a fall and posted a 9.85. Graduate student Ella Burgess also saved herself and posted a 9.625.
For Alabama, Blanco posted the highest score on the beam after landing her dismount with a stick. She posted a 9.925. The balance beam title went to Auburn’s Cassie Stevens, with a 9.975, aiding her all-around title as well.
The Crimson Tide gymnasts will be back in action on Feb. 19 at 2 p.m. CT at Texas Woman’s University. They will be competing against Texas Woman’s, Arkansas and Arizona in the quad meet.
