The 2025 gymnastics home schedule was announced Monday. This season, Alabama will have five home meets, four of them SEC meets. The season will start with the University of North Carolina, followed by Oklahoma, LSU, Auburn and Florida.
University of North Carolina
The Crimson Tide is set to take on the Tar Heels on Jan. 10, 2025 in Coleman Coliseum for Big Al’s birthday.
Alabama is 5-0 against North Carolina, with their last matchup being in February 2022, a 197.875-195.325 win for the Crimson Tide.
In the 2024 season, the Crimson Tide averaged 197.3 points across 15 meets and achieved three scores of 198 or higher.
Oklahoma
Alabama will compete against the Oklahoma Sooners on Jan. 24, 2025, for the alumni night and “Be the Change” night, an initiative to raise money for Crimson Core Fund which raises money for scholarships, academic support, nutrition and other aspects of Alabama athletics.
Before LSU became the national champion in 2024, Oklahoma had been the No. 1 team in the country for three years, winning two national championships.
Alabama posted a 198 against Oklahoma in the teams’ last regular season meeting, but that was not enough to beat the Sooners.
Even though Oklahoma did not win the national championship last season, it was still a dominant force in collegiate gymnastics. The Sooners did not lose until the national championship semifinals, where Alabama also lost. In addition to having a winning season in 2024, the Sooners set the record for highest score in collegiate gymnastics history, 198.95.
With Oklahoma now in the conference, SEC gymnastics just got tougher than it already was. The Sooners will travel to Coleman Coliseum for another tough matchup.
“This was an incredibly valuable experience,” Alabama head coach Ashley Johnston said after the meet. “They stayed present, and they wanted to make the absolute most of this moment.”
LSU
Alabama will play LSU on Feb. 7, 2025, for “We are BAMA-ly Night.”
LSU is coming off the high of winning its first national championship. Due to that, Alabama should prepare for a tough matchup against the Tigers.
When the Crimson Tide traveled to Baton Rouge last season, LSU won 198.325-197.325.
The balance beam title went to Alabama’s Ella Burgess, the only title the team earned for the night.
Even though the Crimson Tide lost, Johnston said the team put up a good fight.
“That [balance beam] was a clutch moment. … They could’ve decided to truly go after it or they could’ve been distracted. And they went after it,” Johnston said.
Auburn
Alabama will have its meet against Auburn on Feb. 21, 2025, for “Power of Pink” night.
When Alabama faced Auburn in 2024, the Crimson Tide was the favorite, coming into the game ranked seventh in the country, with Auburn at 14th. However, due to some crucial missteps and mistakes by Alabama, Auburn took the lead and kept it, winning by less than a point.
On the balance beam, the Crimson Tide suffered from a few falls and near-falls to lower the score for the rotation. Even though this meet did not end in the Crimson Tide’s favor, then-freshman Chloe LaCoursiere scored a career-high of 9.95 on the uneven bars to earn a share of the title.
“There were really great breakthrough moments at times,” Johnston said of the meet’s outcome. “We could never quite catch the momentum we wanted. I think overall we just gave away too many things.”
For this home meet, Alabama will want to be careful with the small technique skills in order to win.
Florida
Alabama will face Florida in Coleman Coliseum on March 7, 2025, for “Capes and Crowns Night” and senior night.
Alabama was successful against the Gators in 2024, taking down the then-reigning SEC champions. But that wasn’t the only time the two teams would meet. In the NCAA national championship semifinal, the teams competed in quad meets, and Florida moved on after finishing in the top two, defeating Alabama and Oklahoma.
Even though Florida beat the Crimson Tide in the second matchup, Alabama has proven it can beat the Gators.
In Alabama’s win in Gainesville, then-junior Lilly Hudson notched a 10 on vault to set the tone for the rest of the meet. Even with a few falls on the uneven bars and balance beam, Alabama came out on top, showing the team’s depth.
After the meet, Johnston talked about the high points.
“We talk all the time about preparing for a breakthrough, and I believe breakthrough moments a lot of times come after some moments of struggle,” Johnston said.
