The Alabama gymnastics team starts the 2025 season at home Friday against the University of North Carolina at 7 p.m. Also on Friday, Alabama Athletics will be celebrating Big Al’s birthday, and fans can expect to see pre-meet festivities.
In December, the gymnastics team held a Crimson and White preview meet. Head coach Ashley Johnston said that the team has been prepping hard.
“They’re ready to get out in front of our crowd, be under the lights and start strong,” Johnston said.
Freshman Ryan Fuller talked about the excitement surrounding her first meet at home.
“I’ve been working really hard my entire career,” Fuller said. “I can’t wait to get out there and show everybody what we’ve been working on this whole preseason.”
Since 2000, Alabama is 5-0 against UNC, with the last matchup being a 2022 meet the Crimson Tide won 197.875 to 195.325.
Despite the winning streak against the Tar Heels, Alabama is coming into the meet with a level head. However, freshman Love Birt and graduate student Cameron Machado are out due to injury.
“They’re a strong team,” Johnston said. “We think it’s going to be a great opponent for us to challenge ourselves and really start off this season.”
She said that in each event rotation, fans can expect to see three to four new routines.
“There’s a lot of excitement around that. I really believe in the work that our group has done. They have worked harder than I have ever seen a team get up and work,” Johnston said.
The meet against UNC can be streamed on SEC Network+.
