With the loss of notable gymnasts such as Mati Waligora and Luisa Blanco after the 2024 season, Alabama gymnastics faced a big challenge in replacing such talent.
Now that the new season has officially started with a win over North Carolina last Friday, multiple talented athletes contribute to the Crimson Tide’s continued excellence in the sport.
“Our team did a great job starting strong, [and] doing exactly what they’ve been training in the gym and just transferring that into competition.” head coach Ashley Johnston said in a press conference Tuesday.
Paityn Walker. Even as a freshman, Paityn Walker produces high scores and demonstrates firm confidence in her capabilities. For additional difficulty, she performs a Gienger, a technique between the high and low bar, while maintaining clean lines throughout the routine.
Lilly Hudson. Hudson’s performance can make the audience forget that the balance beam is only 4 inches wide. She is steady and confident and consistently earns high scores. With an impressive and upgraded triple series, her beam routine balances high difficulty with solid execution.
On vault, Hudson is equally impressive, adding further depth to the team with a consistent Yurchenko 1.5, a technique where the gymnast will sprint down the runway into a roundoff onto a springboard where they will do a backhand spring onto the vaulting table. Once in the air, the gymnast will do 1.5 twists before landing.
“A lot of people don’t realize that competing a Yurchenko 1.5 on vault is really tough,” Johnston said. “It takes years to develop”.
Gabby Gladieux. The perfect balance of strength and grace, Gladieux is a 2024 All-American on floor and always embraces the spotlight to pull the crowd in for a spectacular performance. She opens the routine with a huge, full-twisting double back and finishes with precise leaps to earn high numbers.
Like Hudson, Gladieux also shines on vault with a Yurchenko 1.5 of her own.
“I was so wrapped up in the hype of that last routine,” teammate and senior Corinne Bunagan said. “The crowd was going crazy.”
After Week 2, the Crimson Tide currently sits third in the NCAA gymnastics rankings and will compete on the road against the University of Kentucky on Jan. 17 at 6 p.m. The meet can be streamed on SEC Network+.