The Alabama gymnastics team traveled to Birmingham on Saturday for the SEC championships. As there are nine SEC gymnastics teams, the championships are split into two quad meet sessions, with the lowest-ranked team, Arkansas, being excluded from the competition.
Alabama was the No. 8 seed heading into the championships. In the afternoon session, it competed with No. 7 Auburn, No. 6 Georgia and No. 5 Kentucky. At the end of the first session, Alabama was first with a score of 197.1.
Head coach Ashley Johnson said she was “really proud” of how the team performed.
“They really just dialed in and focused on the moment,” Johnson said.
The event and team champions were not finalized until the end of Session 2, which featured No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 2 LSU, No. 3 Florida and No. 4 Missouri.
After the two sessions, the ranking from top to bottom was as follows: LSU, Oklahoma, Florida, Missouri, Alabama, Kentucky, and Auburn and Georgia tied.
LSU won with a total score of 198.2. The Tigers are back-to-back SEC champions and the 2025 regular-season champions.
Rotation 1
For the first rotation, Alabama started on the floor. The Crimson Tide finished the first rotation in the lead after scoring a 49.25.
Junior Gabby Gladieux posted a 9.9 to lead the Crimson Tide and had one of two scores of 9.9 or higher for the whole rotation. Georgia’s Lily Smith posted a 9.925 on the uneven bars. Smith was in the lead for floor champion ahead of Session 2.
At the end of the first rotation for Session 2, Oklahoma, LSU and Florida were all ahead of the Crimson Tide’s first rotation score. LSU led Rotation 1 with a 49.6.
Oklahoma’s Faith Torrez was the 2025 SEC floor champion, posting a perfect 10 in the second session.
Rotation 2
After competing on the floor, Alabama moved to the vault for the second rotation. On the vault, Alabama scored a 9.3, bringing the team’s total score to 98.55 and keeping it in the lead for the first session.
The Crimson Tide’s highest score was a 9.925 from senior Lilly Hudson. This put her in the lead for vault champion at the end of Session 1.
“I think we earned every single quarter-tenth that we had in our score,” Johnston said. “I think overall the momentum is just a great confidence builder.”
Halfway through the session, LSU led with a 99.05, and Alabama was fifth.
Florida’s Selena Harris-Miranda, who posted a perfect 10 on the vault, was the SEC champion in that category. Hudson was tied for fourth.
Rotation 3
Alabama was on the uneven bars for the third rotation. The Crimson Tide posted a 49.275 to bring its total score to 147.825, keeping the team in the lead during session one.
Freshman Ryan Fuller scored 9.95, marking Alabama’s highest uneven bars score. This was the highest uneven bars score for Session 1, putting Fuller in the lead for uneven bars champion before Session 1.
“Having Ryan go 9.95, career high, was a really big deal,” Johnston said. “It was really important for her to step in and deliver a great performance, and she did that.”
For the third rotation of Session 2, Florida took first place with a total score of 148.725. Alabama was tied for fourth with Mizzou, with 147.825.
The SEC uneven bars champions were Florida’s Leanne Wong, Riley McCusker and Missouri’s Mara Titarsolej. All three scored a perfect 10. Fuller was tied for fifth with six others.
Rotation 4
Alabama’s final rotation was on the balance beam. The Crimson Tide’s balance beam score was 49.275. This brought Alabama’s total score to 197.1 to keep it in the lead at the end of session one. However, event champions and SEC champions weren’t crowned until the evening session was completed.
Alabama’s highest score was a 9.9. Graduate student Shania Adams and sophomore Gabby Ladanyi both posted a 9.9. Adams and Ladanyi were tied for first with Kentucky’s Isabella Magnelli before Session 2.
At the end of Session 1, Gladieux led the all-around with a score of 39.5.
The SEC balance beam winning score was 9.925, a three-way tie between LSU’s Haleigh Bryant, Aleah Finnegan and Missouri’s Helen Hu.
The all-around champion was Bryant, who scored 39.725. Gladieux ended in seventh place.
The Crimson Tide will be back in action in Coleman Coliseum from April 3-6. Alabama is the host for one of the 2025 NCAA Regionals. The rest of the teams Alabama will be competing against will be announced in the coming days.
