This season, the Alabama gymnastics team welcomed five freshmen. Two of those gymnasts are longtime best friends who competed on the same club team before joining the Crimson Tide.
Ryan Fuller and Paityn Walker are from the Bay Area in California. Both competed at the Head Over Heels club in Emeryville, California. At age 12, Fuller moved from a previous gym to Head Over Heels.
Since then, Fuller and Walker have been inseparable. The day that they met each other, Fuller said, she knew it was going to be a good friendship.
“It was, like, the first day there and there was nobody in the gym,” Fuller said. “She runs up — we don’t know each other — and gives me a big hug.”
Fuller was the first official signee of her class, but Walker talked to Alabama first. Ultimately, both gymnasts found Alabama independently, and having each other was a bonus.
After Walker initially talked to Alabama in June 2023, Walker and the Crimson Tide “fell off each other’s radar.” Shortly after that, Fuller committed without an official visit. Because of this, Alabama scouts headed out later that year to watch Fuller practice and compete.
“I got a call from one of the coaches, and they were like, ‘Hey, just wanted to let you know that we’re coming in to scout Ry just to see her for the first time, and we wanted to let you know that we’re interested in you,’” Walker said.
After the Alabama scouts visited California, Walker went on her official Crimson Tide visit. After that, it’s history.
With Tuscaloosa being far from home for these two gymnasts, having each other by their sides means a lot to them.
“Being able to have Pay with me, it was like a little piece of home,” Fuller said.
Both gymnasts knew instantly that Alabama was where they were meant to be once they were on campus.
“She [Fuller] was just saying you’ll know that’s your place when you step on campus,” Walker said. “There’s just a feeling.”
Since joining the roster, the two have become a dynamic duo on the uneven bars. Walker’s highest score on the event was a 9.9 against North Carolina, and Fuller’s was a 9.925 at the Zou to the Lou quad meet.
To them, the uneven bars come naturally. Because of that, the event allows for lots of “play time,” or time to experiment with new combinations and moves.
“We’re natural swingers,” Fuller said, with the uneven bars as their “play area.” She added that she was glad to be able to bring some fun like that to Alabama.
Aside from competing on the uneven bars, Walker occasionally competes on the floor. Her career high is a 9.775, posted in a meet with Georgia.
Fuller has also competed on the balance beam and the floor. Her balance beam high is 9.825 against Auburn, and her floor high is 9.75 against Kentucky.
As the 2025 season has progressed, Fuller and Walker have shown they are capable of a lot when competing side-by-side. If they keep doing what they have been doing, they have great potential for the next three years.
“I don’t know what I would do if I came here without her and wasn’t able to look over and be like, ‘oh there goes Pay, look at her go’,” Fuller said. “That’s just my person, and she’s been my person, and she’ll be my person for however long.”
