Perfection is becoming a theme with Alabama’s gymnastics team. The Crimson Tide has seen two perfect scores in its final two weeks of the season. Senior Diandra Milliner was faultless on vault against Stanford a week ago, and on Friday night, junior Kaitlyn Clark posted a 10 on the balance beam – Alabama’s first in that discipline since 2003.
Clark struggled to put the feeling that goes with such a mark into words after the Crimson Tide’s 197.925 to 196.175 victory over No. 11 Auburn.
“It’s really indescribable,” Clark said. “Just knowing that my team was there behind me and fully supportive, and they constantly push me for that .025 every week. It really has helped me.”
Alabama coach Sarah Patterson said Clark’s score was made that much more impressive by the difficulty of scoring a 10 on the balance beam, as Clark’s was only the sixth in school history.
“We made an adjustment a few weeks ago in [Clark’s] routine,” Patterson said. “She continues to get more comfortable with it. Each week since we made that change, she’s better. We work on her rhythm. She’s very powerful, and sometimes she can get a little too fast. I think tonight was the perfect balance on that. When she nailed the dismount on the end, I thought it was a great routine.”
Clark’s and Milliner’s perfect scores were also steps toward sending seniors Milliner, Kim Jacob, Sarah DeMeo, Lindsay Fowler and Ria Domier out with several perfect records. Those seniors finished 21-0 at home in the regular season, 31-0 at home for their career and 5-0 against Auburn as part of a 109-meet winning streak that spans 35 years.
To Patterson, while celebrating the end of such a successful stretch, it can be tough to focus on the task at hand.
“It’s a very emotional night,” Patterson said. “In so many ways you’re trying to hold the emotions back so that you can be competitive.”
Milliner said she personally struggled with keeping her emotions in check on Senior Night.
“I’m quite an emotional person,” Milliner said. “It was kind of hard, but you gotta do what you gotta do. It’s a meet. You still have to hold it together. I think I did a pretty good job.”
Patterson said focus and balance was key to victory over the Tigers.
“We knew that Auburn would have a great team,” Patterson said. “It was within four tenths of a point after the first rotation. You just have to be on your game.”
To Patterson, the most important part of that victory is the role it plays for the upcoming championship stretch, which opens this Saturday with SEC Championships in Birmingham.
“I feel like the judging was great. It was like championship judging,” Patterson said. “I feel like we had some positives come from tonight. Our balance beam performance was one of the best I’ve seen, and that’s where we’re gonna start for the SEC championship. You definitely want to go out on that note and close the regular season performing like that … I feel like when we go back in the gym on Sunday and we focus on the details and what can make us .025 better, these ladies will take it and fix it, and we’re ready to go.”
As for those seniors, Patterson wants them to know Friday night against Auburn was anything but the end for them.
“We want them to know, this may be the last time in Coleman Coliseum,” Patterson said. “But this is just the beginning of a great championship season for them.”
