No. 8 Alabama (3-3, 1-2 SEC) and head coach Dana Duckworth hope to channel the ‘Power of Pink’ as they welcome Georgia to Coleman Coliseum Friday night. 

Friday’s meet will be the 18th year in a row Alabama gymnastics hosts a Power of Pink meet, a program that started in 2004 in an effort to raise money for breast cancer research. 

“It’s always about being able to do gymnastics for something bigger than yourself,” Duckworth said. “It’s about breast cancer awareness.” 

Alabama hopes to build off of strong wins at Friday’s tri-meet. The Crimson Tide beat North Carolina and Western Michigan 197.875-195.325 and 197.875-193.875, respectively. Alabama is currently undefeated at home with a 3-0 record. 

The team scored a season-high 49.500 on vault and 49.475 on the uneven bars last week. 

“The home crowd has been great,” senior Shallon Olsen said. “We’ve been trying to get them to be more hyped and energetic and jumping up and down with their shakers. I just feel like we feed off the crowd’s energy.” 

Overall, Alabama boasts a 3-3 record heading into the latter half of the season. The Crimson Tide started off 1-3 and need a crucial conference win. Georgia is 2-4 this season and doesn’t have a conference win. 

Alabama ranks seventh in the country on beam and the uneven bars while Georgia ranks 56th and 22nd, respectively. 

The two sides rank similarly in vault with Alabama placing one spot higher than Georgia. Alabama sits 11th in the nation while the bulldogs sit 12th. 

Alabama has an advantage in the floor competition, ranking seven spots higher than Georgia. 

Friday night’s Power of Pink meet kicks off at 6:30 p.m. CT and will be televised on SEC Network. 

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