re: Alabama Gymnastics (2023-24)

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The No. 8 Alabama gymnastics team finished in first place Thursday at the Ann Arbor Regional semifinals, advancing to Saturday's regional final.

The Crimson Tide scored a 197.450, defeating Penn State (196.925), No. 9 Michigan (196.725) and Kent State (195.650). As the top two finishers in the first of two semifinal rounds, the Tide and the Nittany Lions both will advance to Saturday's final.

Alabama started out the competition with a 49.300 on vault, with Luisa Blanco and Gabby Gladieux leading UA's lineup with matching scores of 9.875. The Tide posted a 49.475 on the uneven bars to pull within .125 of the Wolverines at the halfway point, with a trio of gymnasts posting 9.9-or-higher scores: Chloe LaCoursiere in leadoff (9.900), Shania Adams in the No. 3 spot (9.925) and Blanco anchoring with a 9.950.

UA scored a 49.400 on the balance beam in rotation three with four straight scores of 9.9-or-higher behind the performances of Ella Burgess (9.925), Gladieux (9.900), Adams (9.900) and Blanco (9.900). Mati Waligora highlighted the Tide's final rotation with a 9.900 on the floor exercise.

Alabama and Penn State will compete in Saturday's regional final against the top two teams from the Thursday evening semifinal session featuring No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 16 NC State, Ohio State and Illinois. The second semifinal session will get underway at 6 p.m. CT.

The top two teams from Saturday's regional final will advance to the NCAA Championships.

Head Coach Ashley Johnston Said
"I am so proud of the team tonight. This is always a tough meet knowing that there's a lot on the line. The team wanted it really bad and wanted to advance to the next round, so I'm really proud of how they maintained a collective belief in each other and what our team was capable of. Starting on vault, they kept working, kept chipping away, vaulter after vaulter. They did a great job on bars of going for landings and going for the little details. As we headed to beam, I think they lit a fire after [we had a fall] and the rest of the lineup dialed in, stepped up and really delivered big performances. That was a huge moment for Ella to really carry that pressure [of performing after a fall] and focus on what she could control – she did a fantastic job in that moment. As we finished on floor, I think they finally let loose a little bit and just played gymnastics – you could really see a lot of joy and momentum building as our night finished up. Overall, I'm proud of this performance. It's always a tough round to be able to survive and advance. We didn't just survive, but we thrived and advanced, and now we're looking forward to Saturday. We're going to rest and recover so that we're ready to give it everything we have."

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