Alabama Gymnastics Advances to Super Six Team Finals
4/24/2003 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
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LINCOLN, NEB - The Alabama Gymnastics team has once again accomplished their perennial goal. Tomorrow night (April 25) the Crimson Tide will be on the floor the last night of the national championships with a chance to win the title.
Using a 196.775, Alabama finished second in the first of two sessions today, advancing to the Super Six Team finals which will pit six teams against each other for the 2003 NCAA title.
"Tonight was the hardest part," head coach Sarah Patterson said. "We won't hold anything back tomorrow. We'll put the best kids in that can score the highest in the event."
Also advancing are UCLA, 196.950, and Michigan, 196.126. Arizona State, ranked third coming into the championships, finished fourth with a 194.225 and did not advance. LSU, 194, and Iowa, 193.825, finished fifth and sixth respectively.
Alabama used a strong vault and balance beam total to advance. Freshman Ashley Miles scored an NCAA record 10.0 on the vault to lead the Crimson Tide to a 49.375 team score, just behind UCLA's 49.4. Alabama posted a session-best 49.2 behind 9.9 efforts from junior Jeana Rice and senior Kristin Sterner. Alabama was the only team in the first session to score a 49-plus on all four events.
The remaining three teams for tomorrow night will come from tonight's evening session, which gets underway at 7 p.m. Georgia, Nebraska, Utah, Florida, Auburn and Stanford will all vie for a Super Six bid.
The Super Six starts tomorrow night at 7 p.m.
