Alabama Crimson Tide women's gymnastics
| Alabama Crimson Tide women's gymnastics | |
| Founded: 1975 | |
 | |
| University | University of Alabama |
|---|---|
| Conference | SEC Division 1 Division |
| Location | Tuscaloosa, AL |
| Head Coach | Dana Duckworth (1st year) |
| Home Arena | Coleman Coliseum (Capacity: 15,075) |
| Known As | Gym Tide |
| Colors | Crimson and White
|
| National Championships | |
| 6 1988, 1991, 1996, 2002, 2011, 2012 | |
| Super Six Appearances | |
| 30 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 | |
| NCAA Regional Champions | |
| 30 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 | |
| NCAA Tournament Appearances | |
| 33 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 | |
| Conference Champions | |
| 9 1988, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2003, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2015 | |
The Alabama Crimson Tide gymnastics team represents the University of Alabama in the sport of artistic gymnastics. The team competes in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Tide hosts its home matches in Coleman Coliseum on the university's Tuscaloosa, Alabama campus. The Crimson Tide has won six NCAA Women's Gymnastics national championships, eight SEC championships, and an NCAA-record 29 Regional championships. The team is led by first-year head coach Dana Duckworth, who succeeded Sarah Patterson, following the 2013–14 season.
History
The Early Years
The University of Alabama's first gymnastic team debuted in 1975 and began with a loss to Georgia College. The team moved along in relative obscurity until the summer of 1978 when Sarah Campbell was announced as the fifth head coach of the Crimson Tide. Among her first moves was the hiring of David Patterson, now her husband, as an assistant coach. Her first team finished the year 7-7 and she followed up in 1980 with the first winning season in school history. In 1983, the Crimson Tide made its first championship appearance in Salt Lake City, Utah after winning the South Region, defeating the Florida Gators.
The Eighties
Alabama blossomed into a perennial contender under Sarah Patterson (née Campbell) and continued to qualify for nationals as well as producing All-Americans. Penney Hauschild became the Tide's first NCAA Champion in 1985 when she won the uneven bars as well as capturing the All-Around title, becoming the first non-Utah gymnast to do so. She would defend her All-Around title in 1986 while also winning the floor title.
The Crimson Tide continued to advance throughout the decade and finally won their first NCAA title in 1988. The Tide marched into Salt Lake City and defeated host Utah (189.5) and defending champion Georgia (186.8) with a commanding 190.05. 1988 also marked the Tide's first SEC title, which was hosted in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
The Nineties
The 1990s began with a bang for the Tide as Alabama, led by senior Marie Robbins, was crowned the 1990 SEC Champions. The team would finish second at nationals that year, but showed signs of things to come as freshmen Dee Foster captured the All Around title. Tuscaloosa played host to the 1991 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship and the Tide, led by Gina Basile, Dana Dobransky, Dee Foster, and Kim Masters, emerged victorious for the second time and produced an NCAA record team score of 195.125. Senior Gina Basile won the balance beam title, while sophomore Dana Dobransky would go on to win the balance beam in 1992 and 1993.
In 1995, the Tide won their third SEC Tournament championship in Gainesville. Alabama went into their final rotation in fourth place before scoring the highest vault total in NCAA history as all their gymnasts scored 9.9 or higher with Junior Kim Kelly capping off the night with a perfect 10.
The next year, the NCAA Tournament was again hosted in Tuscaloosa and the Crimson Tide responded with yet another title win. The Tide's stars at the time were Kim Kelly, Danielle McAdams, Stephanie Woods, Merritt Booth, Meredith Willard as well as freshman Gwen Spidle. The title became a race between Alabama and UCLA. Alabama headed into their final rotation only 00.05 ahead of the Bruins who were headed to their strongest event, floor. The Tide caught fire, replicating their 1995 SEC performance and scoring 9.9s or better until finishing UCLA off with two back-to-back 10s from McAdams and Kelly. Alabama finished the night with another NCAA record team score of 198.025.
1997 marked a sour year in Crimson Tide Gymnastics as the team failed to reach the Super Six for the first time since the Patterson's first class graduated in 1983.
The New Millennium
Alabama began the 2000s by capturing their fourth SEC title in Gainesville. The team could only manage a fifth-place finish at nationals and improved to 4th in 2001. The Tide looked dangerous once again in 2002 as Andreé Pickens, Raegan Tomasek, Alexis Brion, Kristin Sterner, and freshman Jeana Rice led the Tide to a fourth national championship at home in Tuscaloosa. The Tide defeated two-time national champion from the Pac-10, UCLA and closed out Georgia on the final event, balance beam.
2003 marked the beginning of another era in Alabama Gymnastics history as freshman Ashley Miles became a new star. The 2003 Alabama squad was the youngest in program history with seven freshman, three sophomores, three juniors and one senior. Despite their youth, the Tide would go on to win their fifth SEC title. Nationally, Rice won the All Around in 2004 while Miles would capture a program record-tying four titles for vault and floor.
In 2005, the Crimson Tide added their first Olympian. Terin Humphrey, a 2004 silver medalist on the uneven bars, joined Alabama and ended her career with two uneven bar titles. Despite the individual efforts of Ashley Miles, Terin Humphrey and newcomer Morgan Dennis, the Tide failed to win either an SEC or National title until the end of the decade. In 2007, the Tide marked their first absence from the Super Six since 1997.
The 2009 season began with a below par performance of five losses, yet ended with a snap of their SEC drought. The Tide, featuring stars such as Morgan Dennis, Kayla Hoffman, Geralen Stack-Eaton, and Ashley Priess, lost 5 meets before rebounding towards the end of the season and winning their final three meets as well as regionals. The Tide came to the SEC championships as decided underdogs. The Tide would face the Georgia Gym Dogs who came in as the four-time national champions. Alabama proceeded to upset the Gymdogs after Georgia faltered on their first event, balance beam. The Tide put on a stellar performance at nationals but could not unseat Courtney Kupets and Georgia again and finished second in the nation, their best result since 2005.
The 2010s
Alabama began the 2010 season by avenging all but one of their 2009 losses (LSU) and were the top ranked team in the land throughout the regular season, despite a loss to No. 2 Oklahoma in Norman. The Tide struggled at the SEC championships but finished the night as runners up. Despite putting on one of the top performances of the preliminaries, Alabama stumbled in their first rotation at Nationals. The Tide sunk as low as sixth place during the final competition before fighting all the way back to finish 3rd.
The Tide began the 2011 season with eight freshmen on the team, making it the largest class in school history and accounting for nearly half the roster. The Tide's newcomers had to step in for the previous year's All-American senior class - Morgan Dennis, Ricki Lebegern, Kassi Price and Casey Overton. Despite the young team the Crimson Tide was ranked #2 in the preseason poll. On February 11, 2011, in front of a sellout crowd, Alabama defeated Auburn for the 101st consecutive time. The Tide finished the regular season at 11–1, and won the 2011 SEC Championship, taking down #1 Florida in the process. The Tide entered the Super Six that year as the #1 seed and drew the Olympic rotation. Alabama and #2 seed, UCLA, turned the finals into a dual meet and were tied by the midway point. Alabama broke away on balance beam and sealed their fifth national championship on the floor exercise with Floor Champion Geralen Stack-Eaton followed by Kayla Hoffman. Alabama's final score of 197.650 was their highest Super Six score since 1996.
Alabama's title defense of 2012 started out fast and furious with wins over Georgia, Auburn, Penn State and Arkansas. The regular season was highlighted with a dominating route of the higher ranked Florida Gators. The Tide hit road bumps in Norman, Oklahoma and fell to the Sooners and hit a slump. The SEC Championships in Duluth, Georgia saw Bama collapse on the balance beam but still managed to finish runners up. Alabama rebounded at the Regionals in Seattle, Washington and made the trip back to Duluth for the NCAA Championships. Florida was the overwhelming favorite and cruised along with Alabama and UCLA to the Super Six. The title race came down to the last rotation where Alabama's beam, led by Ashley Priess and Geralen Stack-Eaton, outlasted the Gators over on the floor. Led by All-Americans, Kayla Williams, Marissa Gutierrez, Diandra Milliner, Sarah DeMeo, Kim Jacob, Ashley Sledge, Geralen Stack-Eaton and Ashley Priess; the Tide won their first back-to-back National Championship with a 197.850, crushing their championship score from the year before. A week later, Senior Ashley Priess announced that she would be staying for her redshirt-senior year in 2013.
For the 2013 campaign, Alabama would finish 3rd at the Super Six in Los Angeles, and 2nd at the SEC Championships in North Little Rock. Diandra Milliner made sure the Tide would not leave L.A. empty handed though and won the Vault Championship. The University of Alabama will host the 2014 SEC Championships and National Championships in Birmingham, Alabama at the BJCC Arena. As the host school Alabama won their eighth SEC Championship in program history at the 2014 SEC Championships with a team score of 197.875. At Nationals, Alabama fell to fourth place after having to count a fall. Despite this, the Alabama senior class (Sarah Demeo, Kim Jacob and Diandra Milliner) left the capstone as one of the greatest senior classes Alabama has seen. The senior class leaves the capstone with 2 national titles, a third-place finish and a fourth-place finish. They also left with 2 sec titles and went undefeated at home as well as winning 4 straight regional titles.
The Power of Pink
The Power of Pink is the name given to one of the Crimson Tide's home meets each season in which all the participants and fans show up wearing pink to show support for breast cancer awareness. The first Power of Pink meet was in February 2005 at Alabama's home meet against Auburn. Coach Patterson named the meet "Drive 4 the Cause" and requested all fans showing up, to wearing pink. The meet became a sell out and an annual crowd favorite with each following "Pink Meet" selling out. The movement spread within the year to other woman's sports in the NCAA and eventually spilled over into the men's sports and pros. By the end of the decade the MLB used pink bats on Mother's Day and the NFL donned pink gloves for the cause.
Among Patterson's early supporters was the local DCH Regional Medical Center, which created the DCH Breast Cancer Fund. The fund was set up to provide disadvantaged women with means for early detection and treatment for breast cancer. Other supporters included the University, community leaders and Tuscaloosa Toyota. Tuscaloosa Toyota became more and more involved donating free pink shirts to give away at the meets and prize give-aways during the meet. As of the 2009 fundraiser, the effort had raised in excess of $750,000 towards breast cancer prevention and awareness. (see video link under "External links")
Head coaches
| Name | Years | Record | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riki Sutton | 1975 | 4–4–0 | .500 |
| Sheila Hill | 1976 | 3–7–0 | .300 |
| Phyllis Draper | 1977 | 1–7–0 | .130 |
| Tom Steele | 1978 | 6–7–0 | .460 |
| Sarah Patterson | 1979–2014 | 392–90–2 | .813 |
| Dana Duckworth | 2014–present | 0–0–0 | - |
Year-by-Year Records
| Coach | Season | Record | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riki Sutton | 1975 | 4–4–0 | |
| Sheila Hill | 1976 | 3–7–0 | |
| Phyllis Draper | 1977 | 1–7–0 | |
| Tom Steele | 1978 | 6–7–0 | |
| Sarah Patterson | 1979 | 7–7–0 | Sarah Patterson's first season as head coach |
| 1980 | 16–4–0 | ||
| 1981 | 14–1–0 | ||
| 1982 | 17–2–0 | SEC Championships Runner Up, NCAA Central Regionals Runner Up | |
| 1983 | 15–1–0 | SEC Championships Runner Up, NCAA Central Regional Champions, 4th Overall NCAA Championships | |
| 1984 | 15–5–0 | 3rd Overall SEC Championships, NCAA Central Regional Champions, 6th Overall NCAA Championships | |
| 1985 | 16–4–0 | SEC Championships Runner Up, NCAA Central Regional Champions, 4th Overall NCAA Championships | |
| 1986 | 18–2–0 | 3rd Overall SEC Championships, NCAA Central Regionals Runner Up, 3rd Overall NCAA Championships | |
| 1987 | 12–5–0 | 3rd Overall SEC Championships, NCAA Central Regional Champions, 4th Overall NCAA Championships | |
| 1988 | 14–3–0 | SEC Champions, NCAA Central Regional Champions, NCAA National Champions | |
| 1989 | 13–3–0 | SEC Championships Runner Up, NCAA Central Regional Champions, 3rd Overall NCAA Championships | |
| 1990 | 14–1–0 | SEC Champions, NCAA Central Regional Champions, NCAA National Championships Runner Up | |
| 1991 | 16–0–0 | SEC Championships Runner Up, NCAA Central Regional Champions, NCAA National Champions | |
| 1992 | 8–4–0 | SEC Championships Runner Up, NCAA Central Regional Champions, 3rd Overall NCAA Championships | |
| 1993 | 9–2–0 | SEC Championships Runner Up, NCAA Central Regional Champions, NCAA National Championships Runner Up | |
| 1994 | 7–3–1 | SEC Championships Runner Up, NCAA Central Regional Champions, NCAA National Championships Runner Up | |
| 1995 | 15–1–0 | SEC Champions, NCAA Central Regional Champions, NCAA National Championships Runner Up | |
| 1996 | 12–1–0 | SEC Championships Runner Up, NCAA Central Regional Champions, NCAA National Champions | |
| 1997 | 13–2–0 | 4th Overall SEC Championships, NCAA Central Regionals Runner Up, 9th Overall NCAA Championships | |
| 1998 | 10–3–0 | 4th Overall SEC Championships, NCAA Central Regional Champions, 3rd Overall NCAA Championships | |
| 1999 | 8–3–0 | SEC Championships Runner Up, NCAA Central Regional Champions, 3rd Overall NCAA Championships | |
| 2000 | 14–3–0 | SEC Champions, NCAA Central Regional Champions, 5th Overall NCAA Championships | |
| 2001 | 15–2–1 | SEC Championships Runner Up, NCAA Central Regional Champions, 4th Overall NCAA Championships | |
| 2002 | 12–3–0 | SEC Championships Runner Up, NCAA Central Regional Champions, NCAA National Champions | |
| 2003 | 10–7–0 | SEC Champions, NCAA Central Regional Champions, NCAA National Championships Runner Up | |
| 2004 | 12–1–0 | SEC Championships Runner Up, NCAA Central Regionals Runner Up, 3rd Overall NCAA Championships | |
| 2005 | 11–3–0 | 3rd Overall SEC Championships, NCAA Central Regional Champions, NCAA National Championships Runner Up | |
| 2006 | 14–1–0 | SEC Championships Runner Up, NCAA West Regional Champions, 3rd Overall NCAA Championships | |
| 2007 | 8–2–0 | 3rd Overall SEC Championships, NCAA Central Regional Champions, 9th Overall NCAA Championships | |
| 2008 | 10–4–0 | SEC Championships Runner Up, NCAA Central Regional Champions, 6th Overall NCAA Championships | |
| 2009 | 10–5–0 | SEC Champions, NCAA Northeast Regional Champions, NCAA National Championships Runner Up | |
| 2010 | 8–2–0 | SEC Championships Runner Up, NCAA Central Regional Champions, 3rd Overall NCAA Championships | |
| 2011 | 11–1–0 | SEC Champions, NCAA Central Regional Champions, NCAA National Champions | |
| 2012 | 12–2–0 | SEC Championships Runner Up, NCAA Seattle Regional Champions, NCAA National Champions | |
| 2013 | 7–2–1 | SEC Championships Runner Up, NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional Champions, 3rd Overall NCAA Championships | |
| 2014 | 8–2–0 | SEC Championships, NCAA Seattle Regional Champions, 4th Overall NCAA Championships | |
| Dana Duckworth | 2015 | 10–3–0 | SEC Champions, NCAA Auburn Regional Champions |
NCAA Titles
| Alabama Crimson Tide Team NCAA National Championships | |||||
| Year | National Champion | Score | Runner-up | Score | Location |
| 1988 | Alabama | 190.050 | Utah Red Rocks | 189.500 | Jon M. Huntsman Center, Salt Lake City, Utah |
| 1991 | Alabama | 195.125 | Utah Red Rocks | 194.375 | Coleman Coliseum, Tuscaloosa, Alabama |
| 1996 | Alabama | 198.025 | UCLA Bruins | 197.475 | Coleman Coliseum, Tuscaloosa, Alabama |
| 2002 | Alabama | 197.575 | Georgia GymDogs | 197.250 | Coleman Coliseum, Tuscaloosa Alabama |
| 2011 | Alabama | 197.650 | UCLA Bruins | 197.375 | Wolstein Center, Cleveland, Ohio |
| 2012 | Alabama | 197.850 | Florida Gators | 197.775 | Gwinnett Center, Duluth, Georgia |
| Alabama Crimson Tide Individual NCAA Championship Titles | |||||
| Gymnast | Balance Beam | Vault | Uneven Bars | Floor Exercise | All-Around |
| Gina Basile | 1991 | ||||
| Morgan Dennis | 2007 | ||||
| Dana Dobransky | 1992, 1993 | ||||
| Dee Foster | 1990 | ||||
| Penney Hauschild | 1985 | 1986 | 1985, 1986 | ||
| Terin Humphrey | 2005, 2007 | ||||
| Kim Jacob | 2014 | ||||
| Kim Kelly | 1996 | ||||
| Ashley Miles | 2003, 2005, 2006 | 2004 | |||
| Diandra Milliner | 2013 | ||||
| Andreé Pickens | 1999 | 2002 | |||
| Jeana Rice | 2004 | ||||
| Geralen Stack-Eaton | 2012 | 2011 | |||
| Meredith Willard | 1996 | ||||
| Stephanie Woods | 1996 | ||||
Current roster (2015)
| 2015 Alabama Crimson Tide | |||||
| Name | Height | Year | Hometown | Club | |
| Katie Bailey | 5-2 | SO | Kernesville, NC | High Point Gymnastics Academy | |
| Lauren Beers | 5-4 | JR | Warren Center, PA | Southern Tier Gymnastics | |
| Mackenzie Brannan | 5-3 | FR | Austin, TX | Capital Gymnastics | |
| Kaitlyn Clark | 5-1 | SR | Rancho Cucamonga, CA | Precision Gymnastics | |
| Hunter Dennis | 5-4 | SR | Westhampton, NJ | Will-Moor School of Gymnastics | |
| Lora Leigh Frost | 5-2 | SR | Decatur, AL | Calvin Twisters | |
| Nickie Guerrero | 5-0 | FR | McKinney, TX | Zenith Elite | |
| Amanda Jetter | 5-3 | SO | Milford, OH | Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy | |
| Jennie Loeb | 5-3 | FR | Atlanta, GA | Northwind Gymnastics | |
| Keely McNeer | 5-2 | SO | Brandon, MS | Courthouse Gymnastics | |
| Dominique Pegg | 5-2 | SO | Sarnia, CAN | Blue Water Gymnastics Club | |
| Mary Lillian Sanders | 5-1 | SO | Prattville, AL | Prattville YMCA Gymnastics | |
| Aja Sims | 5-2 | SO | Orlando, FL | Brandy Johnson's Global Gymnastics | |
| Carley Sims | 5-4 | JR | Birmingham, AL | JamJev Gymnastics | |
| Mackenzie Valentin | 5-5 | SO | Mustang, OK | Bart Conner, transfer from Arizona | |
| Kayla Williams | 5-2 | SR | Huntington, WV | Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy | |
| Kiana Winston | 5-1 | FR | Fort Worth, TX | Texas Dreams Gymnastics | |
- Head coach: Dana Duckworth
- Assistant coach: Bryan Raschilla
- Assistant Coach: Bill Lorenz
Team Records
Top Team Total
Top Vault Total
Top Uneven Bars Total
|
Top Balance Beam Total
Top Floor Total
|
Individual Records
Top All-Around Total
Top Vault Score
|
Top Uneven Bars Score
Top Balance Beam Score
Top Floor Exercise Score
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External links
- The Official Web Site of Alabama Crimson Tide Gymnastics
- GymTide.com Coverage of Alabama Gymnastics
- The Power of Pink Video on YouTube
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