In the video posted below, Alabama gymnasts celebrate their individual awards won in the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional before celebrating the team win together. The win punched Alabama’s ticket to the NCAA semifinals in the pursuit of three-straight national championships.
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Tagged Alabama Crimson Tide, Alabama gymnastics, Ashley Priess, celebration, Kaitlyn Clark, Kayla Williams, Kim Jacob, NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional, Sarah DeMeo, Tuscaloosa Regional, video
Ashley Priess in the process of scoring a 9.9 on the uneven bars on the way to winning the all-around title.
“She’s been wanting to go all-around all year,” Patterson said. “Part of it was she wanted to go and her coach said no.”
And while we’re being honest, it was a tough pill to swallow for Priess.
“There have been times where I was a little frustrated because I felt like I was ready,” she said.
The time finally came in the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional, where Priess stepped up and delievered 9.9s in all four events, taking the all-around crown with a 39.6 and helping Alabama win its 28th-straight Regional title with a team score of 197.400.
Utah is the other qualifier out of the Tuscaloosa Regional, earning second place with a 196.400.
“I just felt like, at this point in time, we’re at the end, she’s ready to go,” Patterson said. “To me, Ashley is the epitome of Alabama gymnastics, because she always peaks at the right time.”
Junior Kim Jacob added, “Ashley had an amazing night. We all knew she could do it, but this is the time we really needed her. We had no doubts she had it in her.”
Alabama had to work through some bumps to get the high score and the win, twice in high-pressure situations after falls. Kaitlyn Clark’s fall on the balance beam put the lineup in a tight bind to keep from counting a fall, as did Sarah DeMeo’s fall on the uneven bars.
Jacob responded on beam with a 9.95 and Priess’ well-timed 9.9 on the uneven bars kept the Tide up as it counted just one score below a 9.8.
“I thought they did great,” Patterson said of those who followed the falls. “Kaitlyn Clark, she hasn’t fallen all year, and I just said to Kaitlyn, ‘You’ve been here for us all year. We’ve got your back.’”
Now Alabama can look with full focus towards the NCAA Semifinals on April 19th, and if Alabama is one of the top 12 there, it will advance to the finals to go for back-to-back-to-back national titles.
“I think now we can go to UCLA and compete the way we competed at SECs: we were fearless. Tonight was all about advancing,” Patterson said.
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Tagged Alabama Crimson Tide, Alabama gymnastics, Ashley Priess, NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional, Sarah Patterson, Tuscaloosa Regional
Freshman Lauren Beers scored a 9.9 on the floor exercise in Alabama’s regular season finale win over Oklahoma. (Photo courtesy of UA Athletics)
Patterson got the focus she wanted, as the senior class finished without a home loss after toppling the previously 19-0 Sooners 197.525-196.900, but could not keep the tears from streaming down senior Ashley Sledge’s face before the meet.
“When we went and got introduced, it was pretty emotional,” Sledge said, slyly adding, “for some of us,” with a light chuckle knowing she hadn’t fooled anyone.
The night had a perfect ending for Sledge, walking off the floor exercise having just earned a 9.875 with waves and blown kisses for the fans in attendance. And it was nearly taken away by one outstretched arm a few hours before.
“Sledge almost had to talk me into putting her out there, because (assistant coach) Bryan (Raschilla) kind of had to turn her over on one of her tumbling passes,” Patterson said.
At the end of the night, Priess, like the rest of her teammates, left the gym with a supreme level of confidence as the Tide moves into postseason competition next week with the SEC Championship in Little Rock, Ark.
“I think tonight’s meet was a real confidence-booster,” redshirt senior Ashley Priess said. “We had some real standout moments on all four events, really. I wouldn’t say we’re at our best in every event, but there are easy areas where we can improve in practice and I don’t think this team can be any more confident going into postseason.”
Few athletes have progressed as far as freshman Lauren Beers, who competed in three events and scored a 9.9 or higher on two of them, including a 9.95 on vault.
“I am absolutely thrilled with Lauren,” Sledge said. “Just going from not competing to competing events and exhibitioning (balance) beam tonight, she did a fantastic job. We’re searching for that bar spot, and I think she definitely did her job in her spot.
“Gosh, she has just come such a long way.”
Patterson labeled Beers as a key component for the team’s advancement since Marissa Gutierrez’s ankle injury that has sidelined her for the last three weeks.
“I think if you look at why our team has progressed, I think if Lauren hadn’t stepped up in the capacity she’s in and we don’t have Marissa in there, we’re not scoring what we’re scoring,” Patterson said.
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Tagged Alabama Crimson Tide, Alabama gymnastics, Ashley Priess, Ashley Sledge, Lauren Beers, Oklahoma, Oklahoma gymnastics, Oklahoma Sooners, Sarah Patterson, Senior Night, tr
Geralen Stack-Eaton was the NCAA balance beam champion in 2012 for the Crimson Tide as the team won its sixth national championship in program history. (Photo courtesy of UA athletics)
We have a rule: if you leave something in the gym, and I find it, you have to sing,” Alabama coach Sarah Patterson said. “Geralen left something in the gym last year and didn’t want to sing and I said, ‘You’re a team leader. You have to sing.’”
The next day, Stack-Eaton faced her punishment, but with one slight alteration.
“She made us close our eyes, we couldn’t look at her,” Patterson.
Patterson said Stack-Eaton sang the national anthem for her punishment, and Patterson remembers, “There was not a dry eye in the gym, because none of us knew that she could do that.”
Stack-Eaton liked keeping her hidden talent away from the her teammates, much less the spotlight she was under singing in front of over 11,000 people in Coleman Coliseum for the Tide’s win over UCLA.
“I roomed with her freshman year, and the only time I heard her sing was when she didn’t know I was there and she was singing in the shower,” senior Ashley Priess said. “Sometimes I would sneak up and walk in her room and scare her so I could hear her sing.
“The fact that she’s made a 180 and is singing in front of thousands of people so confidently with the most beautiful voice I’ve ever heard is just stunning. I think it left the whole team in awe and in tears and we felt like we could do anything.”
Patterson said it has been a long struggle to get Stack-Eaton willing to perform in front of a larger crowd.
“It’s been a process. She had to learn to sing in front of us,” Patterson said. “She sang at camp for all of our little campers, and then she’s been to a women’s basketball game and a volleyball game and she called me about 10 days ago and said, ‘I’m ready.’
“She’s as gifted in her singing as she is in her athletic abilities. To see someone who had to have everyone in the room close their eyes, to do that in front of 11,000 people, I think that’s pretty amazing.”
But Patterson could not resist showing a little frustration at how long it took Stack-Eaton to finally display her talent.
“Who would’ve thought that was harder than getting on a balance beam?” Patterson said.
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Tagged Alabama Crimson Tide, Alabama gymnastics, Ashley Priess, Geralen Stack-Eaton, national anthem, Sarah Patterson
Gymnastics is one of few NCAA sports that is not predicated on wins and losses throughout the regular season, but on the scores the teams put up throughout the season. Luckily that is the case, as the Crimson Tide gymnastics team tied the Arkansas Razorbacks 197.100. Even further, the teams tied perfectly in all four events: 49.425 on vault, 49.175 on uneven bars, 49.150 on balance beam and a 49.350 on the floor exercise.
Alabama was led on the vault by a 9.95 from Marissa Gutierrez, who injured her ankle later in the meet on an awkward landing in the floor exercise. Sarah DeMeo’s 9.9 was not only the best for the Crimson Tide on the uneven bars, but a meet-high.
Alabama had three 9.9s on the balance beam, from DeMeo, Ashley Priess and Diandra Milliner. The trio tied with Arkansas’s Erin Freier to tie for the meet-high. Leading the Tide on floor exercise was Kim Jacob with a 9.9.
Alabama’s next meet will be at home against No. 6 UCLA.
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Posted in gymnastics, Uncategorized
Tagged Ashley Priess, Diandra Milliner, gymnastics tie, Kim Jacob, Marissa Gutierrez, Sarah DeMeo
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