It was going to take a season best score, or close to one, for Alabama gymnastics to keep dancing this postseason.
The Crimson Tide delivered just that with a season best 197.675 in the Tuscaloosa Regional Finals, giving No. 11 seeded Alabama a second place finish, behind No. 3 seed Florida’s 197.7 and just ahead of No. 6 seed Cal’s 197.575. Oregon State finished in a distant fourth with a score of 196.875.
It didn’t come without drama as Alabama was trailing by .025 at the midway point, after a near season-best bar score put them on the Bears’ heels. From that point on, Alabama found its clutch gene, bringing home a season best score on the beam to overtake Cal. The lead brought the Crimson Tide faithful to their feet during the warm up period ahead of the final rotation.
It was there that coach Ashley Johnston saw her senior leader, Lilly Hudson pull the team together to relax them ahead of the season-defining floor rotation.
“For me as a coach, watching that from a distance and seeing that this team has the maturity, the skillset, the trust in each other to really come together in the hardest most challenging moment and find a way to thrive, that’s what Bama gymnastics is all about,” Johnston said.
After Rachel Rybicki stumbled on one of her passes, it became crunch time for the Crimson Tide, needing the next five gymnasts to come through with no major mistakes. Shania Adams got the ball rolling back in the right direction with a 9.85, to pair with two 9.925 in her other events.
From there Jamison Sears scored a 9.9, setting up freshman Paityn Walker for the biggest moment of her career.
“I did a lot of mental routines in the corral, I envisioned myself doing those passes and I really did my normal,” Walker said. “I didn’t overcontrol anything and it paid off.”
The freshman delivered like she was a seasoned veteran, with a season-best score of 9.9. From there Alabama’s veteran all-around duo of Hudson and Gabby Gladieux were ready to help the Crimson Tide book its ticket to the NCAA Championships.
In her final routine at Coleman Coliseum, Hudson scored a 9.95 on floor, with Gladieux scoring a 9.925 to secure the season’s best score for the Crimson Tide, and a ticket to Texas.
“I think the moment that I saluted, I looked up and there’s nothing like Coleman Coliseum. You look up and see everyone on their feet, crimson and white,” Hudson said. “No words, its the best feeling ever, you can’t describe it.”
Competing in the SEC has put the Crimson Tide through a grind of a schedule. Eight of the nine teams made the regional finals and all nine were national seeds. It’s put Alabama constantly in situations like it faced on Sunday but that’s just where it wants to be.
“We’re our best under the highest of stakes and under the highest of pressures. We’ve learned through that, we’ve gone through all year long. We’ve been equiped with everything that we need to suceed in those moments,” Hudson said.
The NCAA Championships will start April 17 in Fort Worth, Texas. The Crimson Tide will be one of the lower seeded squads there, and most likely will be overlooked, but on Sunday, Alabama showed that’s when it does its best work.