Alabama Gymnastics No. 4 in First Regular-Season Ranking; Faces No. 1 LSU Friday in Home Opener
1/9/2017 4:15:00 PM | Gymnastics
Junior Kiana Winston is the nation’s No. 1 ranked gymnast on the balance beam and is ranked sixth in the all-around
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – A week after opening the season at preseason No. 1 Oklahoma, the No. 4 ranked Alabama gymnastics team will open its home schedule on Friday, Jan. 13 with current No. 1 LSU.
LSU posted a 197.825 against Georgia to open the regular-season rankings at No. 1, while Oklahoma is No. 2 and Florida No. 3. Alabama's 196.700 at Oklahoma, four-tenths of a point better than its opening score in 2016, puts the Crimson Tide at No. 4 while Utah rounds at the top five.
The Tide's next opponent after LSU, the Missouri Tigers, check in at No. 6 while Denver, UCLA, Oregon State and George Washington fill in the top 10.
Alabama is ranked in the top 10 on all four events, coming in at No. 3 on the uneven bars and balance beam, No. 7 on floor exercise and No. 9 on vault.
Junior Kiana Winston is No. 1 on the balance beam after scoring a near-perfect 9.95 at Oklahoma. She is also No. 6 in the all-around after scoring a career-best 39.5 against the Sooners. Winston is ranked fourth on the uneven bars, where senior Amanda Jetter and junior Mackenzie Brannan are tied for 15th.
In addition to Winston at No. 1, senior Aja Sims and junior Nickie Guerrero are tied for 13th on the balance beam. Winston, Guerrero and sophomore Ari Guerra are all tied for 22nd on the floor exercise.
The Tide's home opener with top-ranked LSU is on Friday, Jan. 13, at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are available through the Alabama Ticket Office (205.348.2262), located in the lobby of Coleman Coliseum, and online at RollTide.com.
For all the latest information on Alabama gymnastics, follow BamaGymnastics on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and head coach Dana Duckworth on Twitter and Instagram at @UACoachDana.
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