Alabama
North Carolina
No. 6 Alabama Gymnastics Uses Season-Best Score to Beat North Carolina, 197.525-194.975
3/2/2018 9:49:00 PM | Gymnastics
The Crimson Tide used multiple career and season highs to take down the Tar Heel in Coleman Coliseum
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The No. 6-ranked Alabama gymnastics team used a season-best score to beat North Carolina, 197.525-194.975, Friday night in front of a vibrant crowd of 10,298 inside Coleman Coliseum.
"What we talked about coming into tonight was staying true to our identity, and our identity is trust, attack and presence," UA head coach Dana Duckworth said. "You can look at so many performances this evening where all of that was evident."
Sophomore Shea Mahoney and junior Ari Guerra shared the vault title, while Mahoney won the uneven bars. Senior Nickie Guerrero won her fifth balance beam title of the season and shared the floor exercise win with Guerra. In just her second all-around outing, freshman Lexi Graber came away with the win with a career-best 39.500.
"Before the meet, we talked about just going out and being free," Graber said. "So I just went out and just trusted everything and had my teammates there with me to carry my momentum, and it was just a lot of fun."
The Crimson Tide kicked off the night with a solid 49.275 in the vault, led by a pair of career-best 9.875s from Mahoney and Guerra.
Alabama then posted an outstanding uneven bars outing, scoring a season-best 49.475. Mahoney continued to shine, scoring a 9.925, followed by twin career-best scores of 9.9 from Guerra and Graber. Junior Angelina Giancroce also turned in a career-best 9.875 on the uneven bars.
In rotation three, Alabama stayed hot, scoring a 49.375 on the balance beam, powered by a 9.925 from Guerrero and a career-best tying 9.9 from Graber. Freshman Alonza Klopfer chipped in a career-best 9.825 on the balance beam.
In the final rotation, Alabama matched its season-high of 49.400 in the floor exercise. Guerra got the Tide rolling on the floor exercise with a career-best 9.925, while Guerrero capped the night with a career-best tying 9.925 to clinch the win. Graber also posted a career-best on the floor exercise, while Mahoney tied her career-best on the floor with a 9.825.
"I was originally supposed to go second on floor," Guerra said. "Dana came to me with about a minute and a half left until I had to go, and she was like, 'You're going first,' and I was like, okay. I've done this all season, I did it last season. So just knowing and trusting my training that I've been working on so long, and finally fulfilling that tonight was just amazing."
Alabama returns to the road for its next meet, traveling to Huntsville, Ala., for a neutral-site meet against Auburn on Friday, March 9 at Elevate the Stage. It will be the Tide's first competition in the city of Huntsville.
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.
Players Mentioned
