Jan. 3, 2009

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Alabama Gymnastics team is ranked among the nation’s preseason “Super Six” once again this season, coming in at No. 6 in the coaches poll.

“That’s about where I voted us on my ballot,” head coach Sarah Patterson, in her 31st season at Alabama, said. “It’s a good place for us to start with the mixture of youth and experience we have on this team. But as I tell our ladies, it’s not where we start, but where we finish. And where we want to finish, the same as every year, is on the floor of the national championships with a chance to win it all.”

The Crimson Tide finished sixth at the NCAA Championships last year, marking its 24th top-6 finish in 26 consecutive national championship appearances, and returns five All-Americans to this year’s team as well as adding six freshmen.

Georgia, the four-time defending national champions, checks in at No. 1, followed by 2008 runner-up Utah at No. 2. Florida, UCLA and Stanford are third, fourth and fifth respectively. LSU, Michigan, Oregon State and Oklahoma round out the top 10.

The Crimson Tide will face three members of the preseason top-5, five members of the top 10 and 11 members of the top 25 during the regular season.

“We try to build our schedule every year around teams that will challenge us and prepare us for the championship season and there is no doubt we’ve don’t that again this year,” Patterson said. “We won’t be looking over our shoulders when we get to March and April, we will have seen the best teams in the country.”

Alabama starts the 2009 season Friday, January 9 at Auburn before opening at home on Friday, Jan. 16 against No. 25 Kentucky. Season tickets are on sale now through the Alabama Ticket Office (205.348.2262) or online at www.rolltide.com. The Crimson Tide will host six regular season home meet as well at the 2009 NCAA Regional Championships on April 4.

2009 Gymnastics Preseason Coaches Poll

Rank	Team	2009 UA Opponent
1	Georgia	x
2	Utah
3	Florida	x
4	UCLA
5	Stanford	x
6	Alabama
7	LSU	x
8	Michigan
9	Oregon State
10	Oklahoma	x
11	Nebraska
12	Arkansas	x
13	Penn State	x
14	Denver	x
15	Auburn	x
16	Illinois
17	Michigan State
18	Arizona
19	Boise State
-	Missouri
21	Ohio State	x
22	Minnesota
23	West Virginia
24	Arizona State
25	Kentucky	x