Alabama gymnastics claims second place at SEC Championships for second year in a row
No. 4-seed Alabama gymnastics finished in second place at the 2024 SEC Championships with a score of 197.75. Top-seed LSU claimed the conference title with 198.075, while No. 3-seed Kentucky finished in third with 197.6 and No. 2-seed Florida finished in fourth with 197.3.
The Crimson Tide (14-5-1, 5-4-1 SEC) finished in second for the second season in a row at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. Alabama was tied with LSU after one rotation but fell to third as Kentucky pulled level with the Tigers. The Tide closed the gap slightly in the third rotation, while the Wildcats briefly pulled ahead of LSU. The Tigers finished strong while Kentucky faltered in the final rotation, which gave LSU the lift to first place and allowed Alabama to claim second from under the Wildcats. The Gators had an uncharacteristic night, lagging from the first rotation and never threatening to take a lead on the other three.
Coach Ashley Johnston has now started her head coaching career with two consecutive second-place finishes at the SEC Championships.
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Here are some more takeaways from the Crimson Tide's second-place finish at the SEC Championships:
Floor routines give Alabama gymnastics early confidence
Just like in its season-opening meet in Las Vegas, Alabama performed outside the traditional order. As the No. 4 seed, the Tide started the night on the floor instead of closing there. And just like in its season-opener, strong floor routines to open the competition gave the Tide a significant early boost.
Mati Waligora and Ella Burgess started the night with scores of 9.875 and 9.85, respectively, before the Tide rattled off four consecutive 9.9s. Jamison Sears' 9.9 was her second-highest floor score of the season and second consecutive of 9.9 or above. Lilly Hudson, Luisa Blanco and Gabby Gladieux followed Sears with 9.9s of their own.
Alabama scored 49.475 on the floor and was tied for the lead after the first rotation. They ranked third on the floor by the end of the night, as Kentucky scored 49.5 in the third rotation and LSU scored 49.675 in the fourth, but the hot start gave them the momentum they needed to ride to a second-place finish.
Alabama gymnastics freshmen come up big in SEC Championships debut
Two freshmen have stepped up in a big way for the Crimson Tide this season, and their impact was felt in their first SEC Championships.
Sears' 9.9 on the floor was the second-highest floor score of her young career and jump-started the Tide's run of four consecutive 9.9s to start the night. Sears scored a career-high 9.925 on March 17 against Oklahoma. Meanwhile, LaCoursiere tied her career-high on the uneven bars with 9.925 as Alabama's opener. She and Blanco tied for second place for the bars event title.
Luisa Blanco places second in all-around
In her final SEC Championships, Blanco placed second in the all-around with a score of 39.675. She scored a 9.9 or better on all four events, starting with a 9.9 on the floor. She added another 9.9 on the vault and a 9.925 on the bars, which tied with LaCoursiere and three others for second place at the event. Blanco finished her night with a 9.95 on the balance beam, which also netted her a split second-place title.
LSU's Haleigh Bryant, the top-ranked gymnast in the nation, won the all-around title by scoring 39.8 while Kentucky's Raena Worley took third place with a 39.625. Hudson also competed in the all-around for Alabama, tying for fifth place with a score of 39.525.
What's next for Alabama gymnastics?
The Crimson Tide will wait to learn its destination for the NCAA Regionals, which will be held April 3-7.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama gymnastics: SEC Championships scores, results for Crimson Tide
