The 2008 Alabama Gymnastics Guide Section IV 2006 in Review 82-85 National Titles and Honors 98-107 Patterson Honors 126-127 Traveling with Alabama 86 Tide All-Americans 108-109 Year-by-Year 128-133 2008 Opponents 87 Alabama and Regionals 110-111 Alabama Records 134-135 Crimson Tide History 88-89 Alabama and the SEC 112-113 Success Adds Up 136 Great Moments 89-95 SEC Honors and Champions 114-119 Alabama and the NCAA 96-97 The Hall of Fame 120-125 FULL HOUSE In the midst of a season that saw the Crimson Tide again go Highlights undefeated at home, probably the biggest moment of the regular season came on Feb. 2 against Auburn when Alabama sold out Coleman Coliseum for the third time in school history. It marked from the the second year in a row that the gymnastics team has fi lled the coliseum and the fi rst time that tickets were gone the day before the meet. In addition to fi lling the coliseum, the Tide fi lled it with the 2007 Season color pink as the athletes and fans from both teams put aside their school color for the meet to unite under the banner of breast THE REGULAR SEASON cancer awareness and the Tide’s third “Drive 4 the Cause” meet. Alabama posted an 8-2-0 regular season During the meet a check for $225,000 was presented to the DCH record, with its only losses coming at the hands Foundation for the Alabama Gymnastics/DCH Breast Cancer of the Nos. 1 and 2 teams in the nation on the Fund, started in 2004 to support Sarah Patterson’s “Power of Pink” road. Th e Tide’s mark included wins over No. 5 initiative. To date, more than $500,000 has been raised in the fi ght against breast cancer. UCLA, No. 8 LSU and No. 10 Oklahoma. Junior Th e 15,075 fans in attendance marked the second biggest crowd in the nation since 1993 (the fi rst coming in 2006 when a beyond capacity Terin Humphrey led the Tide with a team-best 51 crowd of 15,162 fans came to the Florida meet) and the fourth biggest in collegiate gymnastics history. For the season, Alabama averages 11,284 routines. fans per meet, the second best average in school history. BALANCE BEAM GOLD FAST START Even though she had been off ered a scholarship Freshman Kassi Price got by Sarah Patterson, Ricki Lebegern wasn’t sure she her Tide career off to a very was good enough to be at Alabama. good start, winning the fi rst “Th is is a young lady I had to talk into coming three all-arounds of the season, to the University of Alabama,” Sarah Patterson said, tallying victories against Okla- “because she didn’t think she was good enough to homa, Florida and Auburn. compete at this level, on this high level of a team Her accomplishments didn’t go that expects to compete for the national champion- overlooked as Sports Illustrated ship every year.” featured her in its “Faces in the It was quickly apparent to everyone during Leb- Crowd” section. She was the na- egern’s freshman year that she did indeed belong at tion’s No. 1 ranked all-arounder Alabama, that she was good enough. She was in the twice, during the second and all-around in her fi rst collegiate meet and would fourth week of the season. fi nish second in number of routines for the season behind junior Terin Humphrey. And in her fi rst postseason meet as an Alabama Gymnast, she put together her best balance beam routine of the year to win the Southeastern Conference Champion- ship. It was Alabama’s 40th overall SEC title and 25th since 2000. Lebegern and fellow rookie Morgan Dennis would earn All-SEC honors as well. Did You 82 Know? Alabama won six individual postseason titles last season – one SEC, three NCAA Central Region and two NCAA – and fi ve All-American honors. TWICE AS NICE For the sixth year in a row, Alabama took home individual gold at the NCAA Championship when junior Terin Humphrey and freshman Morgan Dennis won the national uneven bars and fl oor exercise champion- ships respectively in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was Humphrey’s second NCAA Uneven Bars title and great way to fi nish a year that started with double elbow surgery in October. For Dennis it was a great way to start her Crimson Tide career. Humphrey is the fi rst Alabama gymnast to ALL-AMERICANS win the same apparatus twice Th e Crimson Tide earned fi ve All-American honors in 2007. Junior Terin during her career, adding last Humphrey earned fi rst-team honors on both the uneven bars and balance year’s to the title she won in beam. Freshman Morgan Dennis was fi rst team All-American on the fl oor ex- 2005. Dennis is the fi ft h Alabama ercise and earned second-team honors in the all-around. Freshman Kassi Price Gymnast to win a national title (above) earned second team All-American honors on the uneven bars. Th e Tide as a rookie. has earned at least fi ve All-American honors every year since 1990. 25 IN A ROW SUCCESS IS ACADEMIC By winning the 2007 NCAA Central Region Academic success is nothing new Championship, the Alabama Crimson Tide ad- for the Crimson Tide and last year vanced to its 25th consecutive NCAA Champion- was no exception. Sophomore Cassie ship. Only one other school has been to as many Martin (right) was named the consecutive championships. Th e Tide’s streak CoSIDA Academic All-District 4 includes four NCAA Championships, 21 NCAA At-Large team. Student-athletes from top-4 fi nishes and 22 NCAA Regional titles. 13 diff erent sports strive for a place “It’s not something we really think about as on the at-large teams, making it a we’re going about the season,” Sarah Patterson tough honor to get. Alabama also had said. “We’re so pragmatic in our approach that I eight athletes earn Scholastics All- don’t think something like 25 national champion- American honors and nine earn Aca- ship appearances in a row is something we even demic All-SEC recognition. Th e Tide thought about. But when you look at it, and see fi nished with a 3.4 team grade point other programs around the nation trying to get average on a 4.0 scale putting them at to the point where they have fi ve or six consecu- No. 1 in the Southeastern Conference tive trips, I think that’s when you realize what a and third among all teams that com- tremendous accomplishment that is.” peted at the NCAA Championships Th e Tide’s Regional win came in front of the last season. In addition, fi ve gymnasts home crowd. Th e Tide was led by junior Terin earned a perfect 4.0 GPA at least one Humphrey who won the all-around and the semester last year with freshman Kassi uneven bars. Freshman Morgan Dennis won the Price earning a 4.0 for the year. regional vault title. Tide Timeline April 24, 1999 - Freshman Andreé Pickens wins the NCAA Balance Beam title, the Crimson Tide’s 12th individual national title. 83 Team Results Date Ala. Rank Opponent (Opp. Rank) Ala. Score Opp. Score Attendance Site Overall SEC Jan. 12 No. 4 Oklahoma (No. 10) 195.700 194.500 11,996 Tuscaloosa 1-0 0-0 Jan. 19 No. 4 Florida (No. 1) 195.650 196.825 6,074 Gainesville, Fla. 1-1 0-1 Jan. 26 No. 5 Auburn (No. 10) 197.475 195.900 15,075 Tuscaloosa 2-1 1-1 Feb. 2 No. 4 Kentucky (No. 24) 196.375 193.625 10,540 Tuscaloosa 3-1 2-1 Feb. 10 No. 3 Georgia (No. 2) 196.050 198.000 10,224 Athens, Ga. 3-2 2-2 Feb. 16 No. 5 Arkansas (No. 15) 197.000 194.175 2,067 Fayetteville, Ark. 4-2 3-2 Feb. 23 No. 4 UNC (No. 27) 196.650 194.800 9,934 Tuscaloosa 5-2 3-2 March 2 No. 4 LSU (No. 8) 197.250 196.875 10,113 Tuscaloosa 6-2 4-2 March 9 No. 4 UCLA (No. 5) 197.225 196.475 10,045 Tuscaloosa 7-2 4-2 March 16 No. 3 Auburn (No. 13) 197.375 195.250 5,033 Auburn 8-2 4-2 March 31 No. 3 SEC Championships 197.000 5,134 Little Rock, Ark. 3rd April 14 No. 3 NCAA Central Region Championships 196.700 Tuscaloosa, Ala. 1st April 26 No. 3 NCAA Championships 196.125 Salt Lake City, Utah 9th Individual Results Morgan Dennis V UB BB FX AA Brittany Magee V UB BB FX AA Oklahoma 9.825 9.800e 9.700e 9.925 — Oklahoma 9.725 — 9.500 — — Amanda Montgomery V UB BB FX AA @Florida 9.875 9.825 — 9.825 — @Florida 9.850 — 9.850 — — @Arkansas — — 9.800e — — Auburn 9.950 9.850 9.750 9.975 39.525 Auburn 9.825 — 9.825 — — UNC — 9.575e 9.750e — — Kentucky 9.875 9.800 9.175 9.950 38.800 Kentucky 9.850 — 9.825 — — LSU — — 9.300e — — @Georgia 9.925 9.775 9.325 9.925 38.950 @Georgia — 8.750 — — — NCAA Central Reg. — 9.700 9.775 — — @Arkansas 9.900 9.875 — 9.775 — @Arkansas 9.825 9.475e 9.875 9.775e — NCAA Champ-prelims — — 9.750 — — UNC 9.850 9.825 9.850e 9.925 — UNC 9.850 — 9.275 — — Career Best — 9.700 9.775 — — LSU 9.900 9.800 9.850 9.950 39.500 LSU 9.875 9.275e 9.825 9.700e — UCLA 9.900 9.750 9.875 9.950 39.475 UCLA 9.850 — 9.900 — — Ashley O’Neal V UB BB FX AA @Auburn 9.875 9.850 9.850 9.950 39.525 @Auburn 9.825 9.100e 9.900 — — Oklahoma 9.775 — 9.775 9.875 — SEC Champ.