Congratulations to the Florida Gators for achieving their program’s first NCAA Women’s Gymnastics National Championship and in dramatic style to boot! What looked initially like a sure-fire disaster in the making (two falls back to back on beam, their opening event) soon became a rallying cry for their team to not go gently into the night but to instead go out kicking and screaming! Led by freshman 2009 World All Around Champion, Bridget Sloan, the Gators hit five of six routines on the floor for a team score of 49.725 and they never looked back as they slowly clawed their way back into the championship hunt.

Now, Alabama certainly could have delivered a knock-out blow on the vault, their signature event, but just could not find enough stuck landings to garner the .250 needed to maintain the lead through their final event, balance beam, where the Tide has been able to win championships in the past.  But it’s notable that the Tide was also without super senior Marissa Gutierrez on vault and floor, which may have given them that extra “oomph” to push the score on these two events so that the Gators would have had too much to overcome.

Alabama can hold their heads high - they’ve had another remarkably successful year with plenty of motivation during the off-season to come back strong for the 2014 season.  It helps to know that the NCAA National Championships will be hosted by the University of Alabama along with the Alabama Sports Foundation and the City of Birmingham.  See you in January 2014 Tide fans!

1st  Florida  197.575

2nd Oklahoma  197.375

3rd  Alabama  197.350

4th  UCLA  197.100

5th  LSU  197.050

6th  Georgia  196.675

7th  Michigan

8th  Minnesota

9th  Utah

10th  Arkansas

11th  Illinois

12th  Stanford

Diandra Milliner – executes her flight and leap series elements without a balance check – dismounts with a double twist – tiny hop on landing for a 9.875. Good start Bama!

Kaitlyn Clark – fantastic routine from start to finish – executes all elements well and sticks the dismount of the 1.5 twist.  9.875  – saw this scoring higher for sure.

Kayla Williams – nice start to routine with the running side switch straddle leap but she has to bend at waist on landing the punch front tuck to stay on the beam, so that will be a major deduction.  Rest of routine looked solid for a 9.625.  Variety of scores come up – from a 9.550 to a 9.750.

Sarah DeMeo – our talented junior looked fine at the beginning of this routine – front handspring onto the beam to a double stag leap – front aerial to beat jump – but she falls on the flight series – bhs to loso – heart-wrenching to see – but she completed the routine well and dismounts with full difficulty – double pike – sharp hop back on landing – holds her head high with pride before saluting the judges! 9.300  – she’s still our champion!

Kim Jacob – in a word – awesome – not a single check or hesitation as she went from one element to the next – and she smiles all the way with pride – sticks the dismount of the 1.5 twist.  A 9.925

Ashley Priess – she executes her routine flawlessly as well – sticks the switch split leap to gainer full twist dismount with a huge smile for the Bama fans directly across the way before saluting the judges – her last routine for the Crimson Tide and it was another great one, no matter the final team score! 9.925

The Florida Gators finish their comeback successfully by notching a 49.450 on the uneven bars to push past the Tide with a final team score of 197.575.

Oklahoma just inches ahead of the Tide with a 197.375 after a solid final floor exercise talley of 49.400 – taking 2nd Place.

Bama makes it onto the podium for 2013 with a 197.350, having to count the 9.625 by Kayla Williams on beam, but arguably the Tide gave away most of their vital tenths earlier on the vault, which has been their strongest event for the majority of the year.  This is where Bama really could have used Marissa Gutierrez to duke it out more strongly with the Gators.  But the fight was a good one – all the way to the end.  Bama, their fans and coaches have much to be proud of – this was another outstanding year.  An interesting note – the final RQS standings for the 2013 season prior to the National Championships were the same as tonight’s Top 3 Team Finishes.

Ashley Sledge – executes her routine well – Gienger release – solid landing of the double layout dismount for a 9.850.  Handstands were right on top of the bar.

Becca Alexin – solid routine as well but just missed the perfect stick of her dismount – that last pirouette needed to be right on top of that high bar for maximum scoring as well – 9.800.

Kim Jacob – great routine – Ray release – stuck the double layout dismount – great distance as well for a 9.900.

Kaitlyn Clark – super routine – she added the toe-shoot straddle from low to high bar, nice handstands, solid shaposh transition move and a stuck double layout dismount as well for a 9.900.

Sarah DeMeo – straddle Jaeger – nice bail to handstand right on top of the low bar and a stuck double layout dismount for a 9.900.

Ashley Priess – executes the Tkatchev to pak salto combination and the Khorkina release as well – hop on the double layout dismount for a 9.825.  Knees a little soft in the air as well as she anticipated the landing.

Bama picked it up in this rotation and are leading 148.125 over Florida at 148.100.

Oklahoma is close behind at 147.975.  LSU garners a 48.550 on the floor exercise and they are at 147.875 after 3 events.

Georgia has completed their competition with a 49.225 on the balance beam – 196.675 team total.

UCLA is also in the house with a 49.100 on vault (Zamarippa fell on her vault attempt) and a final team score of 197.100.

The final rotation will be Florida’s or Alabama’s to lose – but it may not be to each other – as Oklahoma is right behind waiting for them to falter.  LSU is one tenth behind them.  This is the final rotation for each team to show that they are the 2013 National Champions – who will it be?

Florida continues to chip away at the Tide’s lead while they are out on a bye – Gators net a 49.500 on vault and enter Rotation 5 (bye) with a team total of 148.100.

UCLA is picking up steam on the floor exercise with a 49.450, thanks to a boisterous home crowd that is cheering them on to four scores of 9.90 or higher.  They are at 148.00 after 3 events.

Georgia is unable to capitalize on their best event, uneven bars, having to settle for a 49.200 and a team total of 147.450.

Oklahoma is determined to finish higher on beam tonight with a 49.475 team score, highlighted by two 9.925 scores and a 9.90.  They are at 147.975.

Kayla Williams – Y 1/1 – small check of one foot on landing – wanted to stick that first vault up bad. 9.825.

Ashley Sledge – Y 1/1 – great vault from the senior – 9.90.

Kaitlyn Clark – Y 1/1 – good vault, controlled one step on landing – 9.800.  Judges want not only to see the vaults tonight stuck, they want perfect form, extension, toe point, excellent amplitude and distance in landing from the table.  A solid or decent vault will not score much more than a 9.800 or 9.850.

Lauren Beers – stuck her Y 1/1 but had to wave one arm to control it – scores ranged from a 9.95, 9.90 to two 9.85 scores – final score of a 9.875.

Diandra Milliner – Y 1.5 – check step on the landing – some form issues as well in the air – 9.825.

Ashley Priess – Y 1/1 – small hop back on landing – better than preliminary vault, more centered, good amplitude for a 9.825.

Alabama is in 1st after 2 rotations with a 98.750 and will go out on a bye for Rotation 4.

Florida is back in the title hunt after scoring a truly amazing 49.725 on floor (first gymnast up – Sisler – fell, just like Wang fell for the Gators during the preliminary opening routine on floor – how’s that for odds?).  Gators counted nothing below a 9.90 and Hunter scored a 9.975.  Team score after 2 rotations – 98.600.

Oklahoma struggled on their first event, vault (49.125) but came roaring back on uneven bars with a 49.375 (3 gymnasts scored a 9.90).  They are at 98.550 after two events.

LSU started out a little flat on uneven bars with a 49.200 and were unable to gain any momentum on balance beam (49.125), coming in at a 98.325 team total after their first two events.

Georgia is at 98.250 after a lackluster floor exercise start of 49.050 (senior Shayla Worley fell on one of her tumbling passes) and failing to gain much momentum on vault (49.200).

Ashley Priess – solid routine from the senior – hits all of her passes well and lands the double pike well, chest high.  Big smile from her as she completes her final floor routine for the Tide. 9.825

Lora Leigh Frost – big double layout to open – excellent finish with a high double tuck, solid landing, for a 9.875

Lauren Beers – huge double layout to open as well – closes with a high double tuck – controlled step back – middle pass was better today as well. 9.875

Sarah DeMeo – opens with a double front Arabian – lunging step forward but stays well in bounds – super second pass 1.5 to a front layout – closes with a beautiful 2.5 twist – 9.875 – great dance and presentation overall.

Kim Jacob – pike full in to open – sticks it cold! No movement – double pike for her second pass – closes with a terrific 1.5 through to a 1/1 twist.  9.95 – one judge gave her a 10!

Diandra Milliner – excellent routine from the junior – sticks the opening double front Arabian cold as well and completes the rest of her tumbling passes without a problem for a 9.925.

Alabama will be on a bye in the first rotation.

Oklahoma on Vault – 49.125

UCLA on Uneven Bars – 49.375

Florida on Balance Beam – 48.875 (Ashanee Dickerson fell, scoring a 9.075 and Kytra Hunter followed her with a fall as well, but scored a 9.325)

Georgia on Floor Exercise – 49.050

The back-to-back defending national champions, the Alabama Crimson Tide, are here in Pauley Pavilion ready to capture their 7th title overall, third in a row, if they can work some magic early on and sustain it through the same rotation that led them to title #6 last year in Duluth, Georgia.

The six teams vying for the title this afternoon have floated in and out of the Top 6 all season long and any one of these talented programs could capture the crown.  For Alabama to tri-peat, they will need to perform their floor exercise routines with electric energy by landing their difficult opening tumbling passes chest high and in bounds and making consistent eye contact with the crowd. A sparkling smile goes a long way to convey confidence to the judges as well.

Heading to the vault next, Bama needs to block big off the table and nail those landings because the scores will have to average 9.900 or higher to stay in contention with Florida and UCLA early  on with this event.  Bama cannot afford giving tenths away on their best scoring event.

The Tide will head to a bye in Rotation4 and then return for their final events on uneven bars and balance beam in Rotations 5 and 6.  Alabama has the chance to make up considerable ground from last night on the uneven bars by sticking their dismount landings.  The big release moves and handstands will help separate the teams as well but only by sticking the dismount landings can the Tide keep themselves on track with the other teams that have scored higher on this event throughout the season.

Finishing on balance beam, Bama knows how to win it all by staying in that “Bama Bubble” – but again, the slightest balance check or sense of tentative execution, and the judges will show no mercy.  Bama must go for it and be brave from start to finish – and let the chips fall where they will.  Let’s go 24 for 24 Tide – and bring home title #7 to Title Town.  Roll Tide!

The Crimson Tide is now warming up on balance beam – Diandra Milliner starts the Tide off – she scored a 9.85 last night, the highlight of which was a beautifully stuck double twist dismount.

Kaitlyn Clark follows with a confident rep that includes a switch split leap to sheep jump combo.

First team All American on the beam for the Tide – Kayla Williams – is up next – nice running switch split side leap to open her routine – punch front tuck – Popa – looking confident.

Sarah DeMeo – a little nervous on the bhs to loso, bends at the waist but stays on -Coach Patterson gives her encouragement before her next rep.

Nice rep from Kim Jacob (as usual) – followed by the steady senior anchor, Ashley Priess.

Lauren Beers is in the 7th position – a little rough with the punch front tuck – nice bhs to back pike.

Split 3/4 jump from Kaitlyn Clark – 1.5 twist dismount rep looks solid.

Alabama is going through their uneven bars reps while Georgia is on beam, UCLA is on vault and LSU is on floor exercise. Bama will keep the same line-up on bars, with Lauren Beers holding steady in the 7th position in case someone else cannot go or has a rough 3 minute touch. Tide looks confident and loose – ready now to move on to the balance beam for their final warm-ups.