Bama will know their rotation sometime tonight after the second session is over.

Roll Tide and we'll see you Friday Night.

Ashley Miles in the all around (3rd), vault and floor exercise.
Terin Humphrey on the balance beam.

Melanie earns 2nd team on the balance beam along and Terin earns 2nd team on the uneven bars. If anything changes we'll let you know but that's how the numbers are looking.

Looks like Terin and Brittany Magee are 2nd team on the floor, there are several gymnasts bunched at the 9.85 mark.

who nailed just two of the Tide's crucial beam routines that pulled them through after the uncharacteristic fall to start from freshman Brittany Magee. Magee has been so steady on beam all year and we were hoping her beautiful routine would earn her All America accolades but that will come in the future hopefully.

as follows:
6th: 195.525 Oklahoma
5th: 195.650 LSU
4th: 196.000 Michigan
3rd: 196.175 Utah
2nd: 196.250 Alabama
1st: 196.325 Nebraska

Nebraska came through with a strong vault to end just ahead of the Tide by .075 (196.325)
Bama is 2nd with a 196.250
Utah just edges Michigan with a 196.175 final tally, mainly due to a very strong vault rotation of 49.300.

-Brittany Magee is up first for the Tide. She falls for the first time this year on her one hand bhs to layout stepout. Completes the rest of her elements beautifully, and dismounts with double tuck, tiny hop forward. She receives a 9.250

-Melanie Banville is through her switch full jump, her flight series, punch front (tiny step forward to check), switch leap to straddle-straddle and she sticks the double twist dismount! She receives a 9.825.

-Ashley Miles mounts with a round off layout stepout onto the beam, perfect landing. Switch leap to switch side straddle; wolf full, gainer bhs to layout stepout, right on; 1 1/4 turn; switch leap to Korbut and she dismounts with a double twist, one small step on the landing. She receives a 9.800.

-Erin Rightley is through her front aerial, bhs to layout stepout; switch leap to straddle-straddle combination; switch leap to pike; dismounts with a bhs to gainer full twist, tiniest check on the landing. She receives a 9.800.

-Mari Bayer is through her bhs to layout stepout, switch leap 1/2 turn; full turn; front aerial, beautiful control; double stag leap; switch leap to a straddle, dismounts with a gainer back pike, nails it! She receives a 9.775.

-Terin Humphrey throws the triple turn in lunge position; nails the flight series and a perfect punch front; switch leap to wolf; Omeliantchik (nicely held this time); dismounts with a perfect 1 1/2 twist. She runs to Sarah Patterson with her own arms out for congratulations and a big smile. Way to go Terin! She receives a 9.875.

Bama scores a 49.075 on the balance beam. They finish with a team high of 196.250.

Ashley Miles hits her routine in magnificent style, including the Shaposhnikova and the Hindorff. She was not completely vertical on two of her handstands but stuck the double layout dismount for a 9.750.

Cassie Martin is up next: she is through the toe-one toe-off to Tkatchev to pak Salto and does a half turn on top of the bar to another 1/2 turn before she dismounts with a double tuck. Beautiful form throughout and they reward her with a 9.80.

Mari Bayer hits her routine, including the pike Jaeger and lands the double tuck chest high, tiny hop back in her excitement for a 9.775.

Melanie Banville bails on her Tkatchev but does a pirouette and another half turn before the straddle back to handstand, sticks the double layout ice cold. Good recovery mid-routine, it could have been a disaster otherwise. She receives a 9.75.

Dana Filetti hits her handstands but has a split in the Gienger and takes one step to the side on her double front dismount for a final score of 9.75.

Terin Humphrey sticks her dismount cold and had a beautiful full turn to Gienger release earlier in the routine. She receives a 9.825.

Bama has a team total of 48.900 on the bars.

Utah is on vault, Oklahoma on beam and Michigan on floor.

in rotation four.

-Kaitlin White vaults the Yurchenko 1/1 first for the Tide but bends at the waist and jams the landing so this will be heavily deducted for a 9.50
-Terin Humphrey does much better with her Yurchenko 1/1 for a 9.70
-Melanie Banville gets a 9.75 for her Yurchenko 1/1
-Dana Filetti hits a 9.800 for a strong Hristakieva
-Brittany gets a 9.800 for her vault, stuck it but turned quickly to the judges to salute.
-Ashley Miles gets a 9.95 for a stuck Yurchenko 1/1 vault.
Bama has a 49.00 even on vault and a 49.275 on floor for a running total of 98.275.

First up for the Tide is freshman Ashley O'Neal.
-Opens with a double tuck, second pass of a front-front full to front layout, no problems so far and she closes with a double pike, legs spread on the landing, going for that stick but she stood it up just fine. She receives a 9.800.

Erin Rightley's routine is next.
-She opens with a huge double pike, nice landing. Perfect round off to a Rudi to a layout step-out, another perfect landing and form was solid throughout. Making extra eye contact with the judges. She will finish with a front-front full to front layout, another terrific landing. She receives a 9.825.

-Terin Humphrey opens with a beautiful double front Arabian and then a 2 1/2 to punch front, another terrific landing. She finishes with a double pike, another awesome landing and a brilliant smile on her face as she runs off to be congratulated by the Bama coaches. She receives a 9.85, way harsh.

-Brittany Magee opens with a terrific 1/2 in 1/2 out and then another perfect pass of a whip-whip to double pike, awesome landing. Finishes strongly with a front through to a double full. Way to go for a 9.85. Way harsh part II.

-Melanie Banville hits her pike full in, the front to front full to front layout (step forward on the landing) and finishes with a super double pike. However, judges are far apart in their assessment of her routine, one giving her a 9.95, two a 9.80 and another a 9.90. Her final score is 9.85.

-Ashley Miles hits all of her passes as well and receives a 9.925.
Hopefully the judges will stay consistent in their conservative scoring with the other teams because no one other than Utah will have Bama's difficulty on the floor. And the Tide had no problems standing up their more difficult elements.

Bama is dressed in a new leo, cranberry with a white wave swirling on the front and to the back area, highlighted by sheer netting on the upper bodice and sleeves with silver sequins throughout. The white wave continues on the arms at the cuff area.

Utah is dressed in black and white, Michigan in dark blue and Oklahoma with deep red and gray.

off line until the conclusion of the first rotation.

Bama needs to open up strong on the floor exercise to set the tone for today's competition. The Tide has four E tumbling passes and this is where their heralded athletes, like Melanie Banville, Brittany Magee, Terin Humphrey and Ashley Miles, need to perform at their highest level to get the team going. These same gymnasts along with seniors Mari Bayer and Dana Filetti, must pave the way on the vault, bars and beam as they did at the West Regional competition by throwing confident, sharp skills and dismounts. Bama now knows what it takes to win a championship, as they've worked very hard to get to this point. Two weeks ago it was gutcheck time. Now comes the fun.

soon. The Utah Utes have a strong crowd and we can hear the Alabama gymtide bunch behind and to our left.

and LSU.

We are about 30 minutes from the start of the first session. We will only be able to post commentary at the end of each rotation, so the Tide will complete the floor exercise and comments on each routine will then be posted immediately afterwards.

alternate spot are warming up on the balance beam. Bama will throw one double tuck dismount off beam, two double twists, a 1 1/2 twist, a gainer pike, an da round off to full twist off the side. Sticking the dismounts will be crucial to get the highest score possible.

Nebraska to the floor.

the Tide prepares to finish their warm-up on bars. Bama now moves to the balance beam.

hit all her handstands and the toe-on toe-off to Tkatchev to pak Salto combination. Electric.

and Kaitlin White looked fantastic with her Gienger release move just then, legs tightly together throughout.

notice. The Tide will also need both her and Cassie to stick their double tuck dismounts.

off to Tkatchev to pak Salto combination and if she hits this sequence will give her more bonus.

Terin Humphrey just stuck her dismount off the bars and the Tide gym coaches are high-fiving her. Another stuck double layout from Melanie Banville just then.

on bars for the Tide.

and Michigan on the floor. Nebraska and LSU have byes.

Bama will move to the bars and we will look for vertical handstands, tight form and stuck dismounts.

to go on the uneven bars.

this year and the half twist is looking tighter in the air too. Nice vault just then from Kaitlin White.

since mid-year: Kaitlin White, Melanie Banville, Dana Filetti, Terin Humphrey, Brittany Magee and Ashley Miles, with Ashley O'Neal in the alternate position.

the vault. Michigan moves from bars to beam, Utah from beam to a bye, Oklahoma from vault to a bye. Nebraska moves to bars from a bye and LSU moves to floor from a bye.

tumbling pass and Miles looks very confident, ready to rock.

the front handspring to front full twist to front layout. She threw a 2 1/2 twist to punch layout in practice this past Saturday but we think she will go more conservative today.

O'Neal, Rightley, Humphrey, Magee, Banville, Miles wil anchor the top six spots, with White and Priess in the alternate spots.

Christine Robella of North Carolina will rotate with the Tide today. She is the Tarheels' only qualifier to Nationals, as Courtney Bumpers failed to qualify out of regionals in Athens two weeks ago. Bumpers was floor exercise national champion in 2005 and will missed on this event for her senior year of competition. She arguably had the most difficulty of all gymnasts on floor the past two years.

and we are approximately two hours away from the start of the NCAA Collegiate Gymnastics preliminary sessions.

Alabama will compete in Session I with Utah, Michigan, Oklahoma, Nebraska and LSU. The Tide comes into this session as the top scoring seed out of regionals two weeks ago, third overall (Georgia #1, Arizona State #2). Tonight's Session II at 7:00 pm PCT will have Georgia, Arizona State, Florida, Iowa State, Oregon State and Arkansas competing.

Bama must be one of the top three highest scoring teams coming out of this afternoon's session in order to advance to the Super Six on Friday Night. The Tide has failed only once to advance to the Super Six, back in 1997. The Super Six (two night championship event) started back in 1993.

and we are approximately two hours away from the start of the NCAA Collegiate Gymnastics preliminary sessions.

Alabama will compete in Session I with Utah, Michigan, Oklahoma, Nebraska and LSU. The Tide comes into this session as the top scoring seed out of regionals two weeks ago, third overall (Georgia #1, Arizona State #2). Tonight's Session II at 7:00 pm PCT will have Georgia, Arizona State, Florida, Iowa State, Oregon State and Arkansas competing.

Bama must be one of the top three highest scoring teams coming out of this afternoon's session in order to advance to the Super Six on Friday Night. The Tide has failed only once to advance to the Super Six, back in 1997. The Super Six (two night championship event) started back in 1993.