TUSCALOOSA, ALA - The University of Alabama Gymnastics team continues to reap the benefits of yet another outstanding season with nine gymnasts earning Scholastic All-American honors this week.

The Crimson Tide's latest honors caps off a season that saw them finish third at the NCAA Championships and produce a 3.4 team grade point average. To earn Scholastic All-American honors, awarded by the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches, a student-athlete must carry a 3.5 or better GPA.

"This is another outstanding achievement by our ladies," Alabama head coach Sarah Patterson said. "At Alabama it is our mandate to excel not just in the gym, but in all aspects of collegiate life. Each of our student-athletes works extremely hard to be the best that they can be and this is certainly proof of that."

We have a brand new Photo album (and a slide show) for the 2006 NCAA Championships (SuperSix - part2).

• Photo Album: 2006 NCAA Championships (SuperSix - part2)
• Slide Show: 2006 NCAA Championships (SuperSix - part2)

Here are a few of the Photos:
(Click on a thumbnail to view a full size picture)

219930 bytes 232 Coach Sarah consoles Sr Mari

262334 bytes 233 Terin prepares to demo the Humphrey

241764 bytes 234 and finishes it perfectly

So as we say goodbye to the outstanding, high-achieving senior class of 2006, what can the Tide fans expect for 2007? How will the coaches and team approach the 2007 season without the dynamic personality and athletic leadership of Ashley Miles in the line-up? Who will replace her and the other All America routines from the 2006 graduating class? What will it take to turn this predominantly youthful Tide team into a title-hungry machine by post-season? Let's break down the classes to see where Bama's coaches will likely focus their pre-season training objectives in order to prepare for the 2007 season. We will focus on the upper classes in this initial article and Part II will highlight the freshmen after they arrive on campus and experience their first few practices with the team in September. Part III will highlight how the entire team is looking at the annual Ghosts vs Goblins intra-squad at the end of October.