We have a brand new Photo album (and a slide show) for the 2006 Awards Banquet.

• Photo Album: 2006 Awards Banquet
• Slide Show: 2006 Awards Banquet

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

311310 bytes 01 2006 AA Melanie Banville, Brittany Magee, Terin Humphrey and Ashley Miles

626997 bytes 02 Central Region Gymnast of the Year Ashley Miles and David

322560 bytes 03 Mari Bayer and Rachael Delahoussaye

May 3, 2006 - Ashley Miles, a University of Alabama senior, has been chosen the nation's top collegiate female gymnast for 2006. The honor was based on the results of national balloting among 1,000 NCAA member schools as part of the Collegiate Women Sports Awards program, now in its 30th year.

Miles' victory will earn her the Honda Award, given annually to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports, along with automatic nomination for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year. She was voted over three other nominees: Courtney Kupets, a freshman at The University of Georgia, Ashley Postell, a sophomore at The University of Utah, and Kate Richardson, a senior at The University of California at Los Angeles. The candidates were selected by the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches.

Miles won her third NCAA vault title this year, making her only the second gymnast in NCAA history, and first in over twenty years, to win a trio of vault titles. It was her fourth overall NCAA title (vault 2003, 2004 and 2005; floor exercise 2004). As a senior, Miles earned All-American honors in the all-around, vault and floor exercise, pushing her career total to 12, all of which are first team honors. She also won the NCAA West Region floor exercise and vault titles in 2006, closing out her career with four consecutive regional wins on both those events.

We have a brand new Photo album (and a slide show) for the 2006 NCAA Championship Session 1 (Thurs).

• Photo Album: 2006 NCAA Championship Session 1 (Thurs)
• Slide Show: 2006 NCAA Championship Session 1 (Thurs)

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

244571 bytes 001 Ashley O'Neal floor sequence

245102 bytes 002 Ashley O 2

197487 bytes 003 Ashley O 3

Alabama senior Ashley Miles, the 2006 NCAA Vault Champion, is one of four finalists for this year's Honda Award for Gymnastics.

Miles is up against UCLA's Kate Richardson, Utah's Ashley Postell and Georgia's Courtney Kupets for the award which denotes the nation's top gymnast.

"Wow, that's really cool," Miles said. "I'm honored to be considered for such a prestigious award and to represent the University of Alabama in this way."

Corvallis, Ore - And then she had four.

Alabama senior Ashley Miles won the fourth individual NCAA Gymnastics Championship of her career here tonight, dominating the field with two massive vaults. It marks her third NCAA vault title, adding to the titles she won in 2003 and '04. She also won the floor exercise title in 2004.

She is only the second gymnast in NCAA history, and first in over 20 years, to win three national vault titles in a career, joining Utah's Elaine Alfano, who won the titles in 1982, '83 and '85. Miles is sixth gymnast in NCAA history to win the same event three times in a career.

Corvallis, Ore - The Alabama Gymnastics team finished third at the NCAA Championships with a 196.725 here in Gill Coliseum, marking its 17th top-3 national finish.

Georgia won its second championship in a row with a 197.75, followed by Utah's 196.800. Alabama finished just .075 behind the Utes despite counting a fall on its last event, the balance beam. Florida finished fourth with a 196.275, followed by Nebraska at 196.175. Iowa State finished sixth with a 194.725.

Alabama went into the last rotation just .025 behind Georgia, but even before the Tide's falls, the Dogs 49.65 on the vault put the championship out of reach.

Corvallis, Ore. - While there were a few anxious moments, Alabama handled the pressure of the NCAA Gymnastics Championships first day and advanced to tomorrow night's Super Six Team Finals.

The Crimson Tide scored a 196.25 to advance along with Nebraska, 196.325, and Utah, 196.175. Those three schools await the top three finishers from the evening session, which consists of Georgia, Florida, Arkansas, Oregon State, Iowa State and Arizona State.

"Being at the national championship and advancing to the Super Six is just a highlight of the year," Alabama head coach Sarah Patterson said after the first session. "You never take it for granted. You look at the teams one through six, and these are the teams that had the best meets, not necessarily perfect, but didn't count a fall and you have to perform like that to move on."

CORVALLIS, Ore. - Practice time is over. After working out on the equipment here in Gill Coliseum for about 90 minutes, the next thing on the Alabama Gymnastics team's schedule is day one of the NCAA Championships.

"Today was all about adjusting the equipment, getting a feel for it," Alabama head coach Sarah Patterson said. "We did a good job of that, and staying loose and having fun. We're ready to go at this point, we're ready for tomorrow."

The Crimson Tide arrived in Oregon late Monday night, capping a day that included morning classes and full practice, the last Tuscaloosa-based one of the year. After landing in Portland, Alabama bused the hour and a half to Corvallis and then spent Tuesday making the adjustment to the Pacific time zone, stretching and studying.

We have a brand new Photo album (and a slide show) for the 2006 SEC Championship.

• Photo Album: 2006 SEC Championship
• Slide Show: 2006 SEC Championship

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

239822 bytes 01 Dana F sprints to a vault wu

254540 bytes 02 and Cassie taps the table also

227740 bytes 03 Brittany needles her vault

The Alabama Crimson Tide Gymnastics Team notched a decisive West Regional championship victory over the home-standing Stanford Cardinal (3rd Place) and the Oregon State Beavers (2nd) at Palo Alto last weekend. In the process they secured their 24th straight NCAA National Championship appearance, second in the nation only to the Utah Utes. We'll briefly review some of the Tide's highlights on each rotation and talk about what performances they will need on these same events at Nationals to ensure a trip to Super Six night in Corvallis

Just a 'heads-up' for fans traveling to Corvallis for the National Finals; be sure to bring along your portable FM radios. The Medalist Club and WVUA radio are teaming up to attempt a little 'radio magic' by having Chad Anderson's and Leesa Davis' insightful and informative radio broadcast available to you inside Gill Coliseum at Oregon State. Now, this is a first for us, so please bear with us if there are a few 'growing pains' as we get this service off the ground. Additional details will be available here in a few days. In the meantime, pass the word - and don't forget those radios!

INDIANAPOLIS - The NCAA announced today the teams and individuals who qualified to compete for the 2006 National Collegiate Women's Gymnastics Championships.

The championships, hosted by Oregon State University will be held in Corvallis, Oregon, at the Gill Coliseum, April 20 - 22.

The National Collegiate Women's Gymnastics Championships consist of 12 teams and 12 all- around competitors (who are not on a qualifying team) and event specialists. The top two teams and the top two all-around competitors from each regional received automatic berths to the national championships. In addition, the event winners at the regional championships advance to the national championships (in their specific event) if they were not part of a qualifying team or the all-around qualifiers.

We have complete audio coverage for the 2006 NCAA West Regional Championships

• Complete Radio Broadcasts of the 2006 Meets.

PALO ALTO, Calif. - Sarah Patterson told her squad all season long that the big meets came down to the balance beam, and tonight's NCAA West Regional Championship, held on the Stanford campus proved her right.

Alabama was in a tight battle all night long, before coming up big on the beam in its last rotation, scoring a season and meet best 49.35 paced by a 9.9 from Terin Humphrey and 9.875s from junior Erin Rightly and freshman Melanie Banville to advance to its 24th consecutive NCAA Championship. Senior Mari Bayer and freshman Brittany Magee both added a 9.85s. It was a career best for Banville, Rightley and Magee and a season best for Humphrey and Bayer.

Alabama won the regional with a 196.475, followed by Oregon State, the host of the NCAA Championships April 20-22, with a 195.800. Stanford, the early favorite to advance, had a disastrous balance beam rotation and finished third with a 195.275. San Jose State was fourth with a 192.375, Sacramento State followed in fifth with a 192.050 while Boise State brought up the rear with a 189.850.

We have a brand new Photo album (and a slide show) for Senior Night.

• Photo Album: 2006 Senior Night
• Slide Show: 2006 Senior Night

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

123977 bytes 001 Ashley M bars sequence-Shapshnikova

266695 bytes 002 great height mid Hindorff

314322 bytes 003 dropping to regrasp

The Alabama Gymnastics Team finished three-tenths behind the Georgia Gymdawgs in another terrific SEC conference championship showdown this past Saturday Night at the Birmingham BJCC, claiming 2nd place honors with their highest team score of the season, 196.975. Bama finished seven-tenths ahead of the Florida Gators and 1.075 ahead of the LSU Tigers, who finished 3rd and 4th respectively. The Tide was thrilled with their rock-solid performances on 3 of 4 events but not satisfied with the final outcome. It now comes down to a tough West Regional showdown against the Stanford Cardinal (8th nationally) and the Oregon State Beavers (16th) on April 8th to ensure a 25th straight NCAA Nationals berth. Bama must be one of the top two scoring teams out of this regional to advance. All indications are strong that the Tide is starting to peak at the right time. But for now, let's review some of the highlights from this past weekend.

We have a brand new Photo album (and a slide show) for the LSU/Stanford Meet.

• Photo Album: 2006 LSU/Stanford Meet
• Slide Show: 2006 LSU/Stanford Meet

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

201078 bytes 01 Dana F drills a warmup vault @ LSU

232639 bytes 02 Terin works her other release, the Khokina

118315 bytes 03 Ashley M arrows to the low bar

The No. 5 ranked Alabama Gymnastics team found out today that it will be the top seed at the NCAA West Regional Championship April 8 in Palo Alto, Calif.

"We drew the toughest regional assignment in the country and we've got the toughest travel," Alabama head coach Sarah Patterson said. "That being said, we just have to do our job, and if we can perform like we did Saturday at the SEC Championships then we will advance."

The Crimson Tide, competing at its 25th NCAA regional, will vie against five other teams - No. 8 Stanford, No. 16 Oregon State, No. 26 Boise State, No. 31 Sacramento State and No. 35 San Jose State.

We have complete audio coverage for the 2006 SEC Championship

• Complete Radio Broadcasts of the 2006 Meets.

BIRMINGHAM, ALA - Tonight, everyone held their breath when Alabama senior Ashley Miles went on the floor exercise here are at the SEC Championships.

And she delivered her usual brand of high flying excitement, scoring a 9.95 on the last routine of the night becoming the first gymnast in SEC history to win the same event all four years of her career in the process. Her routine put a cap on Alabama's best performance of the season and a second place team finish.

"It was our best meet of the year," Alabama head coach Sarah Patterson said. "I think our ladies did an amazing job. I've been gracious when we've won and I'll be gracious in defeat. We got beat by the best team in the country. I think they're the most talented team, the deepest team I've seen in the last 10 years."

The Alabama Gymnastics team drew a bye for the first rotation of Saturday night's Southeastern Conference Championships and will compete on the vault for the second rotation. The Crimson Tide will finish off the meet on the floor exercise, the same event they finished off with to win their last SEC title in 2003.

Senior Night has come and gone for 2006, ending with tears and another victory notch on the belts of the Alabama Crimson Tide Gymnastics Team. Bama now stands at 14-1 for the regular season as the Tide punted Aubie back to the Plains with another decisive victory, 196.400 to 194.850. And yet Bama still has not hit their best performance as a team on all four events in one meet. Will that come this Saturday Night at the SEC Championships? Only time will tell. Read on to see how the Tide's routines scored this past weekend

Birmingham, Ala - For the second time in the three-year history of the program, Alabama Gymnastics' Dana Pierce has been named to the Southeastern Conference's "Good Works" Team. A senior majoring in Secondary Education/Coaching, Pierce is also a Scholastic All-American and two-time Academic All-SEC honoree, and has been inducted into Phi Eta Sigma and Gama Beta Phi honor societies.

The SEC sponsors a Good Works Teams for all 20 sports it sponsors. The Gymnastics Good Works Team represents seven SEC gymnasts, one from each competing institution. The Good Works Team looks to highlight an athlete from each school who gives back to their community in superior service efforts.

Pierce is as dedicated to making a difference in the community around her as she is in excelling in the classroom and the gym. She and her teammates raised money throughout the fall for the victims of Hurricane Katrina with a series of bake sales. She has worked with the children of Stallings RISE Center and was part of the Tide's Halloween Festival for area children.

TUSCALOOSA, ALA - The Alabama Gymnastics team scored a 196.400 to beat Auburn here in Tuscaloosa on Senior Night.

Seniors Mari Bayer, Rachael Delahoussaye, Dana Filetti, Ashley Miles and Dana Pierce all enjoyed their last home meet in Coleman Coliseum, going out with not only the win, but a mixture of laughter and tears accompanied by the sustained roar of the partisan crowd. The Tide's senior five leaves Alabama with a 21-3 career home record.

"I think it's great being able to honor the accomplishments of the seniors, what they have done and what they have meant to our program" Alabama head coach Sarah Patterson said. "Each and every year, it is always one of the most special nights."

The No. 5 Alabama Gymnastics team puts a cap on its regular and home season Friday night against the No. 14 Auburn Tigers starting at 7:30 p.m.

In addition to being the regular season finale, Alabama will be celebrating Senior Night, as the Coleman Coliseum crowd bids farewell to three-time NCAA Champion Ashley Miles, All- Americans Mari Bayer and Dana Filetti and Scholastic All-Americans Rachael Delahoussaye and Dana Pierce.

The Tide will also be looking to close out the season with a big score, giving the team momentum going into next week's Southeastern Conference Championships.

We have a brand new Photo album (and a slide show) for the Arkansas-Georgia Meet.

• Photo Album: 2006 Arkansas-Georgia Meet
• Slide Show: 2006 Arkansas-Georgia Meet

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

266326 bytes 01 Dana F gets some vault coaching

289586 bytes 02 before hitting for a 9.825 vs ARK

101496 bytes 03 Ashley M's Shaposhnikova

Read all about it! Bama shoos Cardinal back to The Farm with a final tally of 196.250 to 195.850. Bama is now 13-1 and will be heading into their final regular season showdown against the Auburn Tigers on March 17th at Coleman Coliseum. It's Senior Night, so let's all be there to support our five fantastic gals: Rachael, Dana P., Ashley, Mari-Christine and Dana F. But for now, here are some highlights from the Tide's routines last week...

Alabama Gymnastics senior Ashley Miles, No. 1 in the nation for a majority of the season on the vault is now ranked first on the floor exercise as well.

Miles, who scored a 9.975 on the floor exercise to help Alabama close out Stanford last Friday, took over the nation's top spot after two weeks at No. 2. The San Antonio, Texas native is in her ninth week ranked first on the vault.

As a team, Alabama is ranked fifth in the nation. Georgia remains at No. 1 while Utah, sixth last week, jumps back to second this week. Florida is third, followed by Iowa State.

In the battle between the No. 3 ranked Alabama Gymnastics team and No. 8 Stanford, it came down, as Crimson Tide head coach Sarah Patterson said it would, to the last rotation, last competitor for both teams.

Luckily for Alabama, their last competitor is Ashley Miles.

The two teams were deadlocked going down the line through the last rotation, with Alabama using a 49.325 on the floor exercise punctuated by Miles 9.975 to overtake the Cardinal, which scored a 48.825 on the balance beam. Alabama beat the Cardinal 196.250-195.850 to go to 13-1-0 overall while Stanford fell to 12-3-0 on the season.

Just a reminder for Medalist Club members! There will be no reception in the club lounge after tonight's meet with the Stanford Cardinal. The March reception will be on 'Senior Night', after the meet with the Auburn GymTigers next Friday, March 17th.

However, the club lounge will be open before tonight's meet, as usual, for those with club lounge 'pre-meet hospitality' season passes.

After a three-week break, the No. 3 ranked Alabama Gymnastics team returns to Coleman Coliseum this Friday, March 10 to take on No. 8 Stanford starting at 7:30 p.m.

It marks the Pac-10 power's third trip to Tuscaloosa and first since the 2002 NCAA Championships. It is Stanford's first regular season appearance at the Capstone since the 2001 Super Six Challenge. Friday's meet, the fourth regular season meeting between the two programs, is part of a home-and-home series that started with the Tide's West Coast trip last season.

When Alabama and Stanford tied for third at the 2004 NCAA Championships held in Los Angeles it was the Cardinal's highest ever national finish and it earned their coach, Kristen Smyth coach of the year honors.

Hey Tide Fans! Read all about how the GymTide spanked Mike the Tiger this past Friday Night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center: 196.425 to 195.850. Congrats to sophomore, Terin Humphrey, who won the All Around title (39.475) over LSU's April Burkholder and was named SEC Gymnast of the Week. Bama is now 12-1 and will be back in Coleman Coliseum on March 10th to take on the Stanford Cardinal.

Alabama Gymnastics sophomore Terin Humphrey was named Southeastern Conference Gymnast of the Week by the league office after winning three events and leading the Crimson Tide to a victory over No. 7 LSU in Baton Rouge.

Humphrey, the defending SEC and NCAA Uneven Bars Champion, won the all-around and floor exercise against the Tigers with season best scores. She posted a 39.425 in the all-around and a 9.925 on the floor. She also won the balance beam, scoring a 9.875.

We have complete audio coverage for the LSU meet

• Complete Radio Broadcasts of the 2006 Meets.

The Alabama Gymnastics team moved up a spot from fourth to third in the national rankings, giving the Southeastern Conference a lock on the top three spots.

Alabama jumped Utah, which fell to No. 6 this week, for the third spot, and stands just behind No. 1 Georgia and No. 2 Florida. Iowa State is fourth and Oklahoma rounds out the top-5. Alabama beat No. 7 LSU last Friday for its 12th win of the season. The Tide's next opponent, Stanford, checks in at No. 8, followed by Michigan at No. 9 and UCLA in 10th.

Alabama is ranked second on the floor exercise, third on the vault, sixth on the uneven bars and 13th on the balance beam.

The first Southeastern Conference gymnast to win an NCAA title, Alabama's Penney Hauschild Buxton won four before her career was over, including two national All-Around championships (1985 and 1986). Buxton, who still owns more individual NCAA titles than any Alabama athlete, male or female, was recently honored as an "SEC Great" at the league's women's basketball championship in Fayetteville, Ark.

A two-time Broderick Award winner as the best collegiate gymnast in the country, she also represented the United States twice in the World University Games. A 10-time All-American, she was the NCAA champion on both the Uneven Bars (1985) and the Floor Exercise (1986). She was also named SEC Athlete of the Year in 1985.

We have a brand new Photo album (and a slide show) for the 2006 TideTykes and Teens Jamboree.

• Photo Album: 2006 TideTykes and Teens Jamboree
• Slide Show: 2006 TideTykes and Teens Jamboree

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

118849 bytes 01 Racing theme for the Jamboree

94524 bytes 02 Race to the face painters

105365 bytes 03 Terin spots a fan

BATON ROUGE, LA - The No. 4 Alabama Gymnastics team used a strong performance over the second half of Friday's meet against LSU Tigers to win 196.425-195.850 here in the Peter Maravich Assembly Center.

Alabama posted its second highest floor exercise and balance beam scores of the season to take advantage of LSU's two falls on the balance beam. Alabama goes to 12-1-0, and 4-1 in Southeastern Conference competition while LSU falls to 9-6 overall and 2-3 in the SEC.

"I think this meet is indicative of the competition within the Southeastern Conference and certainly among the nation's top-12," Alabama head coach Sarah Patterson said. "At this level of competition, you can't afford to count a fall and tonight was no exception."

After a rare break in its schedule, the No. 4 ranked Alabama Gymnastics team returns to action this Friday at No. 7 LSU.

The meet, which starts at 7 p.m., marks the Crimson Tide's second trip to Baton Rouge, La. this season. Alabama started off 2006 by winning the LSU hosted Super 6 Challenge while the Tigers finished fourth. This season is the first since 1998 that Alabama has faced the Tigers in Baton Rouge twice in a single season.

Alabama, coming off a rare bye week, used the time away from competition to work on the basics, breaking down and fine-tuning its routines.

Here's the lowdown on how the Tide muzzled the Hogs last Friday Night in Coleman Coliseum, 195.825 to 194.150. Another terrific crowd was on hand to cheer the team on to victory. Bama is now 11-1 and will be off this weekend (February 24^th) but back on the road again against LSU on March 3.

We have a brand spanking new Photo album (and a slide show) for the 2006 PennState/Arizona meet.

• Photo Album: 2006 Kentucky Meet
• Slide Show: 2006 Kentucky Meet

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

196567 bytes 01.We're sure Dana F's vt is higher than .01 Mari

206130 bytes 02.Coach Sarah checks Terin's vt

227296 bytes 03.to it's standup finish