> > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Devonna Snuggs > Sent: Friday, April 22, 2005 8:58 AM > To: 'RollTideFan - University of Alabama Athletics Discussion List' > Subject: RE: [RollTideFan] Alabama Ready to Compete for a > Fifth NCAAChampionship > > > how did the competitions turn out last night? Anyone know? > I just haven't had time to look into it. >
Georgia, Tide in Super Six SEC rivals advance to NCAA gymnastics finals Friday, April 22, 2005 By EVAN WOODBERY Sports Reporter AUBURN -- Alabama's path to a gymnastics national championship has been complicated by the unexpected presence of an old rival. The Tide qualified for the final day of the NCAA team competition with a score of 197 Thursday night at Beard-Eaves Coliseum. But Alabama will be joined by the resurgent Georgia GymDogs, who paced the evening competition with a 197.375. UCLA (197.025) also qualified for the Super Six, while Utah (196.85), Michigan (196.575) and Nebraska (195.875) made the field from Thursday's early session. The final round begins tonight at 7. "It's one thing to coach to advance," Alabama coach Sarah Patterson said. "It's another thing to coach to win." Alabama and Georgia have the most notorious rivalry in college gymnastics, and Patterson and Georgia coach Suzanne Yoculan have bickered frequently as they built two national powers in the Southeast. In February, Patterson implied that Yoculan was cheating by providing inaccurate information about Georgia's gym equipment during a meet in Athens. Yoculan shot back: "I resent my integrity being questioned every single time I'm around (Patterson)." But the rivalry looked like a moot point this weekend, as Georgia barely qualified for the NCAA Championships and entered the competition with the lowest regional score of all 12 teams in the finals. Yoculan could only promise before Thursday's meet that Georgia wouldn't finish in last place. Instead, the GymDogs' strong outing has injected even more suspense into tonight's finals. Alabama opened Thursday with a strong performance in the floor exercise, its traditional strength, but couldn't deliver knockout scores in the vault. "I think our ladies rocked on the floor," Patterson said. "We can get better (Friday) night on our landings on the vault. We can pick up some tenths (of a point) there." The Tide was vulnerable to a challenge from SEC rival Florida, but the Gators underachieved on the uneven bars. By the final rotation, there was little doubt that UCLA, Georgia and Alabama would qualify for the Super Six. Thursday night's scores have no bearing on tonight's competition, when the teams will start from scratch. LSU (195.8) was eliminated in the early session. The fourth-place finish was a huge disappointment for the Tigers, who had performed well in the regional competition. "There is not better feeling than having the opportunity to compete for a national championship," Patterson said. "This is the deepest field I have ever seen in my 27 years of coaching." _______________________________________________ RTF mailing list RTF@rolltidefan.net http://rolltidefan.net/mailman/listinfo/rtf_rolltidefan.net
