It’s hard to dethrone the king.
The Alabama football team didn’t win its 18th national championship this past season, but its runner-up finish was the best among UA athletic teams in the 2018-19 year.
For the fifth straight year and sixth time in nine seasons, the football team took the No. 1 spot in the annual rankings of Alabama sports.
The football team finished 14-1, its only loss coming against Clemson in the national title game. The last time the football team didn’t hold the top spot in The Tuscaloosa News rankings was for 2013-14, when it checked in at No. 5 after finishing the season 12-2, despite being ranked No. 1 in the country for most of that season.
Alabama’s softball team jumped from sixth in last year’s rankings to No. 2 after a 60-10 record with an SEC title and a semifinal appearance in the Women’s College World Series.
Women’s track finished in seventh place in both the indoor and outdoor NCAA championships and earned the No. 3 ranking.
Men’s and women’s golf were second and third, respectively, last season, but the men fell to No. 8 and the women were No. 7 this year.
Men’s swimming jumped four spots to No. 4 after a seventh-place showing in the NCAA Championships.
Baseball, women’s basketball and soccer finished at the bottom of the list.
Alabama Football
Record: 14-1
SEC record: 8-0
SEC finish: First
National finish: Second
Softball
Record: 60-10
SEC record: 18-6
SEC finish: SEC champions, second in SEC tournament
National finish: Semifinals of Women’s College World Series
Women’s track
SEC finish: third indoor, fifth outdoor
National finish: seventh indoor, seventh outdoor
Men’s swimming
SEC finish: sixth at SEC Championships
National finish: Seventh at NCAA Championships
Men’s track
SEC finish: Fourth indoor, fifth outdoor
National finish: Eighth indoor, 10th outdoor
Gymnastics
Record: 6-7
SEC finish: Third
NCAA finish: Third at NCAA regionals
Women’s golf
SEC finish: 11th in stroke play
NCAA finish: Tied for eighth at Auburn Regional
Men’s golf
SEC finish: 14th
NCAA finish: 11th at Athens Regional
Men’s basketball
Record: 18-16
SEC record: 8-10
SEC finish: 10th
NCAA finish: First round NIT
Women’s swimming and diving
SEC finish: 11th at SEC Championships
NCAA finish: 34th at NCAA Championships
Men’s tennis
Record: 16-11
SEC record: 5-7
SEC finish: Second round SEC tournament
NCAA finish: First round NCAA regional*
*Runner-up in NCAA doubles championships
Rowing
Conference: Second in the Big 12 Championships
NCAA finish: Did not make postseason
Women’s tennis
Record: 18-12
SEC record: 6-7
SEC finish: First round SEC tournament
NCAA finish: First round NCAA regional
Men’s cross country
SEC finish: Sixth
NCAA finish: Sixth in South Regional
Women’s cross country
SEC finish: Ninth
NCAA finish: Eighth at South Regional
Volleyball
Record: 20-12
SEC record: 7-11
SEC finish: Seventh
NCAA finish: Did not make postseason
Baseball
Record: 30-26
SEC record: 7-23
SEC finish: Seventh in SEC West
NCAA finish: Did not make postseason
Women’s basketball
Record: 14-17
SEC record: 5-11
SEC finish: 11th
NCAA finish: Did not make postseason
Soccer
Record: 8-8-3
SEC record: 1-6-2
SEC finish: 11th
NCAA finish: Did not make postseason
