With just one regular-season meet left to go, the Alabama gymnastics team has dropped out of the top 10 in the latest rankings.
The Crimson Tide checks in at No. 11 this week with its 196.82 National Qualifying Score. Alabama most recently defeated Auburn with a season-high 197.1 – its first 197 or better this season – but remember how its NQS is calculated. The top three road scores are taken (197.1, 196.9 and 196.85), followed by the next best three scores overall (196.85, 196.8 and 196.7). The highest is then dropped, and the remaining five are averaged.
If Alabama stays 11th, it’ll no longer be seeded in the night portion of the 2019 SEC Championships on March 23. That’ll go to Florida, LSU, Georgia and Kentucky since they are the top four SEC teams. Alabama would end up with Auburn, Missouri and Arkansas in the afternoon session.
This is Alabama’s lowest ranking since Week 2 when it was 17th.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma hasn’t let go of its No. 1 spot all season. The Sooners host the Crimson Tide this Friday. OU has a 198.025 NQS. UCLA is in second with a 197.885. Florida is third with a 197.675. LSU and Denver round out the top five in order with a 197.475 and 197.365, respectively.
Coaching accomplishment
Dana Duckworth unknowingly reached a career milestone last Saturday. Alabama’s victory over Auburn marked Duckworth’s 100th win as head coach. She took over the gymnastics program in 2014.
“Time flies,” Duckworth said. “I feel like, wow, how did that happen so fast? Five years have flown by, and you just continue to learn more and more about your team, your team’s development, the focus on chemistry, grit, sports psychology and belief systems. And it really transfers into your own development, too. I’m honored. Let’s get 100 more.”
