Alabama Gymnastics Wins NCAA Championships
Advances to NCAA Championships

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 was no different.

Alabama came 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 24^th consecutive NCAA Championship. It was a career best for Banville and a season best for Humphrey and Rightley.

Alabama won the regional with a 196.475, followed by Oregon State with 195.800 points. 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, Sacremento State followed in fifth with a 192.050 while Boise State brought up the rear with a 189.850.

“It is a tribute to our total team effort that our two Olympians can have sub-par meets and we still won our 21^st NCAA Regional title,” Alabama head coach Sarah Patterson said. “We learned a tremendous amount about ourselves tonight. We got stronger as the meet went on and finished under pressure with our best balance beam performance of the season – that is what champions are made of. We can make tremendous improvements and it shows that on any given night, anything can happen.

Humphrey won the balance beam, while senior Ashley Miles and freshman Brittany Magee tied for top honors on the vault and the floor exercise. It was Miles fourth consecutive NCAA Regional floor and vault titles.

“Brittany Magee was amazing tonight,” Patterson said. “Ashley Miles has nerves of steel and a competitive desire that is second to none.

Alabama scored a 49.150 on the uneven bars with a 9.9 from freshman Melanie Banville. Senior Mari Bayer scored a 9.85, sophomore Terin Humphrey went 9.825 and Miles got the Tide started with a 9.8.

The Tide posted a meet best 49.100 on the vault behind matching 9.9s from Magee and Miles to close out the rotation. Alabama got the night started with a 48.875 on the floor exercise, paced by 9.9 scores from Miles and Magee. Rightley posted a 9.75 while freshman Ashley O’Neal got the Tide started with a 9.725.

Joining the Tide and Oregon State at the 2006 NCAA Championships will be Georgia, Florida, Arkansas, LSU, Nebraska, Michigan Utah, Oklahoma, Arizona State and Iowa State. It will be the third time that the Southeastern Conference has put five teams in the NCAA Championships, 1993 and 2003 being the other two.