Alabama was always going to have a good gymnastics squad. The leadership of Nickie Guerrero and Kiana Winston assured that. But, with the emergence of freshman standout Lexi Graber, solid work by Abby Ambrecht, and Guerrero’s continued development on Floor, ‘Bama has moved from an inconsistent-but-good team to an excellent one that continues to post command performances.

On Friday night’s Elevate the Stage in Huntsville, the No. 6 Crimson Tide completed its season sweep of No. 16 Auburn in a competitive event that saw both teams put up strong performances.

Kiana Winston won another all-around title (though her floor routine was uncharacteristically shaky.) Nickie Guerrero tied junior Abby Ambrecht to take home a vault title. Ambrecht was also solid on the floor, posting the Tide’s second-highest score (9.900). Lexi Graber shined on the beam, tying Kiana Winston and Auburn’s Taylor Trippner for the title. Auburn’s Gracie Day dominated the bars for a title, posting a 9.950, and her teammate Abby Millet was stellar on the floor, winning a title with her 9.950.

Alabama has now won five of its last six meets and has hit 197.00 or more in every event. The regular season concludes next Friday with the biggest regular season out of conference meet in years, when the Tide hosts No. 1 Oklahoma — the Sooners won again this evening, posting their sixth 198.000+ in the process. It should be a battle and a true measure of how well-equipped this squad is to compete in the postseason that begins on March 24th in the SEC Conference Championships in St. Louis.

With two big wins over Auburn on the same day, the natural order has been restored.

Roll Tide