Alabama Gymnastics 2020 & big shoes to fill in 2021

Alabama gymnastics were flying high and looking to avenge its loss against its rival, Auburn in the “Elevate the Stage” meet. The team was looking to score its fourth straight and sixth total score, of 197 or better in Birmingham, Alabama which would have tied the most in a regular-season since 2017. However, COVID-19 hit the United States and ended the season.

Despite not knowing what could have been for the 2020 Alabama gymnastics team, there were many bright spots to reflect on throughout the season. The most notable was on January 31, all-around rising senior Lexi Graber scored a 9.875 on beam to capture the program's first win in Baton Rouge, Louisiana since 2012.

(photo credits: Hannah Saad)

On February 14, Alabama displayed the true meaning of a team, playing for one another. Rising junior Griffin James led off the floor rotation and tore her achilles on the first pass and was unable to finish her routine. The team decided to dedicate the rest of its floor performances ‘for her,’ James, and posted a scored of 49.525, which is an average of 9.9 for each performance.

Alabama sent out seniors Shea Mahoney, Maddie Desch and Wynter Childers by beating Georgia in Coleman Coliseum. The senior class finished with a perfect 4-0 record against the Bulldogs.

Rising sophomores Makarri Doggette and Luisa Blanco secured their starting roles in the lineup during their first year in Tuscaloosa. Both Doggette and Blanco were named to the SEC All-Freshman team, both won an SEC specialist of the week accolade, and each collected five-event titles throughout the season. Doggette was also named an All-American on the uneven bars, which made her the 75th over-all Alabama gymnast to be named an All-American.

(photo credits: Hannah Saad)

There will be shoes to fill in the vault, bars and floor lineup since Mahoney and Desch exhausted their last year of eligibility in this past season. Mahoney averaged 9.825 on vault, 9.87 on the floor and was ranked 32nd nationally, 9.87 average, on bars. Desch averaged 9.81 on vault and was ranked 30th nationally, 9.88 average, on the floor.

Graber looks to lead the pack this upcoming season as she has been a staple in the all-around lineup since her freshman year. She was the 20th ranked all-around competitor nationally in 2019. Graber had a team-leading 10 meet titles in 2019, eight-event titles and two all-around titles.