Gymtide.com: Post Meet Commentary: Alabama Crimson Tide Claims 22nd Regional Champion

[GymBot]

Bama's coaches have been navigating some rather rough waters over the past few weeks in terms of dealing with unexpected injuries to key performers on their #3 nationally-ranked Crimson Tide gymnastics team. For example, sophomore Ashley O'Neal has required extra rest on the floor and balance beam in hopes of keeping her healthy for nationals, while freshman Kassi Price was held out of the Central Regional Championship this past Saturday due to a tweaking of the knee during floor practice on Friday the 13th. As a result, the coaches have had to dig into their storage bin for routines that could temporarily replace these gals and they received a pleasant surprise along the way. Freshman Casey Overton handled lead-off duties on the balance beam like a pro (9.800) while sophomore Amanda Montgomery proved her mettle on uneven bars (9.700) and balance beam (9.775) Saturday night. Meanwhile, sophomore Brittany Magee came through on floor (9.750) with her first competitive routine of the 2007 season. Bama finished 1st (196.700) in convincing style despite the side-lining of two of their clutch performers, led by junior All American Terin Humphrey (All Around winner at 39.475), junior Kaitlin White (hit 3 of 3 events) and freshmen Morgan Dennis (AA - 39.400) and Ricki Lebegern (AA - 39.375). Onto the highlights....


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