We had a score of 197.650. UCLA came in second with 197.375.

More - Izzy Gould via AL.com - Click here for link

CLEVELAND - The No. 1 seeded Alabama gymnastics team posted the highest score of either semifinal session on day one of the NCAA Championships being held in the Wolstein Center on the Cleveland State campus this weekend and advanced to Saturday's NCAA Super Six Team Final.

"There is so much - individual pressure, team pressure - hanging over everyone's head," UA head coach Sarah Patterson said. "Our goal at the University of Alabama is to always be on the floor the last night of the season and to have an opportunity to compete for a national championship. I think that for us, being in that position as we are again this year, and having that opportunity ... it never gets old and we never take it for granted."

The Crimson Tide posted a 197.050 to win its session while Nebraska was second with a 196.850 and Utah was third with a 196.200. Florida, ranked No. 1 through the regular season, finished just a fraction behind the Utes with a 196.125 while Oregon State took fifth with a 196.100. Host school Kent State finished sixth with a 195.000.

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Maybe I'm beating a dead horse, but this is worth passing along with respect to the Alabama/Auburn firestorm.  Plus, the writer's passion for Alabama and the program's integrity is noteworthy.

Robert DeWitt is a respected senior writer for the T-News, covering everthing from hunting, fishing and political issues.  He is not one to shy away from his feelings.  To wit (pun intended): 

"Several state columnists, including Kevin Scarbinsky of The Birmingham News, have questioned why Calloway switched at the last minute from Auburn to Alabama. The more relevant question all along  has been why did he switch to Auburn after being committed to Alabama for a year and a half?"


and...

"Auburn fans have complained about the influence Calloway’s foster father had over his decision. The more relevant concern was why was his high school coach apparently trying to influence him to go against his father’s wishes? Is the “Auburn Family” like a religious cult where the cult family is substituted for the real family?"

lastly...

"There also appears to have been little effort by Jeffrey Lee of the Auburn Rivals site to do much more than regurgitate internet message board rumors about Calloway. Is it far fetched to believe that the release of what appears to be bogus information was done for little other purpose than deflect attention away from the pay for play allegations at Auburn?.....the Alabama-Auburn “rivalry” is nothing but a cesspool. And I don’t want my alma mater’s football program swimming in it."


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TUSCALOOSA -- There are constants in gymnastics, and there are variables.

Constants include lost footing on the balance beam, missteps on the floor exercise, shuffling feet on vault landings. Not that these are constant problems for an Alabama team that is seeded No. 1 in the NCAA Championships, which start today in Cleveland.

Variables include footwear. Alabama coach Sarah Patterson can't control everything, but she could tell her athletes what they could and could not wear to a banquet Thursday night at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

"How many coaches tell their athletes, 'Do not wear heels'?" Patterson said. "You try to control what you can control. ... Look nice. We've got to meet the standards, but don't wear 5-inch heels. I don't want someone to fall off of them."

The second-ranked Crimson Tide didn't have to be in pumps to be pumped for the year's biggest meet. Patterson is bidding for her fifth national title in 33 years at Alabama.

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The No. 24 ranked University of Alabama baseball team (24-13, 8-5 SEC) defeated the Tennessee Volunteers (19-15, 2-11 SEC) by a score of 8-2 in Thursday night action at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.

The Tide earned the win on the efforts of senior righty Nathan Kilcrease (5-2, 3-2 SEC) who pitched a solid 7.0 innings, allowing two earned runs on seven hits while walking three and striking out five. The win at The Joe marks Kilcrease's fifth of the year, the most for a Tide pitcher at home this season.

"He (Kilcrease) just beats you up with strikes," UA head coach Mitch Gaspard said. "He throws three pitches at any time and typically works ahead. Our team is so confident when he is on the mound. You see us play our best defense when he is on the mound because they are so confident he is going to put us in position to win the game."

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CLEVELAND - For the second year in a row, an Alabama gymnast has earned the NCAA's Elite 88 Award, which is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the final site for each of the NCAA's 88 championships.

Junior All-American Rachel Terry, who carries a perfect 4.0 GPA for her career, was announced as the 2011 winner during the NCAA Championship Banquet, held at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio Thursday night.

"I'm very proud of Rachel and what she's been able to accomplish, both in the gym as a vault All-American and in the classroom as evidenced by this latest honor," UA head coach Sarah Patterson said. "This is such a tremendous accomplishment when you consider how many young women are here this weekend and that all of them work extremely hard in the classroom. For Rachel to have the highest GPA of everyone here is quite something."

Terry follows in the footsteps of 2010 senior Kassi Price, who earned the inaugural Elite 88 last season with a 4.0 GPA of her own.

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Here's another interesting article:

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  at the first line: "Another day, another NCAA investigation of Auburn."

And here you go:

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"BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - The NCAA is investigating Auburn's "Tiger Prowl" one year after the event ended for good, the university said this week.

The Birmingham News made an open-records request to Auburn seeking documents related to any individual NCAA violations from last year's Tiger Prowl, the attention-grabbing recruiting practice that Auburn coaches used while traveling the state. Auburn denied the request, saying that Tiger Prowl is the subject of a "pending investigation" and that Alabama law therefore does not require release of the records at this time. "

TUSCALOOSA -- Nick Saban's endless quest to refine his recruiting pitch has received some unexpectedly hefty endorsements.

New York Jets coach Rex Ryan recently spoke at Alabama's annual football coaches clinic and said afterward he wants to send his youngest son to play for the Crimson Tide to learn football.

Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders and his son by the same name sat on either side of Saban at a February basketball game at Coleman Coliseum. The younger Sanders is an Alabama target for the 2012 signing class.

Even Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana once looked into Alabama as a potential destination for his son Nick. The younger Montana signed last year with Washington.

And consider the latest addition to the Crimson Tide's roster, 6-foot-5, 210-pound wide receiver Duron Carter, the son former All-Pro wide receiver and ESPN NFL analyst Cris Carter.

What is it about Alabama that has these football experts thinking about sending their sons to study under Saban?


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