September 29, 2007

Tide gymnastics schedule a prep for national championships

By Tommy Deas
Sports Writer

TUSCALOOSA | The University of Alabama gymnastics team will have a taxing home schedule in 2008 and an even more demanding road slate.

The Crimson Tide will face three-time defending NCAA champion Georgia in Coleman Coliseum on Friday, Feb. 1, and also host rising national power Florida as well as Illinois, Arkansas, Penn State and Auburn.

Alabama will be tested on the road in early march, when it travels to the West Coast to face Stanford and Nebraska in a tri-meet on March 7 and then goes to UCLA two days later for a four-way meet with the Bruins, Arkansas and Cal-Fullerton.

In all, the Tide will face five of the top six finishers from last year’s NCAA Championships. Florida finished third, with UCLA fourth, Stanford fifth and Nebraska fifth.

“Yet again our schedule is exceptionally competitive,” Alabama coach Sarah Patterson said. “I think it takes us out of our comfort zone and puts us in a different environment.

“It’s not a schedule that’s designed to go undefeated. It’s designed to prepare us for the national championships.”

Illinois will travel to Alabama for the first time since the 1998 NCAA Regional to open the season on Friday, Jan. 11. The Tide will travel to Auburn a week later for the Tigers’ breast cancer awareness meet, then visit Kentucky on Jan. 25 before hosting Georgia.

After hosting its own “Power of Pink” breast cancer awareness meet against Arkansas on Feb. 8, Alabama will have a weekend off before visiting LSU on Feb. 22. The Tide will host Florida on Feb. 29 before making the two West Coast stops the next weekend.

Alabama will host Penn State on March 14 and Auburn on March 21 to close out the home schedule. All home meets are set for Fridays at 7:30 p.m.

The SEC Championship will take place on Saturday, March 29, in Duluth, Ga. The NCAA regionals will be held April 12 at six campus sites around the country, and Georgia will host the NCAA Championships on April 24-26.

Patterson notes that Alabama’s schedule includes 11 teams that finished in last year’s final top 25.

The Arkansas meet will be televised on ESPN2 on tape delay. The Georgia meet will be carried by Fox Sports Net on tape delay.

“I think we have a great home schedule,” Patterson said. “We’ve got the No. 1 and No. 3 teams in the country from last year.

“It is the most demanding schedule we’ve had in a long time.”