Alabama Gymnastics Opens Ashley Johnston Era with 196.975-196.550 Win over Michigan State
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — One might think that stepping into the head coaching role at the school where you won a national championship as an athlete a decade ago might stir up some nerves.
But for Ashley Johnston in her head coaching debut Friday night against Michigan State, it just felt like coming home.
"This feels like I'm just walking in for another meet prepared and ready," Johnston said after the meet. "You know, everybody knows what their job is for tonight, and now all we have to do is just execute. So it's a great feeling.”
And execute is exactly what Alabama gymnastics did. The Crimson Tide beat Michigan State 196.975-196.550 inside Coleman Coliseum Friday night. It was the second highest season-opening score in program history.
Alabama got off to a strong start on vault with a 49.325, and all six gymnasts competing a 10.0 start-value vault. The rotation was highlighted by a 9.9 from senior Makarri Doggette and true freshman Gabby Gladieux anchoring the lineup with a huge Yurchenko 1.5 that scored a 9.825.
It was the start of an impressive night for both gymnasts. Doggette was back in the all around for the first time since her freshman season after dealing with injuries over the last two years. She finished in second place behind Luisa Blanco with a 39.375. Johnston said Doggette's performance was one of the highlights of the meet for her.
"She actually wasn't slated to compete on floor tonight," Johnston said. "But after three events she showed the type of energy and the type of focus that we were really looking to see. So we made a quick switch, put her in the floor lineup and she really thrived and rose to the opportunity. And so I thought that was a big deal.
"We constantly talk about adapting and making sure that we make the most of the moment, and so I think Makarri was a great example of that tonight where there was a great opportunity to step in to, and she did that. And getting back in the all round for her was a really big deal. So I'm super proud of that.”
After the meet, Doggette said it's been a long process to get to this point, but she's learned to trust her body. But tonight was about more than herself. It was also about putting on a strong performance for Johnston in her first meet as head coach.
"Ashley is also an NCAA champion, a national champion, and she's put in so much work for us and just made us such better human beings and gymnasts," Doggette said. "I think we really wanted to show her how much we appreciate her and how much we love her tonight, and I think we all did that.”
The only freshman to debut Friday night was Gladieux. Doggette has been raving about her since the freshman arrived on campus. She competed on three events (vault, balance beam, and floor), closing the night with a soaring floor routine that scored a 9.9. The freshman said she's been dreaming about this moment since she was 11 years old.
"I just wanted to soak it all in," Gladieux said. "I didn't want to get ahead of myself. I just wanted to soak in all the lights, all the sounds, and just kind of be present. And I think I really did that.”
Johnston called Gladieux a stud, and said there are big things coming for the freshman from Greensboro, North Carolina.
"She's got big things coming this year," Johnston said. "I don’t think there’s anybody that tumbles higher than her or vaults higher than her. And the fact that she was able to step into some really crucial positions and stay calm and just kind of do her thing—I think that speaks volumes about the type of athlete that she is. And I think people should be really excited about watching her compete throughout the year.”
Alabama scored at least a 49.125 on all four events. Despite the strong start to the season, the Crimson Tide still left a lot of points out on the mat. Johnston feels that it gives her a good foundation for the team moving forward.
"It was a really great start," she said. "I think we have a good baseline to build from. We definitely had some little mistakes here and there—some bobbles, some landings that weren’t stuck, some handstands that were a little shy, a couple floor landings that were a little off. You could see some nerves out there still. It was the first meet. It's important to get some of those jitters out but I do believe again, the approach was correct. And so now it's about really honing in on those little details that help create that polish that we're ultimately looking for.”
Next up for the Crimson Tide is a road meet at Arkansas next Friday, Jan. 13 at 7:30 p.m. on SEC Network.
Gallery: Alabama Gymnastics Beats Michigan State
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