The most important thing to understand about NCAA gymnastics is that the W-L record is not very important in evaluating a squad. Alabama is 5-2, but that doesn’t mean diddly squat. First off, the “losses” came on the road at Oklahoma and Florida – two of the darlings of women’s gymnastics. NCAA judging has been notoriously slanted towards certain programs over the last decade or so, and NO team in the nation is going to get a fair shake when arriving in those arenas. [BTW, Bama’s next meet is in Baton Rouge – home of another puppy-love team who judges get all weak-kneed around.]
The best way to appraise the strength of a team is the National Qualifying Score. The NQS is a ranking system used in college gymnastics to determine which teams qualify for postseason competitions. It is calculated by meet scores, with specific requirements for away and home scores, and helps assess overall performance rather than just wins and losses. Thus, road defeats do not punish a team as long as the score was good. And Alabama has consistently had some good scores this season.
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| Date | VS | OPP | LOC | RESULT | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 9, 2026 | Away | Clemson | Clemson, SC | W, 197.475-196.550 | 197.475 |
| Jan 16, 2026 | Away | Florida | Gainesville, FL | L, 197.275-197.425 | 197.275 |
| Jan 23, 2026 | Home | Missouri | Tuscaloosa, AL | W, 197.500-197.225 | 197.500 |
| Jan 30, 2026 | Home | Oregon State | Tuscaloosa, AL | W, 197.450-195.825 | 197.450 |
| Feb 6, 2026 | Away | Oklahoma | Norman, OK | L, 197.475-198.200 | 197.475 |
| Feb 13, 2026 | Home | Arkansas | Tuscaloosa, AL | W, 197.950-196.900 | 197.950 |
| Feb 20, 2026 | Away | Auburn | Auburn, AL | W, 197.950-197.250 | 197.950 |
The magic number to hit for elite gymnastics teams in 198.00 or higher. Thus far in the season, only five teams have been given such a score, but three of them are calculated below Alabama. The last two weeks, the Crimson Tide has been right on the verge of hitting that mark, but have not reached it as of yet. Despite that fact, Alabama is ranked No. 3 in NQS.
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| RANK | TEAM | NQS | AVE | HIGH | CONF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma | 197.938 | 197.934 | 198.425 | SEC |
| 2 | LSU | 197.735 | 197.693 | 198.325 | SEC |
| 3 | Alabama | 197.570 | 197.582 | 197.950 | SEC |
| 4 | Florida | 197.480 | 197.421 | 198.050 | SEC |
| 5 | UCLA | 197.450 | 197.478 | 198.150 | B1G |
| 6 | Georgia | 197.296 | 197.291 | 197.675 | SEC |
| 7 | Missouri | 197.163 | 197.169 | 197.550 | SEC |
| 8 | Arkansas | 197.150 | 197.072 | 197.700 | SEC |
These numbers say a lot about the Tide’s consistency. It seems every years since legendary Bama gym coach Sarah Patterson retired, an Alabama squad was always destined for an off-day and a sub-197 score. So far, they have had some very strong scores.
Current Alabama coach Ashley Johnston has assembled a solid group of youngsters to match with some upperclassmen leadership. Junior Chloe LaCoursiere is the national leader on the bars. Others to watch include RS-senior Jordyn Paradise (excellent on vault and bars), all-around senior Gabby Gladieux (especially on the floor exercise), freshman Azaraya Ra-Akbar (bars), freshman Jasmine Cawley and sophomore Kylee Kvamme (both on beam).
