The University of Alabama gymnastics team has one last fence to clear on its season-long steeplechase. Friday night’s NCAA national championships semifinal, in which Alabama must finish in the top three to progress, is the last stumbling block between the Crimson Tide's perennial self-described goal: to be on the floor on the last night of the season, competing for a national championship.
“I equate to a horse that’s been on a long ride when they see the barn,” Tide coach Dana Duckworth said. “It’s a full sprint, whatever I’ve got left. Whatever’s in the tank is gone full throttle, because this is it.