The Alabama gymnastics team opened its 2026 season with a big road win, traveling to Clemson, South Carolina, to defeat the Clemson Tigers 197.475-196.550 at Littlejohn Coliseum. The Crimson Tide’s score broke the program’s highest season-opening total in Alabama gymnastics history by .350 of a point.
“I’m extremely excited about how this team started out tonight. One of our main goals was to compete like it was our sixth meet of the season, and not like it was our first, and I feel like our team competed with a lot of poise and confidence,” said Alabama head gymnastics coach Ashley Johnston.
Alabama delivered a complete performance across all four events – uneven bars, vault, floor exercise, and balance beam – highlighted by standout efforts from its freshman class. Azaraya Ra-Akbar, the 2023 Elite Canada floor exercise champion, made her collegiate debut with a sensational 9.975 on the uneven bars, earning the event title as she anchored the Tide’s opening rotation. Fellow freshman Jasmine Cawley, a 2023 national champion in the balance beam, also impressed in her first collegiate meet, contributing two 9.900s as she captured individual event titles.
“Their approach, all around, was exactly what we’ve been talking about, what we wanted to see them bring to life. They had a lot of personality, they had a lot of fun, they stayed calm, had cool heads, were composed, and that’s really what it’s all about – when they can get themselves into that place, they’re able to perform at a really high level,” Johnston added.
Next up for the Crimson Tide is a road trip to Gainesville, Fla., to face the Florida Gators on Jan. 16. TG
