Alabama Adapted Athletics Capped Off 2022-2023 Season With a National Championship Sweep

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The University of Alabama Adapted Athletics program's three teams (men's and women's wheelchair basketball and wheelchair tennis) competed in the 2022-23 season. All three won national championships.

Banners on the lightposts outside of Stran-Hardin Arena display the number of national championships (not yet updated to reflect the most recent national championships) that Alabama Adapted Athletics teams have won 
(photo by Elliott Lapin)

Women's wheelchair basketball cruises to fourth consecutive national championship

After finishing the 2022-2023 regular season with an 16-0 record in the National Wheelchair Basketball Association Intercollegiate Division (and a 23-2 overall record, the Alabama women's wheelchair basketball team was the top seed for the NWBA college national championship tournament, which was held at Stran-Hardin Arena on the University of Alabama campus.

The Tide cruised to a 78-34 victory over the University of Arizona in the semifinal game on March 10 behind a game-high 25 points by Ixhelt Gonzalez, who also led the team with six rebounds.

Bailey Moody and Moira Paulus had 12 points each, and Lindsey Zurbrugg had a game-high ten assists (see complete box score from the game: https://bamaadapted.com/documents/2023/3/10/Box_Score_Arizona_at_Alabama_11_March.pdf).

That set up a national championship game showdown with the University of Texas at Arlington Mavericks -- a team that Alabama had beaten four times during the regular season, by margins of 24, 31, 21, and 36 points -- the following day.

Alabama led 18-12 at the end of one quarter before outscoring Texas-Arlington 29-11 in the second quarter to take a 47-23 lead into halftime.

The Tide continued to add to that lead in the second half to finish with an 88-41 victory. 

Five Crimson Tide players had double-digit scoring performances in the championship game: Gonzalez with 17, Mary Silberman with 16, Zurbrugg with 15, and Moody and Paulus with 10 each (see complete box score from the game: https://bamaadapted.com/documents/2023/3/11/Box_Score_Texas-Arlington_at_Alabama_11_March.pdf

It was the program's fourth consecutive national championship and ninth overall.

The University of Alabama women's wheelchair basketball team take a celebratory selfie after defeating the University of Texas-Arlington to win the national championship at home at Stran-Hardin Arena on March 11 
(photo courtesy of Alabama Adapted Athletics)

Men's wheelchair basketball avenges regular season losses en route to national championship

The men's wheelchair basketball team entered the NWBA national championship tournament, which was hosted at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, as the #2 seed after finishing the regular season with a 15-2 record in the NWBA Intercollegiate Division (and a 22-3 overall record).

Alabama opened the tournament with a 61-43 quarterfinal win over the University of Missouri on March behind double digit scoring performances by Ignacio Ortega, Tim Houston, and Parthasarathi Venkatram with 20, 16, and 13 points, respectively (see complete box score from the game: https://bamaadapted.com/documents/2023/4/19/Box_Score_Missouri_at_Alabama_17_March.pdf),  

Alabama's two regular season division losses had come at the hands of the University of Illinois and the University of Arizona (although Alabama beat Illinois in the team's second and third regular season matchups).

Alabama avenged its earlier loss to Illinois with a 66-59 semifinal win on March 17 behind a triple-double by Ortega (19 points, 16 rebounds, and 13 assists), a game-high 21 points by Peter Berry, and 18 points by Houston (see complete box score from the game: https://bamaadapted.com/documents/2023/3/11/Box_Score_Texas-Arlington_at_Alabama_11_March.pdf).

Alabama again turned the tables from a regular season matchup, this time on top-seeded Arizona in the national championship game on March 18, behind another triple-double by Ortega (33 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists), 22 points from Houston, and 12 points from Eric Francis (see complete box score from the game here: https://bamaadapted.com/documents/2023/4/19/Box_Score_Alabama_at_Arizona_18_March.pdf).

The seven-point semifinal win over Illinois and the five-point championship game win over Arizona comprised Alabama's two narrowest margins of victory on the season.

It was the program's fourth national championship.

The University of Alabama men's wheelchair basketball team celebrates after beating the University of Arizona 73-68 in the national championship game on March 18 
(photo courtesy of Alabama Adapted Athletics)

Wheelchair tennis extends national championship streak

The Alabama wheelchair tennis team defeated rival Auburn University to win the United Staes Tennis Association's Collegiate National Championship at the USTA's national campus in Orlando, FL on May 20 to claim the program's seventh consecutive national championship and eighth overall.


The University of Alabama wheelchair tennis team celebrates after beating Auburn University to claim the national championship on May 20 
(photo courtesy of Alabama Adapted Athletics)

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