Tigers are the No. 2 seed following a 5th-place finish at the SEC Championships
Senior Julie Dwyer: has been a bright spot on the Auburn gymnastics team all season. The team heads to Penn State this weekend to take on the likes of No. 1 seed Georgia, No. 3 Denver, No. 4 Penn State, No. 5 Brigham Young and No. 6 Iowa State. Kyle Cooper / ASSISTANT PHOTO
The Auburn gymnastics team advances as the No. 2 seed in the Northeast Regionals at Penn State University Saturday.
After finishing their regular season with a 7-8, 0-6 SEC record, the Tigers took fifth at the SEC championship meet March 29 with a score of 196.100.
This score, Auburn’s highest in the Championship since 1986, secured them a national rank of No. 12 and consequently the No. 2 seed.
“What makes it worth it to me is definitely a performance like SEC,” said junior Lindsey Puckett. “When you can hold your own with four of the top 10 teams in the nation, it is pretty incredible.”
At the SECs, the Tigers scored 49.025 on vault, 49.050 on bars, 49.000 on beam and 49.025 on floor.
“We hit 24 for 24 of our routines (at SEC),” said junior A.J. Mills. “That’s been our goal, and that’s our second meet that we did 24 for 24 (the first being against Alabama March 21). So going into regionals, that’s what we want to do again.”
Auburn lost to Alabama in its last regular season competition 197.100 to 195.900.
The Tigers scored 49.200 on beam, 48.875 on bars, 48.950 on beam and 48.875 on floor.
“Win/Loss is not important because our sport is based on score,” said assistant head coach Rachelle Thompson. “Technically you could lose every competition during the season, make regionals, come in second, advance to Nationals and be the NCAA Champion. Crazy I know, but our sport is judged by different individuals each week, so your score places you in the rankings.
Feb. 22, Auburn lost to Arkansas 196.452 to 195.950. However, senior Julie Dwyer scored a career-high of 39.550.
According to secsports.com, both Mills and Puckett made the SEC Gymnastics Superlatives, each with a score of 9.925 on beam at Arkansas.
March 3 in Denver, the team scored 196.600, a season high for the Tigers.
“The best thing about being an Auburn gymnast this year is the team,” Mills said. “We are so close, and not so much close in a lovey-dovey way, but close in that we respect, encourage and support one another in everything we do. We are on a mission and the NCAA Championship is in clear sight.”
The Northeast Regional will be held in the Penn State Recreational Building, with the competition beginning at 5 p.m.
“This is our first year that we have been in the No. 2 seed going into regionals, so that’s awesome, and it gives us all the most confidence that we can actually do it this year and make it to nationals,” said junior Claire Seiffert. “We have a lot of confidence. The last couple of meets we put it all together, and so we expect nothing less at this one. If we do our job, then we should get to nationals.”
Georgia is the No. 1 seed at the Northeast Regionals.
They are followed by the Tigers in the No. 2 seed, University of Denver at No. 3, Penn State at No. 4, Brigham Young in No. 5 and Iowa State in No. 6.
“It’s just an honor to walk in the gym every day and work with 15 student athletes who want to climb to the top, no matter what,” Thompson said.
“What can I say? They are a great group who are going to continue to improve over the next three weeks.”
Junior Claire Seiffert: from Louisville, Ky., performs on the vault at an earlier meet.
Auburn’s rotation at the Northeast Regionals will begin on bars and proceed as follows: beam, bye, floor, vault and bye.
Georgia will begin with a bye and then start on bars. Denver will begin on vault and Penn State will begin on beam.
Brigham Young will also begin with a bye and then start on floor. Iowa State will begin on floor.
Lindsey Puckett, a junior from Lilburn, Ga., was named SEC Co-Gymnast of the Year. Head coach Jeff Thompson was named SEC Co-Coach of the Year after his team’s fifth-place finish at the SEC Championships two weeks ago.
