Auburn Gymnastics head coach Jeff Thompson announced two new gymnasts will join the team next fall.
Abigail Habicht and Aliaksandra Tsikhanovich have signed national letters of intent to attend Auburn University and participate in gymnastics in the 2011 season.
"There is nothing better than putting a lot of time and effort into the recruitment of kids," Thompson said. "They come to visit and you keep your fingers crossed that they love it as much as you do. That moment when they tell you yes is an amazing thing."
Habicht, who trains at Orlando Metro Gymnastics in Orlando, was named the 2009 National All-Around Champion at the USA Gymnastics Junior Olympic National Championships.
The Orangewood Christian High School senior is currently a member of the U.S. National Team.
"We expect her to come in and make an immediate impact on all four events," Thompson said of Habicht.
Tsikhanovich is a five-time Ohio State Champion, two-time regional champion and was named the national champion on floor exercise in 2008 at the USA Gymnastics Junior Olympic National Championships.
The former U.S. National Team Member was born in Belarus and now trains at Integrity Gymnastics in Plain City, Ohio.
"She (Tsikhanovich) is a super talented gymnast," Thompson said. "She has been trained in the classic Russian gymnastics style since she was a young girl. She is a very gifted gymnast and one of the best floor workers in the country."
Seniors Krissy Voss and Carmen Nelms agreed the team is looking forward to competing with Habicht and Tsikhanovich next fall.
"They're both amazing gymnastists," Voss said. "Sometimes freshmen are considered the newbies and some think they don't serve much importance, but really freshmen can completely change the dynamics of a team and can affect it just as much as a senior that has been there for four years. They have the potential to be a huge impact."
The team said it's excited about its first home competition against Alabama in January.
Alabama was the No. 2 team in the country last year, and Auburn has not defeated Alabama at home in more than 30 years.
"We're healthy right now," Thompson said. "We haven't had the depth in the past to have two full line ups, so that says a lot. We're pleased with where we are, we are right on track with our training plan and we expect to be completely ready for our first home meet with Alabama."
Nelms said she is eager to face Alabama at home for their first meet of the season.
"I'm really looking forward to that," Nelms said. "We still have a month to go to keep preparing. I think we are moving in the right direction."
Voss said pre-season training has kept the team on track for where it needs to be at the start of the season, and this year the team is focusing on core values.
"Basically it's a lot of hard work, but we improve every single day," Voss said. "This year we are kind of working on the whole package. We are obviously training our gymnastic skills, but also our character in addition. We are training ourselves on team chemistry and continuity; we are training all aspects of ourselves. We've been communicating a lot more."
The Tigers open their season Jan. 8, 2010, at 7 p.m. in Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum.
"It is one of those seasons where we can do something that has never happened in the history of our team," Thompson said. "We can really make some milestones this year at home."
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