Auburn gymnastics will enter a hostile environment for the NCAA Regional, but it is one they are familiar with. The No. 13 Tigers will travel to Baton Rouge, La., for the second time this year for the meet Saturday, April 5.
Along with host No. 3 LSU, the meet also features No. 10 Stanford, No. 21 Arizona, Kent State and Iowa State.
Back on January 24, Auburn posted the top road score in program history at LSU with a 196.850. This success, according to head coach Jeff Graba, will benefit his team.
"I think it gives us quite a bit of confidence," Graba said. "One of the dilemmas when you go to one of these regional meets is that many times you have never been on the equipment before."
Sophomore Lexus Demers echoed her coach as the team began preparations for the trip to Baton Rouge.
"We are definitely at an advantage," Demers said. "It's immensely helpful that we have already been there, and we know how the equipment works, how the bars swing, how the beam bounces and so it will be easy to settle in."
The Tigers are coming off a fifth place finish at the SEC Championships on Saturday, March 22, in Birmingham.
Junior Megan Walker thinks the team is ready for the challenge of the NCAA Regionals after the team won the SEC Championships' afternoon session for the second season in a row.
"We are finally at a point where our lineups are settled in and people know their position," Walker said. "It's now all about mindset."
After one of the best starts in school history, the Tigers faded slightly down the stretch following a season-ending injury to Bri Guy. Auburn recovered with a strong finish to the SEC schedule in Birmingham. Now the team is ready for the all-important start to the national meets.
"The whole season, we have been working for this meet because we have the talent and the skills and put in the hard work," Demers said. "I don't want to say it is make or break, but this meet is where we can shine and show our potential."
The Tigers will not be intimidated by the opposing crowd, having already competed in tough places like Alabama, Kentucky and LSU.
"It's a young team, but I think they have been seasoned with the SEC schedule," Graba said. "We have had adversity this year, but they have risen to the occasion. In the end, it comes down to being in the moment and being sure you hit your event."
Demers said she thinks the energy of an opposing crowd can be a good thing.
"You can use the energy of the crowd, whether it is negative or positive, in your favor to motivate you," Demers said.
Walker knows the home advantage for LSU will be strong at Regionals, and the Bayou Bengal faithful does not make it easy for visiting gymnasts to compete.
"Last time I was at LSU, I began to wobble on a skill and their student section tried to boo me off the beam," Walker said. "I started to hear that and I said, 'Okay, that [falling off the beam] is not happening.' I regained my composure and completed a good routine."
The Tigers are seeking to earn a place in the NCAA Gymnastics Championships, which will also be held in Birmingham on April 18-20.
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