In No. 19 Auburn gymnastics' home opener, the Tigers defeated No. 12 Arkansas 197.075-196.250 in front of 6,229 fans for their first conference win.
Auburn's 197.075 was the third-highest score in program history.
Head coach Jeff Graba said the crowd was definitely something the team leaned on throughout the meet.
"It was fantastic to see this crowd out here," Graba said. "It was absolutely exciting for us, and I think our girls really appreciated it. I think they leaned on the crowd pretty heavy."
Senior Brittany Webster said she also thought the crowd was a big contributor to the team's performance.
"I think all of us just went out there and had the best possible time that we could," Webster said. "Having the crowd there and feeding off of everybody was just amazing."
Auburn junior Caitlin Atkinson won the all-around title for the second consecutive meet with a 39.450.
Graba said he has come to expect these kinds of performances from the All-American.
"I hate to say it, but I sort of expect that from Caitlin," Graba said. "She's sort of our rock. This team needs that right now, and she's doing a great job for us."
Auburn started with a 49.125 on vault, led by sophomore M.J. Rott's 9.900.
Led by Kait Kluz's and Caitlin Atkinson's 9.925 scores, Auburn scored an all-time program record 49.525 on the bars.
Graba said he was pleased to see the team finally put everything together on the bars.
"I was hoping that they would start putting it together on bars," Graba said. "It was really nice to see. They rose to the occasion there. We're telling them they're a good bar team, it's nice that they can prove it to themselves."
On the beam, Auburn scored a 49.150. Senior Megan Walker scored a 9.900 to lead the Tigers in the event.
Even though the Tigers struggled in the event, Graba said he liked the response he saw from his team.
"We had four girls just put that behind them and rally and do a great job, so I'm taking that as a positive because that's a step forward from what we did at Florida," Graba said.
Auburn finished the meet on the floor, scoring a 49.225. Webster led the Tigers with a 9.9 and said she enjoying her performance in front of the home crowd.
"Floor is my favorite event, so I just went out there and had the best time possible," Webster said. "Feeding off the crowd helped a whole lot because after, I listened and I heard everybody cheering."
The win moves the Tigers to 2-1 on the year and 1-1 in the conference. Auburn's next meet is Friday, Jan. 30 in Auburn Arena vs. Air Force.
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