The No. 8 Auburn gymnastics team defeated No. 16 Missouri 197.200-196.625 in Auburn Arena Friday night, the team's third straight meet scoring over a 197.
The 197.200 is the fourth-highest score in program history and the second-highest this season.
"I told the girls at the end of the meet I was really happy that they don’t blink, they just continue to push even when the other team is pushing us close," Auburn coach Jeff Graba said. "I think it’s a good quality that you can just be able to ignore that and put it behind you and continue to plug away. I was happy with how we finished, we finished with a lot of energy. The only drawback I felt all night was we were just starting slow. If we can get past that, we’ll be a pretty darn good team at the end.”
Senior Caitlin Atkinson, who anchored all four routines for the Tigers, won All-Around honors for the third time this season.
“I just kind of go up and I know that my teammates have done what they know how to do, what I trust them to do," Atkinson said. "So when I go up, it’s just to finish it up, have fun, trust myself. Really it’s a lot of having fun with it, especially nearing the end of my career. I’ve been saying it since the beginning, to take it all in. It’s an honor to be able to anchor every event, and I take that very seriously, and I want to do the best for my team.”
Auburn began the night on vault with a 49.150, led by Atkinson's 9.875.
Next up was bars, where the Tigers scored a 49.375. Atkinson again led Auburn with a 9.900.
On beam, Auburn scored a 49.175 and were led by Atkinson's 9.900.
The Tigers finished on floor, scoring a 49.500. Atkinson's season-high 9.950 once again led Auburn.
Graba was happy to see his team, as well as the fan support, staying consistent after top 10 showdowns with Alabama and LSU in previous meets.
"It could have easily been a letdown after Alabama came to town," Graba said. "Again, big thanks to our fans, we needed them tonight. Obviously we needed their support and their energy to get us moving at the end, so we relied on them."
Auburn moves to 4-4 overall and 3-4 in conference play. Next up for the Tigers is a road test at No. 10 Georgia on Friday, March 4 at 6 p.m. CT. The meet will be televised on the SEC Network.
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