No. 15 Auburn tied its season-best Friday night with a 196.700, and the team looks to maintain that momentum moving into the Quad Meet on Sunday afternoon.
"We just need to perfect the things we already have," said Gracie Day.
It was an all-around solid performance for the Tigers Friday night as they set season-highs on floor and on bars. The team gave their home crowd one last performance this season before moving into an all-important Quad Meet with Rutgers, Central Michigan and host New Hampshire.
The seniors were busy on their night to be honored, and Graba will be relying heavily on his experienced gymnasts to lead the way late in the season.
Day has been one of the more impactful members of the team this season, and that showed as she shared the floor title with Derrian Gobourne Friday night. Day also scored a 9.8 on the vault and a 9.875 on bars to round out a busy night for the senior. The San Antonio, Texas, product is one of the biggest voices on the team, and she will be a competitor to watch as she tries to prolong her career with late-season success.
Its one of the busier times of the season for the team and Graba will have to monitor the health of his squad with so much action happening.
"We are going to have three meets in 14 days again. We are just trying to make sure we don't overtrain, but train enough to be sharp," Graba said.
The team got the day off practice Tuesday in what normally is a rigorous practice day. Graba is trying to ensure that his team is trending up coming into the latter part of the season.
"It's easier to get on a role, but you've got to make sure you're on a role in the right direction," Graba said.
This late in the season, a Quad Meet with three other competitive teams will be one way for Auburn to mirror the atmosphere of a postseason environment.
"There's just more chaos going on around you. You don't have to wait as long, it will be good prep for postseason," Graba said.
This meet requires a different level of focus from the athletes as four events will be conducted at once as opposed to two in a dual meet.
"You hear cheering from all over the arena. The floor, the vault, the bars and the beam," Day said.
Graba spoke about how his team will have to handle the chaos, but his team seems ready to take on the challenge.
"I think our team strives in that environment because we are a very chaotic team," Day said.
The Tigers have never faced Central Michigan or New Hampshire but they have matched up with Rutgers. In 2018 the Tigers beat the Scarlet Knights 196.575-194.225 in the two teams’ only meeting.
Auburn will compete at 12 p.m. CST on Sunday, and it will be a perfect chance for the team to make a statement before the postseason begins.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
