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A spirit that is not afraid

Watson, Gobourne earn All-American honors

"Having two regular-season All-Americans in one year is a phenomenal accomplishment for this young team," Graba said. "I think the future is extremely bright as we will now have a lot of experience to go along with such a dedicated team."

Drew Watson before her balance beam performance
Drew Watson before her balance beam performance

Despite cutting their season short, two Auburn gymnasts junior Drew Watson and sophomore Derrian Gobourne were selected as Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) All-Americans. 

The honors marked the first time since 2015 that a pair of Tigers were recognized in the same season.

Watson was named to the first team for her vault performances this season as she finished with a 9.92 National Qualifying Score and tied for seventh nationally. Watson led the Tigers all season while scoring a 9.9 or above in seven out of their 10 meets. 

Watson’s season-best was a 9.975 at Arkansas in February. This was also her personal career-best and tied an Auburn program record for vault. Watson is the first All-American Tiger on vault since 2016. 

"Drew has been steadily improving her vault each year she's been here," head coach Jeff Graba said to Auburn Athletics. "It's rewarding for us to see that she is finally getting the recognition she deserves for all of her dedication and hard work. I'm proud of her and am excited to see what she will do next year."

Gobourne was named to the second team for her performances on bars. She is the first Auburn gymnast to receive an All-American honor in bars. Gobourne finished with an NQS of 9.905 which tied her for 14th nationally. 

"I believe Derrian was focused all summer on improving all of her events," Graba said. "Being the returning national champion on vault gave her confidence and she definitely took that to the uneven bars this year. I'm very proud of all the hard work she put in all year and am looking forward to another year with her pushing for greatness."

The Sarasota, Fla., native had five scores of 9.9 or better on bars for the Tigers this season. This included three 9.925s, setting a career best with those scores. Her first 9.925 came against Alabama (Jan. 10), helping the squad top the Crimson Tide and giving Gobourne SEC Specialist of the Week honors.

Overall, Gobourne came away with four titles on bars this season.

"Having two regular-season All-Americans in one year is a phenomenal accomplishment for this young team," Graba said. "I think the future is extremely bright as we will now have a lot of experience to go along with such a dedicated team."


Mattison Allen | Sports Writer
Mattison Allen

Mattison Allen is a senior from Springville, Ala. She's majoring in public relations communications with the goal of becoming a sports information director one day. 

@mattcurtlynn

mca0049@auburn.edu


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