Auburn gymnastics earned its highest road score of the season against No. 1 Florida on Friday.
The Tigers had their final road meet of the season and ended the night on a high note despite the loss. Auburn scored 197.025 overall, its highest road score of the season. This falls as the Tigers’ third-highest score so far.
It also broke a program record, becoming the fourth-best road score in program history.
“We have a mentally tough team and I’m so proud of how they handled things tonight,” said head coach Jeff Graba. “To go on the road and to get this score against the No. 1 team in the country really shows the grit of our young team. What I take away from tonight is that we still have a lot in the tank and that’s so encouraging.”
Junior Derrian Gobourne stole the show with her career-best 39.575 in the all-around. Gobourne has been a powerhouse for Auburn all season and tonight was no different. She started with a 9.9 on bars followed by a 9.875 on vault.
She received another 9.95 on floor, which she also received against LSU on her home turf. The average included a perfect 10 from one judge. She then rounded out her night with a career-best 9.85 on beam.
“The real thing for us tonight was to see how Derrian finished on beam and she did what we see in practice every day,” Graba said. “It’s fun to watch and to see her return to the all-around.”
Once again, Auburn’s lineup included a young team with 17 routines being performed by underclassmen. Regardless, the Tigers kept its tradition of “bests” with 10 routines beating or tying career and season-highs.
The Tigers opened on bars with a 49.325. Sophomore Adeline Sabados tied her career-best with a 9.85. Along with Gobourne, sophomore Aria Brusch led with a 9.9. Auburn continued to the vault with a 49.150. Here, senior Drew Watson met a season-best with a 9.9.
Halfway through the rotations, Auburn hit the floor led by Gobourne. Sabados also contributed with her career-high 9.85. Finally, the Tigers closed with a 49.375 on beam for their season-high as a squad.
“The crazy thing is that we are definitely one of the youngest teams in the country,” Graba said. “If we do it right this year, we’re going to be good for years to come. We’re so excited to see this young team continue to blossom and establish a strong foundation for us.”
Auburn will finish the regular season against No. 6 Arkansas Friday in Auburn Arena. The meet is set to begin at 7 p.m. CST and will air on SEC Network-plus.
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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.
