Just two days after an emotional, record-setting meet against Florida, the Auburn gymnastics team traveled to Huntsville, Alabama to participate in the "Elevate the Stage" quad meet against Alabama, Arkansas, and Georgia.
The No. 6 Tigers scored a 197.750 to place second in the meet, behind the No. 7 Crimson Tide’s 198.000, but ahead of the Razorbacks’ 196.800 and the Bulldogs’ 196.200.
The Tigers' 197.750 was yet another program record, tying the record for largest road score set at LSU earlier this season.
"We knew this was going to be hard," said Auburn head coach Jeff Graba. "The team came in with a strong mindset and it showed today. This is a really good score and a really good performance for a team coming off such a high 36 hours ago."
In previous seasons, the Tigers’ score would have set a program record. This season, however, the 197.750 was just Auburn’s third-highest score.
Once again, Suni Lee won the all-around title. Lee’s 39.700 led the five contenders for all-around, beating the second-place performer, Alabama’s Lilly Hudson, by .200.
Lee’s score included a 9.925 on floor and vault, a 9.875 on uneven bars, and a 9.975 on balance beam, with one judge giving her a ten.
Due to the number of teams participating in the meet, and in a change from standard procedure, Auburn started the meet competing on floor exercise.
"This is a tough meet and we had the hardest rotation starting on floor, so I'm really pleased with how this team handled the challenge," Graba said.
The Tigers continued their consistency on the floor, scoring a 49.425 and not counting a score lower than 9.850. The Tigers were led by Lee’s 9.925 and Derrian Gobourne’s 9.900.
On vault, the Tigers had their lowest event score of the competition but remained consistent. Auburn earned a 49.350 but did not have to count a score below a 9.825. The Tigers were paced by Lee’s 9.925 and Cassie Stevens’ 9.900.
On bars, Auburn scored a 49.550, its highest event total of the competition. Once again, the Tigers showed consistency, not counting a score of below 9.875 and having three gymnasts score 9.9 or higher. Aria Brusch earned a 9.925 and Sophia Groth scored a 9.9 on the event, but leading the way was Gobourne, who scored a career-high 9.975 on the event and won the event title.
"I've been having trouble on bars lately, so before I went I told myself I would not be defeated by this," Gobourne said. "I wanted to compete it how I train, and I knew I could go out there and put a really great routine together."
The Tigers concluded the meet on beam. Auburn’s score of 49.425 was the highest of any team on beam and capped off the ninth consecutive meet score of 197 or higher for the Tigers. For the fourth meet in a row, Lee earned a beam score of 9.975 or higher. The score of 9.975 earned Lee the beam title. Additionally, Groth scored a 9.925 and Stevens earned a 9.9.
It was another close meet for the Tigers, as just a quarter of a point separated the them from the Crimson Tide, who won the meet. It was Auburn’s sixth meet in which first and second were separated by half a point or less.
With postseason competition just two weeks away, Graba expressed pride in his team’s focus and performance as the regular season winds down.
"We came in here to compete for us, and the goal is to keep our eye on the horizon,” Graba said. “We rose to the challenge today and I couldn't be happier."
The Tigers return to action on Saturday, when they visit Ann Arbor, Michigan for a meet against West Virginia and the Michigan Wolverines in the final meet of the regular season. The tri-meet includes two teams in the top five, as Auburn improves to No. 5, while Michigan, last year’s national champion, will be ranked second in the nation.
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Matthew is a senior from Huntsville, Alabama, majoring in journalism. He started with The Plainsman in fall 2021.
Twitter: @mattwallaceAU
