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A spirit that is not afraid

Tigers fall to No. 2 Florida on the road in SEC opener

Mar 5, 2021; Auburn, AL, USA; Olivia Hollingsworth competes in beam during the gymnastics meet between Auburn and Arkansas  at Auburn Arena. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood/AU Athletics
Mar 5, 2021; Auburn, AL, USA; Olivia Hollingsworth competes in beam during the gymnastics meet between Auburn and Arkansas at Auburn Arena. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood/AU Athletics

Gator perfect tens were abundant as No. 5 Auburn fell on the road to No. 2 Florida in the conference opener on Friday night.  

With a final score of 197.825-197.150, the Gators took the lead after the second rotation and never looked back. With outstanding all-around performances by sophomore Leanne Wong and graduate student Trinity Thomas, the Gators took home all of the apparatus titles of the night and the win in front of an electric home crowd. 

“I thought we did really well,” said head coach Jeff Graba. “A really aggressive environment. We weren’t really sharp so I thought we fought really hard today. I wish we were a little bit cleaner but I’m really happy with where we are. A decent road score.”


Wong, who collected two perfect tens for the night, won the all-around with a score of 39.825. She scored a ten on the uneven bars and the beam while earning a 9.850 on the vault and a 9.975 on floor exercise, with one judge awarding her a perfect ten. 

Thomas once again showed her excellence on all apparatus and only trailed teammate Wong in the all-around competition, with a final score of 39.725. Earning the other Gator perfect ten on the floor, Thomas scored a 9.925 on the vault, a 9.850 on the beam and a 9.975 on bars. 


With the high-energy atmosphere, Auburn had a few stumbles, but overall had a solid night. The Tigers collected another score above 197 and had their highest rotation score come on their best event: a 49.375 on the beam rotation.

Senior Cassie Stevens and sophomore Suni Lee tied for Auburn’s top all-arounder with final scores of 39.525. Lee’s top score of the night came on both vault and bars, where she scored a 9.900 on both apparatus. Stevens’ highest mark was earned on the on beam with a 9.925. 


“My warm ups were a little shaky so if felt good to go out there and have the confidence to put together a great routine for the team,” Stevens said.

Graduate student Derrian Gobourne also had a good night, competing in three of the four apparatus and did not score lower than her bars’ mark of 9.875. Gobourne anchored the Tigers on the floor rotation and ended her night on a high note by scoring a team-high 9.950.


“I’m excited to get two days of practice and to get some rest,” said Graba. “I’m looking forward to the banner night and the big crowd in Neville Arena.”

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After this meet, the Tigers are looking to shape back up as they face No. 16 Arkansas for their first home meet of the year next Friday, Jan. 20, at 7:30 p.m. CST on SEC Network. 


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