The No. 5 Auburn Tigers were unable to secure their first road win against an SEC team this season, falling to the No. 16 Missouri Tigers 197.450-196.550. Auburn is 2-3 in conference meets this season, with all three of its losses on the road.
Missouri scored a season-high 49.450 on vault and bested Auburn in all four events of the night. Missouri’s Jocelyn Moore scored her first perfect 10 on the vault to clinch the event title.
Auburn had season-low scores on the bars, vault and beam. It was the first meet this season in which Auburn scored below a 197.
Sophomore Sophia Groth won the all-around despite the team loss. She scored a 9.750 on bars and vault, a 9.900 on floor and a 9.875 on beam, bringing her total score to 39.275 for the night and securing her first all-around win.
Auburn rested many of its main competitors in multiple events. Suni Lee only competed on bars and beam, Derrian Gobourne did not compete on floor and Cassie Stevens did not compete on bars.
Lee scored a 9.950 on bars but took a tumble off the balance beam during her routine, scoring a 9.450. Gobourne scored a team-best 9.875 on vault and Stevens earned a team-best 9.900 on the beam.
“We came in knowing we had to rest people. It’s that time of year, plus we’re pretty beat up,” said head coach Jeff Graba. “We wanted to give some new people some opportunities. I thought for the most part we handled ourselves pretty well. I thought we got better tonight.”
Auburn’s best score of the night came on the floor. Without Lee and Gobourne, Auburn managed a 49.375 on the floor, largely due to Groth and Olivia Hollingsworth’s depth in the event. Groth and Hollingsworth shared the team’s best score for the event, each earning a 9.900. It equaled Groth’s season-high score and tied a career-best score for Hollingsworth.
Finishing the night on beam, Auburn started shakily with Hollingsworth taking a stumble and Lee finishing the night with a fall, leading the team to a meet-low score of 48.95. It was the first meet all season that Auburn has scored below 49 on any apparatus.
“We showed our nerves and I think some of our veterans tried to do too much, but I was really happy with the last two events,” Graba said. “I felt like they kept their heads on straight, tried to stay in the game. They didn’t turn tail and run.”
The Tigers will look to get back on track when they face the No. 19 Georgia Bulldogs on Friday, Feb. 24 at home. The meet will begin at 6:30 p.m. CST and will be televised on SEC Network.
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.
Grace Heim is a junior from Enterprise, Alabama, majoring in English Literature. She started with The Plainsman in January 2023.
