After notching a score above 197 in last week’s meet versus No. 6 Kentucky, No. 12 Auburn is set to host the No. 7 Florida Gators on Friday, Jan. 19, in its second straight home meet of the season.
"It's exciting to have a premium opponent come to Neville Arena," said head coach Jeff Graba. "I don't think you get better if you don't compete against real quality opponents, but it is a bit of a gauntlet for us this month."
With a score of 196.600 in the 2024 Super 16 Challenge to kick off the season on Jan. 6, the Tigers returned home to host their first SEC meet of the season.
Although the Tigers fell to the Wildcats 197.475-197.025, Auburn finished the meet strong with a floor score of 49.425.
Junior Sophia Groth, senior Olivia Hollingsworth and graduate student Cassie Stevens delivered on floor in the final rotation, with Groth notching a 9.900, Hollingsworth a 9.925 and Stevens a 9.850.
Senior Gabby McLaughlin came in clutch for the Tigers on all three events that she competed. After a fall on bars early in the second rotation, McLauglin delivered a 9.875. She then earned a 9.900 on beam and followed with a career-high 9.900 on floor.
Heading into Friday’s meet against the Tigers, Florida is facing its first SEC foe of the season. The Gators notched a 197.100 in their Jan. 12 home quad win against George Washington, Fisk and Talladega College in the Equality Night meet.
After a 49.275 to open the night on vault, the Gators stumbled on the uneven bars, recording a 48.950.
However, Florida bounced right back on beam and floor, scoring a 49.425 and a 49.450, respectively.
Freshman Anya Pilgrim dominated her entrance into college gymnastics, scoring a 39.525 in the all-around and setting the Florida freshman record for the highest all-around score ever recorded in a gymnast’s first meet.
After notching a 9.925 on the floor to end her night, Pilgrim was then named the SEC Freshman of the Week.
Florida veteran Ellie Lazzari continued to be an anchor for the Gators, matching her career high with a 9.975 on beam to contribute to the No. 2 balance beam rotation in the country.
For the Tigers, getting out to a hot start early is going to be key. Large scores on both vault and the uneven bars are crucial, and Auburn is going to require the sold-out crowd’s energy to do so.
After the first two rotations, the Tigers need to remain steady on the balance beam and then their strongest event, the floor.
As for Florida, the same strategy goes. The Gators need to come out strong, putting up solid scores on both the uneven bars and the vault. After the first half, Florida’s strongest events in beam and floor will make the meet a close one.
"Any time we're at home, it's a great time in Neville," Stevens said. "We really feed off the energy of our crowd, and we love being at home."
If the Tigers can pull off the upset over the Gators, it will be the first time Auburn has ever beaten Florida in program history.
First vault in Neville Arena is scheduled for 5 p.m. CST and will be broadcasted on SEC Network.
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Emily Porch is a senior from Sylacauga, Alabama. She joined The Plainsman in fall 2021.
Twitter: @emilycporch
