No. 12 Auburn gymnastics looks to pull off its second conference upset of the season as the Tigers travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Friday to face No. 3 LSU.
The Tigers sit at 5-5 (1-3 SEC) and average 197.079 per meet, ranking fifth nationally on beam, 12th on vault and floor and 18th on bars.
Auburn is coming off a conference win over in-state rival No. 9 Alabama where it bested the Crimson Tide 197.725-197.050, earning a season-high score and taking home season-high scores on three events – vault, beam and floor.
“I felt like we did a good job at the beginning of the year identifying that we had great potential and then believing in our potential,” said Auburn head coach Jeff Graba. “Now we are starting down the road of actually performing up to our potential.”
Auburn has seen consistency in its floor routines, where it ranks 12th nationally and averages 49.408, and improvement on the balance beam. The Tigers are fifth in the nation on the beam, averaging 49.250 after a season-high 49.475 against the Crimson Tide in their last meet.
The Tigers brought home a season-high 49.525 on floor against the Tide as they continue to improve in the event. Sophomore Hannah Hagle, who competed second in the lineup, scored a 9.9, followed by three straight 9.9s from her teammates.
“I think we can be unstoppable,” Hagle said. “Not only on floor, but I think if we channel what we did on floor to the other three events this team is unstoppable.”
Graduate student Cassie Stevens continues to shine for Auburn, taking a career-high 39.700 all-around score in the Tigers last meet to claim the all-around title. Stevens also picked up a career-high on beam in Auburn’s last meet, taking home a 9.975 and a perfect 10 from one judge.
Stevens ranks 19th nationally in the all-around competition, averaging a 39.500.
LSU is coming off a 197.625-197.075 win over Georgia and currently sits at 3-1 in the SEC. The Bayou Bengals rank second nationally on floor, third on vault and bars and ninth on beam, averaging 197.596 a meet.
Haleigh Bryant, a senior at LSU and SEC Gymnast of the Week, achieved an impressive all-around score of 39.750 during the Tigers’ victory against No. 19 Georgia. Taking a 10 on the balance beam, Bryant joined an elite group as the 14th gymnast to achieve a gym slam in collegiate competition, that is scoring a perfect 10 in every apparatus.
LSU has two gymnasts who rank in the top 25 nationally in the all-around competition. Bryant ranks No. 1 with an average of 39.740, and Kiya Johnson ranks 21st with an average of 39.465.
Auburn is 6-12 against LSU and has never beaten the Bayou Bengals on the road.
No. 12 Auburn will travel to No. 3 LSU on Friday, Feb. 16. The meet begins at 8 p.m. CST and will be televised on the SEC Network.
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Grace Heim is a junior from Enterprise, Alabama, majoring in English Literature. She started with The Plainsman in January 2023.
