Auburn Gymnastics took their third loss of the season to the Florida Gators on Friday night despite earning a season-high road score, losing 196.825 - 197.625. This is Auburn’s second SEC loss after losing to Oklahoma in the American Gold Collegiate Championship on January 4.
“I am very proud of this young team for fighting all the way through despite being down a couple of athletes and dealing with some sickness,” head coach Jeff Graba said. “Getting a season-high road score at this point and in this environment is an accomplishment.”
After a few meets with shaky starts to vault, the Tigers had a strong performance on the vault tonight, scoring 49.3 for a season-high. Senior Sarah Zois led the team with an outstanding anchor performance of 9.9, a career-high that earned her a shared event title with Florida’s Leanne Wong. Paige Zancan and sophomore Julianne Huff each added a helpful 9.85. Freshman Katelyn Jong continued her strong season so far, giving a career performance and tying her personal best with a 9.875. Jong also competed in the all-around like usual, coming in third behind Gators Wong and Selena Harris-Miranda with a 39.350.
“It was good to see vault start to settle down and be predictable,” Graba said. “Bars was an uncharacteristic performance, but it was great to see vault bounce back for us.”
The uncharacteristic performance Graba was referring to is a 48.925 on the bars. Senior Sophia Groth and sophomore Alex Irvine both scored a strong 9.9 to lead the way. While most routines went smoothly, the team had to count Bryn Bartman’s 9.45 in place of Olivia Greaves’s unfortunate 9.125.
While the meet had a rough start on bars for Auburn, it had a strong finish on the beam, as the Tigers scored a 49.425 led by Groth and Gabby McLaughlin. Greaves had a shot at redemption for her earlier mistakes on the bars and took it, scoring a 9.825. Groth tied her career high with a 9.95, while McLaughlin finished the rotation for the Tigers with a season-best 9.925. The two upperclassmen have been great leaders for this team both on and off the mats throughout the season.
“It was really nice to see Sophia and Gabby settle in and perform at such a high level in this tough venue,” Graba said. “They are really showing our young people how to perform under pressure.”
Auburn also performed well on floor, scoring 49.175. Greaves and Groth led the Tigers, both scoring a 9.875. Freshmen Jong and Sophia Bell also contributed, scoring 9.825 and 9.85 respectively.
The Tigers currently sit fourth in the SEC rankings and look to improve their standing as the end of the season as well as the NCAA Gymnastics Championships slowly inch closer.
Auburn Gymnastics will be back in action with another SEC matchup against Alabama on Friday, Feb. 21 at 7:30 pm CST in Tuscaloosa. The meet will be available to watch on ESPN.
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Jackie is a freshman majoring in Drug and Biopharmaceutical Sciences. She started with The Plainsman in fall 2024.
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