On Thursday, April 17, the members of the 2025-2026 Auburn University Tiger Paws team were annouced on the back steps of Cater Hall. Eager candidates and their families and friends waited to see whose names would be announced.
The Tiger Paws are Auburn Athletics’ official dance team and known for performing at football games, basketball games, pep rallies and other sporting events. The 20 members of the team are also active members of the Auburn community, taking part in community service and activities all around the area.
The callouts began at 4:30 p.m., with Head Coach Darby Scarborough welcoming the students and thanking them for their support.
“We’re just so thankful for your interest in our program. We truly hope and pray that you will find your space here on campus in Auburn, we hope to see all of you around this fall,” Scarborough said.
Morgan Robinson, a junior in biomedical science, was selected as the 25-26 Tiger Paws Captain earlier this month, then announced the 19 girls who would join her on next year’s team. The girls took their place on the stage with cheers and applause, with especially enthusiastic cheers from the new members and their families.
Incoming freshmen Lily Kate Sobera from Birmingham and Ellie Seabrook from Tennessee have been dancing for 15 and seven years respectively, and they were both among the new members selected for the Tiger Paws. They both expressed just how excited they were to be on this team, with Sobera commenting that being a Tiger Paw has been a lifelong dream.
Coach Scarborough, who has worked with Tiger Paws for nine years and has been the Head Coach for three, described the try out process for becoming a Tiger Paw.
“[Wednesday] we had a round where they performed solos and our fight song, and then the girls who made it to semifinals were invited to a clinic last night where they learned a hip-hop dance, a pom dance and a sideline,” Scarborough said.
Thursday morning the girls performed each new dance in groups of three. Then those invited to finals had a round of interviews, where each girl had the opportunity to speak with the judges.
Coach Scarborough then shared what preparations for next season will look like.
“We don’t have much time, ‘cause we get started with Camp War Eagle, which will start at the end of May, so we very quickly start practicing and getting ready. But we are so thankful for those Camp War Eagle pep rallies ‘cause they help us get ready for football,” Scarborough said.
Beyond cheering for the athletic teams and giving back to the community, the Tiger Paws allows the dancers to find a place at Auburn and form strong bonds with each other. Alison Dojonovic, a junior in marketing, shared what being on the Tiger Paws means to her.
“It means everything to me, especially being on the team for three years. I’m just so blessed to get to have all the opportunities that this program provides,” Dojonovic said.
Abby Word, freshman in nursing, shared what the student body can do to support the Tiger Paws.
“Cheering whenever we’re dancing. It means the world to us when we hear people cheering for us,” Word said. “We’re always cheering for the other sports, but it’s always like we’re in the background, so I think that would mean the world to us.”
Word also expressed her love for the team, adding, “I’ve made so many new friends and new memories that I just want to continue to make with a whole new squad, and I think it’ll just be an awesome year.”
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