Despite holding the lead after the first two rotations, No. 11 Auburn was unable to defeat No. 1 Florida on Friday night, with the Gators earning the victory, 197.1-196.7
Auburn showed great improvement from its tough loss to Arkansas last Sunday, but Florida’s impressive performances in the uneven bars and balance beam events led them to victory.
Auburn had strong performances in both the vault and floor exercise events, winning the vault by nearly half a point. Even with the loss, it was a performance that showed significant improvement and hope for the Tigers moving forward this season.
Bryn Bartman performs her floor routine with her teammates copying her in the background during the meet against Florida on Jan. 23, 2026 in Neville Arena in Auburn, Ala.
Sophomore Marissa Neal had a career performance for the Tigers on Friday night, recording the highest all-around score of any gymnast in the meet (39.375) and earning scores of 9.9 in both the floor exercise and balance beam events. This marked Neal’s second straight meet leading the Tigers in the all-around and her best combined score of the season.
Sophomore Keko Jong also made a triumphant return from injury, scoring a 9.850 on the uneven bars, which tied for the best score on the team with Olivia Greaves and Alex Irvine.
The gymnastics team cheers for one of their teammates after she performed her vault routine during the meet against Florida on Jan. 23, 2026 in Neville Arena in Auburn, Ala.
The two other scores of 9.9 or higher for the Tigers came from junior Julianne Huff during her impressive floor exercise routine (9.900) and junior Paige Zancan during the vault event (9.900).
Huff has now scored a 9.875 or higher in all three of her floor routines this year. Along with Sophia Bell, Zancan has emerged as a premier vaulter for the Tigers, currently averaging a score of 9.9 on the vault this season.
Auburn continued its dominance in both the vault and floor exercise events, outscoring the Gators 49.175–48.600 on the vault and scoring a 49.300 on floor.
The vault event saw Auburn take the lead after Florida suffered an injury during its second rotation. Auburn had four of its six gymnasts score a 9.825 or higher in the event.
Auburn’s highest-scoring event was the floor exercise, with everyone in the lineup recording a 9.8 or better. The Tigers currently rank in the top ten nationally in both the vault and floor exercise events this season.
Even with a variety of bounce-back performances for the Tigers, several standout performances from the Gators proved to be the deciding factor. Florida’s dynamic duo of Skye Blakely and Selena Harris-Miranda each scored 9.9 or better in all three of their events. Senior Riley McCusker’s near-perfect score of 9.975 on the uneven bars helped secure the Gators’ victory not only in that event, but in the meet as a whole.
The Tigers will look to break their losing streak while continuing their progress next Sunday as they face No. 5 Georgia. With the SEC being a powerhouse in gymnastics, it is undoubtedly shaping up to be a fun and competitive season.
The Auburn gymnastics team performs swag surf before the final section of the meet against Florida on Jan. 23, 2026 in Neville Arena in Auburn, Ala.
Make sure to catch the Tigers on Sunday, February 1st, at 5:00 p.m. CST as they take on the Bulldogs in hopes of earning their first SEC meet win of the season.
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Jonathan is a freshman majoring in industrial and systems engineering. He started with The Plainsman in the fall of 2025.
