After a ninth-place finish at the 2026 SEC Championships last week, Auburn gymnastics will have an opportunity to compete for a national title.
The Tigers learned during Monday’s selection show that they have earned a bid to the NCAA postseason, as head coach Jeff Graba and company are set to compete in the Baton Rouge Regional from April 1-5.
The Baton Rouge Regional consists of nine squads, including No. 2 LSU, No. 15 Clemson, No. 7 Stanford, No. 10 Michigan, North Carolina, Utah State, Air Force and Nebraska, all vying for a spot in the NCAA National Championship in Fort Worth, Texas, from April 16-18.
“The good news is that we’ve been there before and should be acclimated to the arena and we know our competition to a certain extent competing with two teams already in our first session,” Graba said. “We should have confidence going into this meet as long as we take care of business.”
Auburn will take the stage in the night session of the NCAA Regional second round on April 2, where the Tigers are slated to face LSU, Clemson and the winner of the play-in between Air Force and Nebraska.
The afternoon session before Auburn’s opening appearance will feature Stanford, Michigan, North Carolina and Utah State. The top two squads from each of the two sessions on April 2 will advance to the regional final on April 4.
From there, the top two finishers from the four-team regional final will receive automatic bids to the NCAA National Championship. Additionally, the top all-around competitor who is not on an advancing team, and the top event specialist in each event who is not part of an advancing team or the all-around competitor, will also advance to the national championship in that event only.
“We’re really excited to continue on in the postseason,” junior Julianne Huff said. “We’ve competed in Baton Rouge already this year and this is a place we’re really comfortable with.”
Auburn hasn’t exactly received the results it may have desired for this season, as the Tigers enter the postseason at 8-20 overall and 0-8 in the SEC.
Graba’s group began the year with a victory over No. 23 NC State, but followed the season-opening win with five consecutive head-to-head losses. The Tigers finished the regular season winless in the remaining four dual meets, but they picked up two victories over Pittsburgh and No. 14 Clemson at the 2026 Elevate the Stage Invitational in Huntsville, Ala.
The Tigers kick off postseason action on April 2 at 7 p.m. CDT inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, as they seek their first NCAA National Championship berth since 2022.
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Gunner is a sophomore majoring in journalism. He started with The Plainsman in the fall 2024.
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