Gymnastics earns top seed at NCAA Regional
The Tigers are headed to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where they will compete with No. 7 Michigan, No. 18 Stanford, Eastern Michigan, Penn State and New Hampshire.
The Tigers are headed to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where they will compete with No. 7 Michigan, No. 18 Stanford, Eastern Michigan, Penn State and New Hampshire.
The 196.975 is a program-record at the SEC Championships in North Little Rock, Arkansas, and the Tigers will now move on to NCAA Regionals.
Celebrating her last meet in Auburn Arena, Atkinson won the all-around title with a season-high 39.725, along with securing all four event titles.
Both the No. 6 ranking and the 197.120 RQS score are program records, and the five-straight 197 scores mark a first for the program as well.
Seniors Caitlin Atkinson, Lexus Demers and Kait Kluz were honored before their final meet in Auburn Arena, and though some tears were shed, Atkinson was proud that they were able to put the feelings aside and perform.
Since that meet, Auburn has taken the next step in its quest for a second-straight NCAA Super Six berth. The Tigers have posted their four highest scores of the season, including three straight 197's and the first win against Alabama in 117 meets.
Auburn has now been ranked in the top 10 for 21 consecutive weeks, and the No. 7 ranking is the highest Auburn has ever been ranked at this point in a season.
It was yet another record-setting night for the Tigers, as the team set or tied 11 season or career highs and posted its highest road score in program history.
The Tigers posted their third-straight 197+ score in last week's win, and the 197.200 is the fourth-highest score in program history.
Senior Caitlin Atkinson, who anchored all four routines for the Tigers, won all-around honors for the third time this season.
The eighth-ranked Auburn gymnastics team posted its best road score of the season in a 197.825-197.125 loss at No. 6 LSU.
The Tigers posted a 196.775 to finish second behind No. 2 Oklahoma on Friday.
No. 10 Auburn gymnastics will be without two top freshmen moving forward, as A'Miracal Phillips and Emma Engler suffered season-ending injuries against Arkansas on Friday, Jan. 29.
Auburn gymnastics dropped one spot in this week's national rankings following a 196.600-195.975 loss at No. 8 Arkansas.
The ninth-ranked Auburn gymnastics team lost to No. 8 Arkansas in Fayetteville 196.600-195.975, the team's third-straight loss.
"I actually like the fact that we're frustrated right now,” Graba said. “When I first got here, I think our first year we never scored a 196. The fact that we're going three 196s and we're frustrated and two of them are on the road, that's a pretty big deal for this program right now."
After falling to No. 1 Florida on Friday, the Tigers dropped a single spot to No. 9 in the nation.
The Tigers fell to the No. 1 Gators in front of the second sellout crowd in Auburn gymnastics history.
After splitting the week with a wain against Kentucky and a loss to Alabama, the Tigers fell just one spot in the national rankings.
The Tigers dropped their 117th-straight meet to the Crimson Tide, as they struggled on the final two events.