Jan. 16, 2015
By Ethan Brady
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - No. 21 Auburn gymnastics fell at No. 3 Florida 197.200-195.650 in the SEC opener Friday in the O'Connell Center as junior All-American Caitlin Atkinson won the all-around title with a 39.500 and the event title for beam with a 9.925.
"We were much improved over last week," Auburn head coach Jeff Graba said. "I felt like we did a really good job handling the environment. The first three events were really good. Caitlin had a huge meet. She did a great job tonight, and we expect to see more of that from her."
The Tigers started on bars with a 48.950 led by a 9.825 from Atkinson. Then, Atkinson's 9.900 on vault helped the Tigers earn a 49.150 in the routine. Bri Guy earned a 9.800 in her first vault of the season.
"I felt like I did what I've been practicing," Atkinson said."A few things were off here and there, but I made it work. We always say 'fake it until you make it' so it was covering up little mistakes and doing what I know how to do."
On vault for Florida, freshman Alex McMurtry scored a 10.000 to give the Gators a total of 49.300 for the routine. The perfect score was the second on vault this season for Florida.
At the halfway point of the meet, Florida led Auburn 98.825-98.100.
"We made a lot of little errors in the first events and some big ones on beam," Graba said. "Everything is correctable, but we have to work hard and get them done to be successful."
On the floor, the Tigers scored a 49.075 led by a 9.8500 from Atkinson and a 9.825 from senior Lexus Demers. In its final event, Auburn recorded a 48.475 on beam.
"We got a little out of control and fast on beam," Graba said. "We were pushing a little bit and maybe the pressure got to us there, but overall an improvement."
The meet, which had a crowd of 6754, aired on the SEC Network and was the first live televised SEC gymnastics competition in league history.
"We had a lot more energy and just went out there and had a lot of fun," Guy said. "I did a fairly decent vault, and I'm so happy to be back in the lineup."
Auburn will host its home opener against Arkansas next Friday, Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. CT in Auburn Arena.
Season ticket prices for five home meets vs. Arkansas on Jan. 23, Air Force on Jan. 30, LSU on Feb. 13, Georgia on Feb. 27 and North Carolina on March 13 are as follows:
Reserved Chairback Floor: $50
Reserved Chairback Premium: $40
Family Four Packs: $120
Faculty/Staff: $20
For the latest updates on Auburn Gymnastics, follow the Tigers on Twitter, @Auburn_Gym or like https://www.facebook.com/AUGymnastics