Jan. 20, 2015
Sophomore
Stillwater, Minn.
By Megan Bifano
Last season, sophomore MJ Rott scored career highs on beam at 9.900 and all-around at 38.925 at the NCAA Regional. The Stillwater, Minn., native also holds career bests of 9.975 on vault vs. LSU, 9.825 on bars against Georgia and 9.925 on floor vs. Alabama.
Rott was named to the SEC All-Freshman team and also earned regular season All-America honors. In addition to scoring her highest score of the season on vault, Rott was also named SEC Freshman of the Week for her performance against LSU. Rott is looking to play a big role again in her second season with the Tigers.
Rott is majoring in Psychology and came to Auburn to challenge herself both inside and outside the gym. During her first season with the Tigers, Rott stepped up to compete all-around and is looking to do the same this season.
Q: Why Auburn?
A: "I chose Auburn because I believe in work ââ'¬¦ Hard work. I chose Auburn because I knew that if I came here, I would find myself in many situations, both inside the gym and in school, where I would have to challenge myself to overcome an obstacle. I knew that coming here and being a student-athlete for the greatest university would make me 10 times the person I was when I first walked on to campus. I would leave here knowing that I had accomplished the two things I came here to accomplish, which are, to get a higher education and to better myself inside and outside the gym."
Q: Who is your celebrity crush?
A: "My celebrity crush would be Tom Hiddleston. He's charming, elegant, sensitive, funny, tall, handsome and has an English accent ââ'¬¦ what else could you ask for? He's the guy that you want to see riding on that white horse coming to save you."
Q: If we were to look on your iPod before a meet, what would be playing?
A: "Most times before a meet you wouldn't find me listening to any particular genre of music. My music could go from Maroon Five to One Direction to T- Pain to Trey Songz or to Kid Ink in a heartbeat. If a song pumps me up, I'm all game. If not, there's a skip button for a reason."
Q: What is your biggest pet peeve?
A: "My biggest pet peeve is when someone chews their gum loudly. That's called smacking your gum. It's annoying, especially in class. Your mouth opens and closes, dear one. Learn how it operates."
Q: What is your dream job when gymnastics comes to and end?
A: "My dream job would be to write articles or stories for the National Geographic magazine. I've always loved reading their articles and stories, even when I was a kid. This has been a late realization, but I believe that working for the National Geographic magazine would put me in situations where I can better myself and give me challenges that help me to do so."
Q: What teammate (past or present) do you look up to and why?
A: "I look up to Rachel Inniss. I always love watching people have fun, and she's the one of the most fun yet serious people that I've meet. It's nice to have a little bit of both. Also, just watching her have fun while she competed is something that I want to accomplish in my next two and a half years here at Auburn."
Q: Do you have any pre-meet superstitions?
A: "I'm not one to believe in superstitions. But, you could call this a superstition: I like to have my meet attire inside my meet bag the day before competition. Now, I feel like that's getting prepared and having one less thing to worry about on meet day, but I do put my leos, grips and bag in the same spot within the bigger bag. I usually just call that habit."
Q: What is your favorite Auburn tradition?
A: "War Eagle! That's my favorite tradition. I love saying War Eagle and having War Eagle said to me, especially when I'm traveling. It just brings a sense of pride and home to me even when I'm in Washington or Minnesota. It's nice to know that I'm home when I'm not home."
Q: What does the Auburn Family mean to you?
A: "The Auburn Family means everything to me. They're people I can lean on for support. They're people that I can go to when I need them the most. I know that the Auburn Family is always going to be there for me when I'm done with college and gymnastics. The Auburn Family is my family away from family. I mean, I believe in Auburn and love it! War Eagle!"