March 8, 2015
Caitlin Atkinson won her seventh straight all-around with a school record 39.750 and became the first Tiger to win it twice against Alabama in the same season.
By Ethan Brady
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - No. 9 Auburn gymnastics secured a position in the night session at the SEC Championships with its record away team total in a 197.200-197.025 loss to No. 6 Alabama in the Elevate The Stage meet at Legacy Arena in Birmingham on Sunday.
Junior Caitlin Atkinson scored the highest all-around total in program history with a 39.750. The title was her seventh straight all-around. Atkinson also claimed event titles on vault and bars, giving her a total of 48 titles in her career. It was the first time an Auburn gymnast has claimed the all-around title twice in a season against Alabama.
"I thought we did a really good job," head coach Jeff Graba said. "We tightened up on beam, and the pressure of the meet got to us a little bit. I think they tightened up as well. We weren't able to practice a whole lot yesterday because we wanted to keep our girls fresh, and we paid the price a little bit today. In the big picture, we're very prepared now for SEC Championships."
Auburn defeated Alabama on both vault and floor. In the final rotation, Auburn scored a 49.025 on beam. Megan Walker led the team and earned the event title with a 9.925, tying her career-high.
"I'm ecstatic with our girls," Graba said. "We tightened up a little bit, but we're still scoring real well. I told them, `Hey you just proved you can compete with one of the best teams in the country.' We've got to figure out some things on beam, but for the most part I'm excited because we're a heck of a team."
Atkinson earned a career-high 9.975 on bars to give the Tigers a team total 49.325 in the first rotation. Atkinson's previous high was a 9.925 set earlier this season.
"It was great to step up in this meet and come back and show how hard I've been working and what I've been training all year for," Atkinson said. "For me, my bars was ecstatic. Bars has always been a little bit of a struggle for me. To be able to go out there and have a great routine was amazing to earn a 10 from one judge."
On vault, Auburn scored a team total 49.300. Atkinson earned the event title with a career-high 9.950 followed by scores of 9.875 from Bri Guy and MJ Rott.
"To be able to hit routine after routine was great," Atkinson said. "We had a few mistakes here and there, and the team was just excited. We were here to have fun, and we were celebrating stuck landings, great routines, and it showed in our scores."
Auburn will face North Carolina on Senior Night in its final regular season meet Friday in Auburn Arena at 7 p.m. CT. The Arena parking lot will be closed at 4 p.m. to allow for more gymnastics fans to park in the lot.
Single home meet ticket prices are $3 for groups of 15 or more, $5 and $8 general admission, and Auburn University students are free with Ignited Card.
Tickets to the NCAA Regional at Auburn Arena on April 4 at 6 p.m. are on sale now as general admission tickets are $5 and reserved tickets are $8.
Go to AubTix.comfor regular season and NCAA Regional ticket information. For the latest updates on Auburn Gymnastics, follow the Tigers on Twitter, @Auburn_Gym or likehttps://www.facebook.com/AUGymnastics