Jan. 16, 2017
AUBURN, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" The Auburn gymnastics team moved up two spots in this week's RoadToNationals.com rankings and holds the No. 11 slot with a 195.675 average.
The Tigers are coming off a solid performance Friday night vs. nationally-ranked Georgia as the team scored a 196.075.
"I'm glad our performance Friday night moved us up in the rankings, but I still feel we have a lot of work to do," head coach Jeff Graba said. "We are significantly better than what we've shown so far. We have a very tough road test this weekend. Kentucky ranks in the top 10 and is very experienced. They are always tough at home and our young squad is going to have to be on their game."
Oklahoma reclaimed the top spot in the nation, while LSU is slightly behind at No. 2. Florida, Alabama, and Utah close out the top five. UCLA, Denver, Missouri, Kentucky, and Nebraska all rank in the top 10.
Auburn ranks in the top 20 in all four events, including tied for 12th on bars with a 49.013 average. The Tigers are tied for 13th on floor (48.950), tied for 17th on vault (48.900), and are 18th on beam (48.813).
Following a career-tying score of 9.950 on floor, senior MJ Rott moved up to 15th nationally in the event with a 9.887 average.
Auburn takes to the road for the first time this season, traveling to nationally ranked Kentucky. The Tigers and the Wildcats face off at 6 p.m. CT in Lexington, Jan. 20, and the meet will stream on SEC Network+.
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