No. 8 Auburn Opens 2017 Hosting No. 13 Oregon State Friday

Jan. 4, 2017

Auburn Notes

AUBURN, Ala. -- The No. 8 Auburn gymnastics team kicks off another season Friday, hosting No. 13 Oregon State in Auburn Arena, Jan. 6. The Tigers and the Beavers square off at 7 p.m. CT with March-In starting at 6:45 p.m. CT. The meet will be broadcast on SEC Network+.

"This has been one of our best preseasons during my time here at Auburn and I believe we could be an extremely good team this year as long as we figure it out," head coach Jeff Graba said. "We are very young and Oregon State is in the same boat as us. They are a really good program as well. I think both teams are going to be figuring out a lot about ourselves Friday night and we're really excited about it."

EVENT INFORMATION
It's Youth Night in Auburn Arena Friday and kids are encouraged to dress up as their favorite character! Princesses and Stormtrooper characters will be in the Kids Zone prior to the meet, while snowflake wands and light sabers will be given out while supplies last.

Free ticket vouchers are available for fans to pick up at various locations in Auburn and Opelika.

• Auburn Bank (Gay Street, S. Donahue & Bent Creek)
• Burger Fi
• Chicken Salad Chick
• Chick-Fil-A
• Momma Goldberg's
• Newks

Fans are able to purchase tickets at AUBTix.com. General Admission tickets are available for $6, while Reserved are $8. Tickets for groups of 15 or more are $3 apiece. Fans are encouraged to arrive before 6:45 p.m. CT and to take advantage of Auburn's "Print-at-Home" ticket feature to avoid lines at the ticket office.

Shuttles will run continuously for fans from the Athletic Complex and McWhorter Center parking lots from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

For more meet day information, visit http://www.auburntigers.com/facilities/gym_arena.html.

IN THE RANKINGS
The Auburn gymnastics team is picking up where it left off last season and has already set a new program best. The Tigers were picked No. 8 in the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches/Women (NACGC/W) Preseason Poll, marking the highest preseason ranking in program history.

"Being ranked eighth is very rewarding for this young team," Graba said. "It means a lot because it is a poll of peers and other coaches around the country. This ranking is yet another record for Auburn gymnastics and I believe it shows that all our hard work continues to pay off."

Three Southeastern Conference teams rank in the top five, while all eight league schools are among the top 25. Oklahoma is ranked No. 1 with LSU (2), Alabama (3), UCLA (4), and Florida (5) following. Utah, Michigan, Auburn, Georgia, and California round out the top 10.

SCOUTING OREGON STATE
The Oregon State Beavers enter the 2017 season as the No. 13 team nationally according to the NACGC/W Preseason Poll. The squad is under the direction of Tanya Chaplin in her 20th season at OSU. The team finished with a 20-7-1 overall record in 2016, concluding the year with a third-place finish at the NCAA Athens Regional.

The Beaver roster boasts six seniors including All-Americans Erika Aufiero, Madeline Gardiner, and Kaytianna McMillan. Gardiner is a three-time All-American on balance beam, while McMillan earned the national honor on bars last season. Aufiero, who missed all of 2016, received AA honors on bars in 2015.

UP NEXT
Auburn remains at home next week, hosting No. 9 Georgia in a big SEC meet. The Tigers and the Bulldogs square off at 6 p.m. CT in Auburn Arena and the meet will be televised on SEC Network.

For the latest on Auburn gymnastics, follow @AuburnGym on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AuburnGym.