Feb. 8, 2017
AUBURN, Ala. -- The No. 16 Auburn gymnastics team will take on the nation's top team Oklahoma Friday, Feb. 10, in Oklahoma City. The Tigers and the Sooners face off at 6:45 p.m. CT in the annual Perfect 10 Challenge held in the Cox Convention Center.
"We are excited to embrace the fact that we're going up against a high-quality team in Oklahoma," head coach Jeff Graba said. "We'll be on the podium again and that will be very beneficial for the postseason. I'm really excited at where this team is after all the adversity we've faced recently and am looking forward to us putting it all together this weekend."
IN THE RANKINGS
The Auburn gymnastics team moved up in the recent RoadToNationals.com rankings and is the 16th-ranked team with a 195.717 average.
The Sooners hold strong to the top spot nationally, while LSU, Florida, Utah, and UCLA round out the Top 5. Alabama, Michigan, Boise State, Georgia, and Kentucky are Nos. 6-10.
Behind a season-high score of 49.375 last Friday, the Tigers moved up to No. 6 nationally on bars with an average of 49.121. Auburn stands 18th on floor (48.933), 19th on vault (48.929), and 22nd on beam (48.733).
SCOUTING OKLAHOMA
The Oklahoma gymnastics team stands at 7-0 on the season and is coming off a quad meet win vs. Denver, Nebraska and TWU. The Sooners have a season average of 197.760 to rank No. 1 nationally. The team is also the top squad in the nation on bars (49.460), beam (49.410), and floor (49.475).
Individually, freshman Maggie Nichols ranks No. 1 in all individual events nationally. She is averaging a 39.785 in the all-around and is on top in vault (9.940), bars (9.945), beam (9.945), and floor (9.955).
AUBURN/OKLAHOMA SERIES HISTORY
Oklahoma leads the all-time series with a 7-3 overall mark. The series dates back to 1990 when the teams opened the season at Alabama.
Auburn won three of the first four meetings, first beating the Sooners in 1990, 183.300-181-950. The Tigers bested OU again in 1997 at home (193.850-189.850). Auburn's last W vs. the Sooners came at the NCAA Central Regional in 2003 where the Tigers advanced to the NCAA Championship with a 196.350. Oklahoma finished fourth that night at 196.300. Since then, the Sooners have topped the Tigers four times during the regular season and twice in the postseason.
UP NEXT
Auburn continues its road swing, facing No. 6 Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The Tigers and the Tide will go head-to-head at 7:30 p.m. CT, Feb. 17, live on SEC Network.
For the latest on Auburn gymnastics, follow @AuburnGym on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AuburnGym.
| Auburn's Projected Lineup | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Vault | Bars | Beam | Floor |
| 1. Emma Engler | 1. Kendal Moss | 1. Kullen Hlawek | 1. Katie Becker |
| 2. Katie Becker | 2. Samantha Cerio | 2. Samantha Cerio | 2. Samantha Cerio |
| 3. A'Miracal Phillips | 3. Kelsey Kopec | 3. Katie Becker | 3. Lucia Scaglione |
| 4. Taylor Krippner | 4. Taylor Krippner | 4. Emma Engler | 4. Kullen Hlawek |
| 5. MJ Rott | 5. Emma Engler | 5. Emma Slappey | 5. Emma Slappey |
| 6. Gracie Day | 6. Gracie Day | 6. Taylor Krippner | 6. MJ Rott |
| Alt: Kelsey Kopec | Alt: Katie Becker | Alt: Gracie Day | Alt: Gracie Day |