March 1, 2017
AUBURN, Ala. -- The No. 18 Auburn gymnastics team completes its regular season SEC schedule Friday, March 3, at No. 15 Missouri. The two Tiger squads will face off at 7 p.m. CT in Columbia, Mo., on SEC Network+
"This is a tough place to compete and Missouri is having a very good year," head coach Jeff Graba said. "They have a lot of experience and are very good at home. This will be a good challenge for us. We are better on the road then we are at home which is typical for a young team that loves the underdog role. We need to embrace that mentality and do something great this weekend."
IN THE RANKINGS
Auburn stands at No. 18 this week in the RoadToNationals.com RQS rankings with a score of 196.090.
Oklahoma remains first at 197.990, while LSU (197.695) and Florida (197.495) hold on to Nos. 2 and 3. UCLA is fourth (197.305), while Utah closes out the spots at fifth with a 197.180. Alabama, Denver, Georgia, Oregon State, and Boise State are in spots 6-10.
The Tigers rank in the Top 20 in all four events this week. Auburn is No. 13 on bars (49.145) and 18th on beam at 49.075. The team's 49.075 on floor ranks 19th, while its 48.980 on vault is tied for 20th.
Individually, sophomore Taylor Krippner is in the tied for 24th nationally on beam with an RQS score of 9.880. The Cypress, Texas, product set a career high Friday vs. LSU, scoring a 9.925 in the event. Sophomore Emma Engler is tied for 33rd on bars at 9.865 after recently earning back-to-back 9.9s. Senior and vault specialist MJ Rott is tied for 39th in the country with a 9.845 RQS.
SCOUTING MISSOURI
The Missouri gymnastics team is 15th this week in the RoadToNationals.com RQS rankings with a 196.145. The squad is coming off a 196.750 at Florida last week, scoring the second-highest road score in program history.
Freshman Ashton Tucker is having a solid season so far for MU and is 23rd nationally in the all-around at 39.150. Sophomore Britney Ward is eighth on vault (9.910) and tied for 11th on beam (9.895), while freshman Kennedi Harris is tied for 12th on floor (9.905).
AUBURN/MIZZOU SERIES
Auburn holds a solid 24-7 record vs. Mizzou all time and is 10-0 in the last 10 meetings. AU has been successful on the Plains and at neutral sites vs. Missouri, holding a 17-0 mark. The teams, however, are tied in meets competed in Columbia, 7-7.
The two Tiger squads last met in Auburn last year with the home team coming away with a 197.200-196.625 victory. Auburn's most recent visit to Columbia had the team come away with a then-program record road score of 196.875, topping Mizzou's 195.800 in 2015.
UP NEXT
Auburn caps the regular season with a non-conference meet vs. Pittsburgh in Auburn Arena. The Tigers and the Panthers square off at 7 p.m. CT, March 10, and the meet will serve as Auburn's Senior Night. The team will honor Kullen Hlawek, Kelsey Kopec, MJ Rott, and Lucia Scaglione prior to the meet.
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. Katie Becker | 1. Katie Becker | 1. Kullen Hlawek | 1. Katie Becker |
| 2. Emma Engler | 2. Kelsey Kopec | 2. Samantha Cerio | 2. Gracie Day |
| 3. A'Miracal Phillips | 3. Taylor Krippner | 3. Katie Becker | 3. Lucia Scaglione |
| 4. Taylor Krippner | 4. Samantha Cerio | 4. Emma Engler | 4. Emma Slappey |
| 5. MJ Rott | 5. Gracie Day | 5. Emma Slappey | 5. Kullen Hlawek |
| 6. Gracie Day | 6. Emma Engler | 6. Taylor Krippner | 6. MJ Rott |
| Alt: Kelsey Kopec | Alt: Kendal Moss | Alt: Gracie Day | Alt: Samantha Cerio |