March 10, 2017
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AUBURN, Ala. -- The No. 20 Auburn gymnastics team capped the regular season at home Friday night, defeating Pittsburgh in Auburn Arena, 196.300-194.200.
"We still obviously have a little work left to do, but definitely a step in the right direction," head coach Jeff Graba said. "I'm a little relieved for the seniors because you never know what you're going to get on Senior Night. I was actually pleased with their performance. They rose to the occasion. They did what they could do and it's nice to go out in style that way."
The Tigers honored their four seniors -- Kullen Hlawek, Kelsey Kopec, MJ Rott, Lucia Scaglione - prior to the evening's events.
The home team also swept the event titles on the night with Rott taking the vault and floor titles. Freshman Gracie Day picked up her first bars victory, while redshirt freshman Emma Slappey and sophomore Samantha Cerio shared the beam win. Freshman Katie Becker went on to take the all-around title with a 38.925.
Auburn (1-10) exceled in the final rotation, setting a season-best score on floor with a 49.325. Highlighting the event was Rott and Hlawek as the seniors capped the rotation for the Tigers. Rott tied a career best with a 9.95 in the anchor spot to take away the title, while Hlawek tied a season best at 9.9. Scaglione added a 9.85 and Day tied her career best with a 9.85 as well. Becker and Slappey each finished with a pair of 9.775s for AU.
The Tigers kicked off the evening on vault and came away with a 48.875 as a team. Rott, of Stillwater, Minn., won the apparatus with a 9.85. Sophomores A'Miracal Phillips and Taylor Krippner followed with a pair of 9.8s, tying a season-best for Phillips. Becker and sophomore Emma Engler also chipped in on the team score with a 9.775 and 9.675, respectively.
The second rotation had Auburn finish with the team's second-best score of the season at 49.225. Day went fifth for the squad and set a career high with a 9.9. Kopec also had a solid score for the Tigers, finishing with a 9.85 on her final performance in Auburn Arena. Krippner, Cerio, and Engler put together solid routines to earn a 9.825 each.
Auburn went to beam in rotation three and was led by Cerio's and Slappey's 9.825s. Hlawek had a 9.775 in the leadoff slot, while Engler and Becker followed at 9.75 and 9.7, respectively.
The postseason begins March 18 with Auburn traveling to the 2017 SEC Championship. The conference meet will take place in Jacksonville, Fla., in Veterans Memorial Coliseum and will be split into two sessions.
Auburn Results
| Vault | Bars | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 48.875 | 49.225 | ||
| Katie Becker | 9.750 | Katie Becker | 9.700 |
| Emma Engler | 9.675 | Kelsey Kopec | 9.850 |
| A'Miracal Phillips | 9.800 | Taylor Krippner | 9.825 |
| Taylor Krippner | 9.800 | Samantha Cerio | 9.825 |
| MJ Rott | 9.850 | Gracie Day | 9.900 |
| Gracie Day | 9.300 | Emma Engler | 9.825 |
| Beam | Floor | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 48.875 | 49.325 | ||
| Kullen Hlawek | 9.775 | Katie Becker | 9.775 |
| Samantha Cerio | 9.825 | Gracie Day | 9.850 |
| Katie Becker | 9.700 | Lucia Scaglione | 9.850 |
| Emma Engler | 9.750 | Emma Slappey | 9.775 |
| Emma Slappey | 9.825 | Kullen Hlawek | 9.900 |
| Taylor Krippner | 8.950 | MJ Rott | 9.950 |