April 7, 2017
AUBURN, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" The Auburn gymnastics team put together another solid season in 2017 as the squad finished in the Top 15 in both scoring and attendance averages.
"This season had a lot of challenges, but in the end this young team never gave up and kept working together," head coach Jeff Graba said. "I'm very proud that we were able to finish in the Top 15. It proves that hard work pays off and I think it sets us up for tremendous success in the future."
The Tigers finished the season at No. 15 nationally, having an NQS of 392.865. The final rankings for teams inside the Top 36 but not advancing to the NCAA Championships is based on the NQS, which is the sum of the team's RQS and NCAA Regional score.
Auburn's No. 15 ranking marks the fifth time in the last six years that the program has finished in the Top 15.
After an up and down start to the season, Auburn found its groove towards the end of the year. After capping the regular season with a solid 196.300 in a win over Pittsburgh (March 3), the Tigers went into the postseason with a lot of confidence. Competing in the afternoon session, Auburn finished sixth overall at the 2017 SEC Championship with a then-season best 196.550.
A program-record six Tigers were placed on the All-SEC team, while two earned a spot on the SEC All-Freshman squad. The group included seniors MJ Rott and Kullen Hlawek, sophomores Emma Engler and Samantha Cerio, and freshmen Emma Slappey and Gracie Day.
Auburn earned the fourth seed at the NCAA Fayetteville Regional and finished tied for third with a season-high score of 196.600. That score was the highest regional score of any team not advancing to nationals and was also higher than two teams that did advance out of other regions. It was also the third-highest NCAA Regional score in program history.
"It's hard to imagine a better finish for this team than going out, hitting every routine, and getting your highest score of the year at the toughest meet of the year," Graba said.
Cerio went on to capture the uneven bars title with a career-best 9.925, earning a spot as an individual at the NCAA Championships. In addition, freshman Katie Becker's 39.200 in the all-around secured her a spot at nationals as well.
Along with the team's final ranking, the Tigers once again enjoyed the comforts of being in Auburn Arena as the squad's home attendance average of 5,530 fans finished eighth this season among all NCAA teams.
"Our fan support here at Auburn is second to none," Graba said. "We had an ice storm to start the season and spring break at the end, but we still finished eighth in attendance. We have the best, most passionate and loyal fans in the country. We are extremely grateful to the Auburn Family on helping us get another Top 10 finish in attendance."
Auburn Arena welcome two sellout crowds this year ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Georgia (Jan. 13), LSU (Feb. 24). The Tigers have now had five sellouts in the last three seasons.
Cerio and Becker will conclude the year in St. Louis as the pair will be individuals in the afternoon session of the NCAA Championship, April 14, in Chaifetz Arena. Cerio will compete on bars with Utah, while Becker is paired with Oklahoma doing the all-around.
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