No. 16 Auburn Earns 196.9 at Elevate the Stage Meet

March 9, 2018

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HUNTSVILLE, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" The No. 16 Auburn gymnastics team met up with rival and No. 6 Alabama at the annual Elevate the Stage meet Friday night, scoring a 196.9 at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville. The Crimson Tide edged the Tigers with a 197.3 on the podium.

"I wanted to see the team have more confidence in each other and we started out a little bit tight," head coach Jeff Graba said. "It was so much fun seeing them cut loose and start trusting each other as we got going. We still made mistakes, but we didn't let it get to us so this was a big step forward."

Following the meet, Elevate the Stage presented checks of $3,500 to the Ronald McDonald House of Alabama and Smile-A-Mile, the philanthropies the two schools represented at tonight's event.

Auburn (6-9) started the meet on vault. Sophomore Gracie Day and freshman Jada Glenn led the Tigers in the event with a score of 9.8 each. The pair were followed by freshman Drew Watson and junior A'Miracal Phillips with a 9.775 apiece. Junior Taylor Krippner finished the Auburn scoring with a 9.75 as Auburn closed the event with an overall score of 48.9.

The Tigers elevated their game with a strong bars performance, scoring a season-best 49.4. The highlight of the event was Day's solid routine, earning her a career-high score of 9.95 for the event title. Redshirt junior Abby Milliet didn't hold back in anchor and countered her teammate's performance with a season-high 9.925. Junior Samantha Cerio and Krippner contributed to the overall score with a 9.875 each, while sophomore Kendall Moss and Watson had a 9.775.

On beam, the team followed with another season high, having a 49.3. Freshman Allie Riddle tied her career best with a 9.85 in lead off and was followed by a 9.8 from Cerio. Redshirt sophomore Emma Slappey added another career best for Auburn, tying hers with a 9.875. Milliet added another 9.875, while Krippner received a 9.9 to finish in a tie for first.

Auburn's last event of the night came on the floor, where Milliet closed with an impressive score of 9.95, making it a career-high for her on floor. The mark also gave her the event title. Slappey tied a career-high score of 9.9, while Day kept her good consistency and delivered a 9.875. Cerio had a solid performance for a 9.85 and Watson closed scoring with a 9.725. The collective efforts led to a 49.3 for the Tigers.

Auburn takes a couple weeks off competition before traveling to St. Louis for the 2018 SEC Championship. The two-session meet is set for March 24 and will be held at the Chaifetz Arena.

Auburn Results