AUBURN, Ala. – With the Auburn gymnastics season right around the corner, fans got a chance to see the 2019 squad for the first time Friday night at the annual Preview Meet inside Auburn Arena.
"It was a lot of fun," junior Gracie Day said. "I love being in here. I've actually missed it in here and being able to have such a good night – not just myself but the team as a whole. Jeff [Graba] told us to just treat it like practice, so that's what we did. We just came out here and had fun."
Graba, the head coach for the Tigers, was pleased with how the night went as a whole. For starters, there were no major injuries. But it also helped prepare the players, especially the newcomers, for what it's going to be like when the team opens the season against Iowa on Jan. 4. There were nearly 2,000 fans in attendance.
"This is enormous," Graba said. "That first event – you don't want it to hit you in the face like a brick wall. To experience this, you're actually preparing yourself for that. The gymnastics is the same, but when you're in the gym and nobody is watching, you're one way. You're not necessarily that way when somebody messes up in front of you or you're the first one up in the whole meet, and there's seven or eight thousand people here.
"We challenged them. I thought we had a really good crowd for a preview meet, and I think the girls had to get on their 'A' game a little bit."
There are plenty of familiar faces returning with Day and 2018 NCAA participants Drew Watson (all-around), Samantha Cerio (bars) and Abby Milliet, but Friday's event also showed just how much depth this Auburn team will have, and it gave freshman Derrian Gobourne an opportunity to make her debut in front of the fans.
"I thought the returners looked good," Graba said. "They didn't make silly mistakes. It makes me think that they are improving and building from year to year.
"And they've done a good job with the young people about trying to educate them on what to expect. I'm really happy with where our leadership is. Our juniors and seniors have done a great job, and the freshmen and sophomores have really just fallen into line and they're doing what they need to do.
"I had a hunch that Derrian wouldn't hold back. She's got a lot of personality."
Auburn opens the 2018 season at home against Iowa on Jan. 4 at 7 p.m. CT. The Tigers then kick off their SEC schedule the next week (Jan. 11) with another home meet against two-time SEC champion LSU at 7:30 p.m. CT.
Those are the first of five meets in Auburn Arena this season. The team will also host rival Georgia on Jan. 25, Arkansas on Feb. 15, and they finish up the home slate with a matchup against Air Force on March 15 – the final home meet for the seniors.
Seating options for season tickets have been upgraded for the 2019 season, so fans are encouraged to take note of the new opportunities. In addition to sections 101-104, reserved chair back premium seats are now available in sections 110-113. Section 118 will be reserved for the visiting team with remaining tickets in that section becoming available on meet days.
Reserved chair back seats in the sections previously stated are priced at $40. General admission seats are available in sections 105-109 and 114-117 for $20. Auburn faculty and staff tickets are $32 and will be in sections 101-104 and 110-113, while "Family Four or More" packages are priced at $30 per person and are available in the same sections.
For more information, please contact the Auburn Ticket Office at 855-282-2010 or go online at www.AUBTIX.com.
