AUBURN, Ala. – The first NQS rankings were released this week, and Auburn comes in at No. 12 (196.425) following a win at Texas Woman's University on Sunday. Though happy with the win, the Tigers know they are better than the score (195.500) they posted.
The team will have a chance to show that this Friday when they travel to Tuscaloosa to face No. 8 Alabama. But there's more than just a high score on the line. With a win, Auburn (7-1, 5-1) has a chance to clinch a share of the regular-season SEC championship for the first time in program history.
"Being ranked No. 12 is fine right now," Auburn head coach Jeff Graba said. "We have to be hitting on all cylinders to jump into the top 10. That's why our focus is Friday night. We need a great meet, and this is the biggest stage. We have everything in front of us, and all we need to do is be ourselves."
A win on the road at Alabama would also be a program first for Auburn.
"Obviously, the odds are very much against us, but we are excited about the opportunity," added Graba.
The new NQS rankings have the same top five with Oklahoma at No. 1 followed by UCLA, Florida, Utah and LSU in that order. Also, all eight SEC teams are ranked in the top 20 with Florida (No. 3), LSU (No. 5), Georgia (No. 7), Alabama (No. 8) and Kentucky (No. 10) all in the top 10. They are followed by Auburn (No. 12), Missouri (No. 16) and Arkansas (No. 20).
Auburn dropped a spot on bars but is still ranked No. 6 nationally with four gymnasts among the top 32 in the country. Senior Samantha Cerio, who is tied for 22nd, is tops on the team with an average of 9.885.
Though bars has been their best event, the Tigers are also ranked top 20 on the other three event. They are currently tied for 12th on vault, and ranked No. 18 on both beam and floor.
Freshman Derrian Gobourne is currently top 10 nationally in the all-around per the new rankings, and she's also top 20 on both vault (9.875) and floor (9.895).