TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – In a meet that went back-and-forth throughout, the No. 12 Auburn gymnastics team stood toe to toe with No. 8 Alabama on the road Friday night and took its in-state rival down to the final event. Ultimately, the Tigers came up short, 196.700 – 196.400.
It was still the second-highest road score of the season for Auburn, and with Georgia's loss to LSU, the Tigers claimed sole possession of second place in the SEC with a 5-2 record in the regular season. It's the highest finish in program history.
"If you would have given us shot at the beginning of the year to get five wins in the SEC and finish second in the conference, we would've all been absolutely ecstatic," Auburn head coach Jeff Graba said. "That seemed impossible with the gauntlet we ran.
"To me, this is a tremendous year. We're wrapping up the regular season, and we've got to stay focused on the end result. I've been saying that all week. I wanted them to be in this pressure and see how they reacted. I'd give them a 'B.' They did a good job. They just didn't do a good enough job to win tonight.
"But we got better tonight, and we can take this on the road in the postseason and do something with this."
Freshman Derrian Gobourne won the all-around competition for the second straight week and for the fifth time this season with a 39.275. Gobourne was one of three Auburn gymnasts to score a 9.875 on bars, and she also matched her career high on vault with a 9.900.
As a team, Auburn posted a 49.000 or higher on all four events, including a 49.300 on bars.
The Tigers closed on beam where senior Abby Milliet delivered in the clutch as she matched her career high with a 9.925. Sophomore Allie Riddle, competing for just the third time this season, also set a new career high with a 9.875 on beam.
"It felt really good because for a few weeks now I've been feeling off a little bit," Milliet said. "I really just wanted to go out there and no matter what, I was going to go and be normal me. That was my goal."
Auburn will get another shot at Alabama next week in Birmingham where the two will face off in the Elevate the Stage meet. The first event is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. CT.
Bars
It was another strong bars rotation for Auburn, who ranked No. 6 nationally on the event. Gobourne, Taylor Krippner and Gracie Day all posted a 9.875 to lead the way for the Tigers. It was the second straight 9.875 for both Krippner and Day. Senior Samantha Cerio, the team's top performer coming in, earned a 9.850 and sophomore Drew Watson added a 9.825.
Vault
Watson showed once again why she's one of the best vaulters in the conference. The sophomore stuck her Yurchenko 1.5 and scored a team-best 9.925. Over the last five meets, she is now averaging a 9.910. Gobourne matched her career high with a 9.900. Day earned a 9.800. And then it was Krippner (9.750) followed by A'Miracal Phillips (9.725) and Jada Glenn (9.725).
Floor
The event started strong with a 9.775 from sophomore Ashley Smith, a late add to the lineup, and finished with a bang as Day stuck her double Arabian on the first pass to earn a 9.900 as the team's anchor. In between, Cerio posted a solid score with a 9.825 and both Gobourne and Milliet added a 9.775.
Beam
Auburn had a slight lead going into beam, the final rotation of the night, and despite the pressure, the team handled it relatively well. Watson and Gobourne led off with a pair of 9.775s, and then Riddle stepped up and posted a career-high 9.875. Two spots later, Milliet matched her career high with a 9.925. The senior won the individual title on beam for the second time this season.