ATHENS, Ga. – The No. 18 Auburn gymnastics team put together is best road score of the season, finishing with a 196.350 at No. 14 Georgia Sunday afternoon. The Bulldogs took the meet with a 197.425 in Stegeman Coliseum.
"There were some real bright spots, but there were definitely areas for improvement," head coach Jeff Graba said. "It was a little bit of a slow start, but we finished the right way on beam with a great showing on vault in the middle."
Freshman Cassie Stevens earned the first all-around title of her career, edging teammate Drew Watson with a 39.250. Watson finished second at 39.225.
"It felt really good knowing that all the hard work is paying off in the gym," Stevens said. "It's really great having the teammates that I have because I know I can trust them and they can trust me."
Highlighting the day's performance was the team's finish on vault in the second rotation. The Tigers put together a season-high 49.300 and Watson earned a share of the event title.
"We've practicing well on vault all season so we weren't really surprised by this score," Graba said. "I'm happy to see it showing up in competition and now we have to duplicate it."
The Tigers closed out the meet strong, finishing with a 49.250 on beam. The apparatus has been the squad's most consistent of the season, placing the Tigers in the Top 10 nationally.
Under all kinds of circumstances, we have consistently performed well on beam," Graba said. "The team is taking away a lot of confidence each time they go out there and they are just building throughout the season."
Auburn returns home for back-to-back weeks, starting with a 6 p.m. CT contest with Kentucky, Feb. 7. The Tigers and the Wildcats will face off on SEC Network in Auburn Arena.
BARS
The Tigers opened up the meet with a 49.100 on bars. Sophomore Derrian Gobourne led the squad with a 9.9 in the anchor slot, while freshman Adeline Sabados set a career high with a 9.85. Classmate Aria Brusch chipped in a 9.8 and Stevens and senior Gracie Day added a pair of 9.775s.
VAULT
Auburn set a season-best in the second rotation, earning a 49.300 on vault. Watson picked up her fourth event title with a 9.9 and Gobourne followed with a 9.875. The team got a 9.85 from both Day and Stevens and the score tied a season high for the pair. Senior Skyler Sheppard's 9.825 was a career high and added to the team score.
FLOOR
The team finished rotation three with a 48.700. Stevens and Brusch led the way with two 9.8s and Watson added a 9.775. Senior Emma Slappey and Gobourne had a 9.7 and a 9.625 for team score.
BEAM
Auburn closed out the day strong, earning a 49.250 on one of its best events this season. Junior Meredith Sylvia picked up her third 9.9 of the year to lead the team and Watson tied her career high with a 9.875. Three tigers in Slappey, Stevens and Sheppard were awarded a 9.825 each.