AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 17 Auburn gymnastics team returned to Auburn Arena Friday night and scored a 196.250 in loss to No. 13 Kentucky. The Wildcats scored a 197.275.
"I thought we started well and the last three routines finished well," head coach Jeff Graba said. "We're able to periodically perform at a high level, but we're not clicking on all cylinders. Hopefully we can get some rest and be ready because it doesn't get easier next Friday."
The Tigers kicked off the meet with a season-best 49.425 on vault behind big scores from its lineup. Senior Gracie Day led the way as she tied her career high with a 9.925. She was followed by three-straight 9.9s from the Tigers.
"It was a really great feeling," Day said. "I asked coach Bryan Raschilla what I was doing wrong rather than just listening to his corrections. I felt like I needed to ask instead of just listening and it was a very simple fix. I am excited to see how it progresses throughout the season."
Highlighting the second and third rotations were performances from sophomore Derrian Gobourne and junior Meredith Sylvia. Gobourne finished in a tie for first on bars with a 9.875, while Sylvia led the Tigers on beam with a 9.875.
Freshman Aria Brusch put together another solid night, earning a 9.8 and a 9.850 on beam and floor.
Auburn closed out the meet with three strong routines on floor, capping it off with another 9.95 performance from Gobourne.
"I loved the crowd tonight and the students were energized," Graba said. "Honestly, I don't think we do those last three floor routines without this crowd. I'm excited that they're showing up in the numbers and that they're rowdy and that they're loud. We're going to need it next Friday.
The Tigers return to Auburn Arena next week, hosting No. 2 Florida on Friday, Feb. 14. Auburn and the Gators will go head-to-head at 7:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
VAULT
It was a strong start for the Tigers on vault as the team went 49.425. That mark was the highest of the season for the team and it tied the third highest for the program overall. Day kicked off the big scores with a 9.925, tying her career high. Freshman Cassie Stevens followed with a 9.9, which set a career high for the Phoenix, Ariz., product. Junior Drew Watson and Gobourne capped the event with a pair of 9.9s. That score tied a season high for Gobourne.
BARS
Gobourne highlighted the second rotation for the Tigers as she finished in a tie for first on bars with a 9.875. The title was her third of the season in the event. Day added a 9.8 and a trio of freshmen in Stevens (9.775), Adeline Sabados (9.725) and Aria Brusch (9.750) all contributed as the team finished with a 48.925.
BEAM
Sylvia kept up her strong performances on beam and led the squad with a 9.875 in the third rotation. Brusch followed with a 9.8 and Watson put together a 9.775. Stevens and senior Skyler Sheppard each had a 9.725 as the Tigers came away with a 48.900.
FLOOR
After a slow start to the rotation four, the final three routines capped the night with a lot of energy. Gobourne took home the event title as she tied her career high with a 9.95. Watson followed with a 9.875 and Brusch earned a 9.85. Sophomore Sabrina Cheney and Stevens added a 9.675 and a 9.65 for the overall score of 49.000.