AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 17 Auburn gymnastics team finished Friday night with a 194.750 in Auburn Arena, falling to No. 2 Florida. The Gators scored a 197.875 in the win.
"I am very optimistic after tonight," head coach Jeff Graba said. "We have had a couple of weeks where we have had lack of focus and lack of energy. Tonight, was stemming from doubt in each other and in themselves. This is the first week where we've bounced back. I believe we're on the way up because this was frustration tonight."
Auburn (3-6) was led by the performances of senior Gracie Day, who reached season highs in all three events performed.
"Hard work pays off," Day said. "I haven't been in floor lineup in the past few weeks, but I have been working extremely hard to get back to this position."
Despite the score tonight, Graba is encouraged by the direction the team is moving.
"I told the team at the end of the meet that I am excited about the future," Graba said. "We are actually going in the right direction. We need to quit worrying about the score because there is a reason why wins and loses don't matter in gymnastics. We just have to get ourselves pointed in the right direction."
Auburn returns to competition next week, traveling to Arkansas for another conference meet. The Tigers and the Razorbacks face off at 6:30 p.m. CT, Feb. 21, on SEC Network.
VAULT
Auburn put together a 49.100 to kick off the meet. Day tied her career high with a 9.925 to lead the squad. Sophomore Derrian Gobourne anchored with a 9.85 and three Tigers in seniors Katie Becker and Skyler Sheppard with junior Drew Watson added 9.775s.
BARS
The Tigers moved on to bars in the second rotation and came away with a 49.125. Day once again led the way with a 9.9 for a season high. Freshman Aria Brusch and Watson followed with a pair of 9.85s. That score was a season best for Watson. Freshmen Cassie Stevens and Adeline Sabados put together a 9.775 and 9.75, respectively, for the team.
BEAM
Auburn had to count a fall on beam and finished with a 48.100. Highlighting the rotation was the performance from Stevens as the Phoenix product set a career high with a 9.875. Brusch opened up the event with a 9.825 and Sheppard closed things out with a 9.725. Auburn also counted a 9.6 and a 9.075 on beam.
FLOOR
The Tigers counted a fall once again in the final rotation, having a 48.425. Day's 9.9 was a team high as the San Antonio native set a season best. Watson followed with a 9.875 and Stevens and Slappey chipped a 9.775 each.