TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The No. 18 Auburn gymnastics team capped it's two-meet road swing with a 195.575 in a loss to No. 10 Alabama Friday night in Coleman Coliseum. The Crimson Tide finished with a 196.925.
"For such a young team, I felt that they handled tonight's meet as good as they could early in the season," head coach Jeff Graba said. "The simple fact is that we grew up a lot tonight and we needed that to happen. This season is coming at us fast and it's chaotic with all the outside things going on. I really think we did well in a tough environment."
Sophomore Piper Smith had a solid night for the squad as she finished with two career highs over her three events. She kicked off with a career-best 9.85 on bars and capped her evening with a 9.9 on beam to come in second on the event.
"She's finally doing what we see in practice," Graba said. "I'm excited because this is what we expected out of her and it's obvious the sky is the limit for her."
Three Tigers competed in the all-around for the squad with junior Derrian Gobourne leading the way with a 39.125 to finish second in the category on the night. Freshman Olivia Hollingsworth earned a spot in the all-around for the second-straight meet, while senior Drew Watson made her season debut after only competing in three events in the first two competitions.
"We're going to have multiple all-around performers periodically with the way this team is built," Graba said. "We're happy with where Drew is right now considering what she's had to get through to get to this point. She's about to break through and will continue to get a lot better in the next few weeks."
Auburn returns to the Plains next week, hosting No. 5 LSU in Auburn Arena, Jan. 29. The 4 p.m. CT meet will be televised on ESPN2.
BARS
Auburn had a solid start on bars, scoring a 49.000. Piper Smith led the way with a career-high 9.85 and was followed by a solid anchor performance from Gobourne with a 9.825. Sophomore Anna Sumner set a career best on the night, finishing with a 9.8. Sophomore Adeline Sabados put together a 9.775 and Hollingsworth closed out scoring with a 9.75.
VAULT
The Tigers saw decent vaults in rotation two and was highlighted by a 9.875 from Gobourne. Freshman Payton Smith set a career high and earned a 9.775 in the lead off position. Hollingsworth and Piper Smith had a pair of 9.75s and Sabados finished with a 9.7 for team scoring.
FLOOR
Gobourne once again shined in the anchor spot on floor for the squad, picking up another 9.875. Watson followed with a 9.8 and the squad saw the rest of their team scores come from a pair of freshmen and a sophomore. Freshman Gabby McLaughlin earned a 9.75, while sophomore Morgan Leigh Oldham had a 9.675 and Hollingsworth finished with a 9.65.
BEAM
Piper Smith highlighted the final rotation for the squad as she earned a career-best 9.9. McLaughlin put together a career score as well as she finished with a 9.875. Senior Meredith Sylvia had a 9.75 and Watson earned a 9.725. Hollingsworth capped the scoring with a 9.7.
