COLUMBIA, Mo. – The No. 19 Auburn gymnastics team finished with a season-best road score Friday night, earning a 196.100 in a loss to Missouri. The home Tigers finished with a 196.175 in the Hearnes Center to take the win.
"It's a good team score in a tough place to compete," head coach Jeff Graba said. "I though the team was mentally tough tonight, but we had too many small errors to really capitalize on a win. The good thing is that these are fixable mistakes that we can address this upcoming week before we host a solid Georgia team."
Highlighting the evening was the performance from freshman Gabby McLaughlin. The Irving, Texas, product picked up her second-straight beam title with a career-high 9.95.
"Gabby has been really consistent and is capable of this every night," Graba said. "She's a rockstar on beam and it shows week in and week out."
Sophomore Cassie Stevens competed in the all-around for Auburn and finished second overall with a 38.975.
The Tigers (0-5, 0-4 SEC) come back to Auburn Arena to host rival and nationally-ranked Georgia, Feb. 19. The teams will face off at 7 p.m. CT and the meet will be streamed on SEC Network+.
BARS
Tigers kicked off the night with a 48.950, seeing solid scores from the squad. Sophomore Anna Sumner opened up with a 9.8, tying her career high. Classmate Adeline Sabados also added a 9.8 for Auburn with junior Derrian Gobourne anchoring with a 9.85. The Tigers also saw scores of 9.75 from Stevens and Piper Smith.
VAULT
Auburn moved on to vault in the second rotation, earning a 48.975. Senior Drew Watson led the team with a season-best 9.875 to win the event title. Gobourne anchored with a 9.825 for the team, while Sabados put together a 9.775. Payton Smith and Piper Smith each chipped in a 9.75.
FLOOR
Gobourne led the team to a 49.050 on floor in rotation three, capping the night with a 9.925 for the squad. Freshman Olivia Hollingsworth set a career high with a 9.8 and Stevens followed with another 9.8. Freshman Gabby McLaughlin and sophomore Morgan Leigh Oldham each added career scores, finishing with a 9.775 and 9.75, respectively.
BEAM
Auburn capped the night on beam and finished with a 49.125. McLaughlin continued to shine on the event, setting a career best with a 9.95 to win a share of the title. Senior Meredith Sylvia went about her consistent beam ways and finished with a 9.85, while classmate Watson put together a 9.825. Stevens and fellow sophomore Aria Brusch earned a pair of 9.75s.
