AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 22 Auburn gymnastics team returns to Auburn Arena Friday, Feb. 5, for another Southeastern Conference match up. The Tigers host No. 2 LSU at 6 p.m. CT and the meet will be televised live on SEC Network.
The two Tiger teams were scheduled to compete last Friday, but the meet was postponed because of COVID protocols and contact tracing within the LSU program.
"If we were going to have a meet postponed, last week's meet was the one to have," head coach Jeff Graba said. "We did a lot of resting and wanted to be smart with how we approached the unplanned bye week.
"We're still facing the No. 2 team in the country that will be ready to go," Graba added. "This is a moment to stay focused on us and our mindset is to see how good we can be. I believe we're a tremendously good team even if we are really young. So Friday's focus is going to be really honing in our on mindset going forward. Our physical abilities are in a good place so it'll be an opportunity to focus on the mental side of the sport."
EVENT INFORMATION
In accordance with current state health COVID-19 guidelines, Auburn Arena capacity will be reduced to approximately 20% for the 2021 Auburn gymnastics season. Tickets for home meets have been reserved for Auburn students as well as season ticket holders who opted in. No single meet tickets will be available in 2021.
To meet SEC protocol and to allow for proper physical distancing, the team corrals will take up the west side of the arena floor. Bleachers in sections D-N will be unavailable for student/fan seating for the 2021 season. In addition, seating in sections A-C will not be available. Available seats will be arranged in groups of two and four with 6 feet of distancing between each block of seats. Unavailable seats will be marked accordingly.
Face coverings (over the nose and mouth) will be required for all spectators and gameday workers upon entry and while inside the arena. Guests may remove face coverings while actively eating or drinking. Additional information related to health and safety guidelines for Auburn Arena will be communicated directly to ticket holders.
More information can be found at the Auburn Gymnastics Meet Day website by clicking HERE.
AUBURN LINEUP
The Auburn tentative lineup features 18 of 24 possible routines coming from sophomores or freshmen. Of the 18, 13 will come from the sophomore class.
As the home team, Auburn will go vault, bars, beam and then floor.
Freshmen Payton Smith and Olivia Hollingsworth as slated to kick things off on vault for the Tigers. Payton is coming off a career-best 9.775 at Alabama (Jan. 22).
Sophomores Piper Smith, Adeline Sabados and Cassie Stevens follow in spots 3-5 for the Tigers. Both Piper and Sabados have competed on vault in all three meets so far, while Stevens returns to the lineup after missing the last two meets. Junior Derrian Gobourne will anchor the event and is ranked in the nation's Top 25 in the event with a 9.858 average.
Auburn will head to bars in the second rotation with sophomore Anna Sumner leading off. The Sumner, Ga., product earned a career-best 9.8 at Alabama. Piper Smith is down in the second slot after also earning a career-best 9.85 vs. the Crimson Tide. Sabados is slotted to go third.
Stevens and sophomore Aria Brusch return to the bars lineup for the Tigers. Stevens will compete fourth with Brusch going fifth. Brusch, of Cincinnati, Ohio, put together a 9.825 in the event during the team's season opener.
Gobourne will anchor her second-straight event for the Tigers. She ranks in the Top 50 nationally with a 9.85 average.
Auburn heads to beam for rotation three and has two of its most experienced gymnasts leading things off. Senior Drew Watson will lead off for the fourth time this season with Gobourne going second.
Piper Smith is slated to go third following another career performance at Alabama. She finished tied for second in the event with a career-high 9.9 for the Tigers. Senior Meredith Sylvia earned her team-best 39th start in the event and will compete fourth.
Freshman Gabby McLaughlin is also coming off a huge performance in the event, putting together a career-best 9.875 at Alabama. She is down for fifth. Stevens returns to the anchor slot this week.
Auburn concludes the meet on floor and will have Piper Smith leading off. The start will be the first for the Cherryville, N.C., product. Sophomore Morgan Leigh Oldham is scheduled to compete second with Hollingsworth going third.
Stevens will finish her full day in the fourth slot on floor and Watson is down to go fifth. Gobourne will anchor her third event to close out the night. She is among the nation's Top 50 on floor with a 9.858 average.
UP NEXT
Auburn returns to the road for a meet at No. 27 Missouri, Feb. 12. The two Tiger teams will face off at 8 p.m. CT from Columbia and the meet will be televised on SEC Network.
