AUBURN, Ala. – It was a record-breaking night for the No. 22 Auburn gymnastics team as the squad set a season best Friday evening in Auburn Arena with a 197.075. No. 2 LSU took home the win with a 197.550.
"I'm really happy with the team tonight," head coach Jeff Graba said. "We still have a lot of young people that are finding their feet out there, but I'm really proud of the way they handled it. It's the No. 2 team coming in and we're hanging with them all the way until the end and we're still not at our full potential. I leave tonight thinking that we're really in a good spot. We just have to keep it up."
Auburn saw 18 routines either set or tie career or season highs. In addition, the overall team score was the first time the Tigers cracked 197 since the 2019 NCAA Regional Semifinal in Baton Rouge.
"That was a lot of fun and we would like to do it again," senior Drew Watson said. "I felt like we had a good plan and a good mindset going in and that's everything that we wanted. Now, we're motivated and excited."
Highlighting the night were event wins from junior Derrian Gobourne and freshman Gabby McLaughlin. Gobourne stole the night with an outstanding performance on floor in the anchor position, winning the event with a career-best 9.975. That included a perfect 10 from one judge. She also picked up the event title on vault with a 9.9.
"She's just amazing," Graba said. "She does everything that we ask her to do. She's selfless. She's sort of the spirit of the team right now and excels beyond belief in the moment and it's so much fun to watch."
McLaughlin earned the first event title of her career, taking home the beam crown with a 9.925.
In addition to individual performances, sophomore Cassie Stevens set a career high in the all-around with a 39.425. Classmate Piper Smith earned her first start in the all-around and put together a 38.700.
"I'm really happy with how Cassie (Stevens) did tonight," Graba said. "She hasn't competed in two and a half weeks and that's a little difficult to ask someone like that to go into the all-around and do all four events and manage their stamina and stay focused throughout the whole thing. I thought she did a really good job, but still has room to grow as well."
Auburn (0-4, 0-3 SEC) 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.
VAULT
Auburn opened the night with a season-best 49.150 on vault in the first rotation. Freshman Payton Smith led off for the third-straight meet and tied her career best with a 9.775. Sophomore Adeline Sabados followed with a 9.8, while Stevens also chipped in a 9.8. That score tied a season best for Stevens. Senior Drew Watson set a season high with a 9.875 and Gobourne tied her season best with a 9.9 to win the event title.
BARS
All five counted scores for the squad on bars were either season or career bests as the Tigers finished with a 49.450 in the event. Piper Smith led the charge with a career-high 9.925 to finish second overall. Sophomore Aria Brusch and Gobourne put together a pair of 9.9s, tying a career and season high, respectively. Stevens finished with a career-best 9.875 and Sabados chipped in a 9.85 to tie her career score.
BEAM
Auburn's beam team finished with a season-high 49.275 and once again had all five counted scores set or tie career or season bests. McLaughlin highlighted the rotation with her career score of 9.925 to win the event title. Watson led off with a 9.85 to set her season best and was followed by a 9.750 from sophomore Morgan Leigh Oldham. That score was a career high for the Orlando native. Senior Meredith Sylvia earned a season-best 9.9, while Stevens anchored the rotation with a season score of 9.85.
FLOOR
Despite the first three routines stepping out of bounds, Auburn still finished with a season-best on floor and put together a 49.200. Gobourne put an exclamation on an outstanding evening with a 9.975 in the anchor position, securing a 10.0 from one judge. The score was a career best and gave her the event crown. Stevens and Watson earned a pair of 9.9s for the Tigers, giving the duo career highs. Freshman Olivia Hollingsworth tied her career high with a 9.75 and Piper Smith capped her first all-around night with a 9.675.