AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 7 Auburn gymnastics team kicks off the NCAA postseason this week, hosting the NCAA Auburn Regional in Neville Arena.
"We have a young team that hasn't been in the postseason," head coach Jeff Graba said. "A couple of the athletes have been through it. It's a different game, but it's still just gymnastics. It's still about doing your thing, trying to zone out all the stuff that's going on around you. Competing at SECs prepared us for this. We've just got to keep our head down, put one foot in front of the other, and we'll be all right."
The afternoon session will begin at 1 p.m. CT and will include the No. 2 seed Tigers, No. 3 seed Kentucky, Georgia and Southern Utah.
The evening session of round two will begin at 7 p.m. CT and will feature No. 1 seed Florida, No. 4 seed Denver and Ohio State as well as Iowa State.
In addition, individuals from Central Michigan, Western Michigan, Kent State, New Hampshire, Long Island and Brown will all compete Thursday.
The top two teams from each second-round session will advance to the Sweet Sixteen at 5 p.m. CT on Saturday, April 2. The top two teams from that session will then advance to the NCAA Championships, April 15-16, in Fort Worth, Texas.
FAN INFORMATION
Doors will open 90 minutes prior to the start of each session.
The Arena lot will be available for ticket holders beginning at 9 a.m. CT. Addition parking with Tiger Transit shuttle services will be available at the Hayfield lot and the West lot for Thursday's afternoon session.
AUBURN LINEUP
Depth and experience with a mix of new talent is what the Tigers will bring to the table in 2022.
Auburn will kick off the meet on floor where it ranks sixth nationally with a 49.500 average. Senior Derrian Gobourne and freshman Sunisa Lee lead the way with top-10 national rankings; Gobourne has a 9.955 NQS to rank seventh along with a 10.0 this year, and Lee is ninth with a 9.950.
Fifth-year Drew Watson and freshman Sophia Groth have both been solid on the floor all season, and will be joined in the top eight by Cassie Stevens, Aria Brusch, Sara Hubbard and Adeline Sabados.
The Tigers will then move to vault, where they rank tied for fifth nationally with an NQS of 49.400. Watson leads the way with a 9.910 NQS, followed by Lee with a 9.890. Stevens has come on strong late in the season with three scores of 9.9 or better in the final three regular-season meets, including a career-high 9.975 vs. Florida.
Gobourne has been among the nation's best on vault as well with four scores above 9.9 this season. She and the others are joined in the top eight by Hubbard, Groth, Tara Walsh and Jada Glenn.
Rotation three is bars, where the Tigers set a program record with a 49.675 at the SEC Championships and are ranked fifth nationally with a 49.490. Lee leads the nation with a 9.970 and a pair of 10.0s under her belt, including the Tigers' first-ever SEC individual title with a 10.0 at the SEC Championships.
Joining her is Gobourne, who has scored a 9.9 or better in four-straight meets. Brusch and Groth, who also scored 9.95s at the SEC Championships, join Lee and Gobourne, along with Stevens, Sabados, Gabby McLaughlin and Watson
Auburn will finish the meet on beam where it ranks fourth with a 49.485. Leading the way will be freshman Sunisa Lee who is tied for first nationally at 9.980 with two 10.0s. Classmate Sophia Groth is seventh nationally at 9.950.
Sophomores Olivia Hollingsworth and McLaughlin along juniors Brusch, Morgan Leigh Oldham, Piper Smith and Cassie Stevens will bring big scoring potential to the lineup. Stevens is also among the nation's best with a 9.875 NQS and a 9.95 under her belt.
