HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The No. 6 Auburn gymnastics team closed out a full weekend with another big score as the Tigers tied the program road record with a 197.750 at the annual Elevate the Stage meet. This year's quad contest was held in the Von Braun Center in Huntsville.
"This is a tough meet and we had the hardest rotation starting on floor, so I'm really pleased with how this team handled the challenge," head coach Jeff Graba said. "We came in here to compete for us, and the goal is to keep our eye on the horizon. We rose to the challenge today and I couldn't be happier."
The meet was Auburn's second in three days as the Tigers hit the road following their 198.575 finish vs. No. 3 Florida Friday night.
"We knew this was going to be hard," Graba said. "The team came in with a strong mindset and it showed today. This is a really good score and a really good performance for a team coming off such a high 36 hours ago."
The quad meet was a non-conference contest on the podium. No. 7 Alabama won the meet with a 198.000. Arkansas finished with a 196.800 and Georgia came in fourth at 196.200.
The Tigers (8-2-1) took three event titles on the day. Freshman Sunisa Lee won her seventh-straight all-around crown with a 39.700. The St. Paul, Minnesota product also won the beam title with a 9.975.
Senior Derrian Gobourne captured bars with a career-best 9.975, earning a 10.0 from one judge.
"I've been having trouble on bars lately so before I went, I told myself I would not be defeated by this," Gobourne said. "I wanted to compete it how I train and I knew I could go out there and put a really great routine together."
Junior Cassie Stevens competed in the all-around once again for the Tigers, finishing third with a 39.475.
Highlighting the day was Auburn's performance on bars in the third rotation where the team earned a 49.550, their second best of the season. Gobourne shined on her routine as she led all student-athletes with a 9.975 for her third bars title of the year. Junior Aria Brusch earned a 9.925, while freshman Sophia Groth chipped in a 9.9. Lee and junior Adeline Sabados each had a pair of 9.875s on the day.
The Tigers kicked off the afternoon on floor, going 49.425. Lee led the way with a 9.925 and Gobourne added a 9.9. Groth and fifth year Drew Watson each earned a 9.875 for the Tigers, while Stevens finished with a 9.85.
Auburn moved on to vault, putting together a 49.350. Lee finished second on the day with a 9.925, tying a career high. Stevens came in a tie for third with a 9.9 and Gobourne earned a 9.875. Watson had a 9.85 and freshman Sara Hubbard chipped in a 9.825 for the team.
The squad closed out the meet on beam, finishing with a 49.425 to lead all teams on the apparatus. Lee and Groth went 1-2 with a 9.975 and a 9.925, respectively and Stevens came in a tie for third at 9.9. The event title was the fifth of the season for Lee. Brusch and McLaughlin also added to the team score with a 9.825 and 9.8.
The Tigers close out the regular season on the road, traveling to defending national champion Michigan, March 12. Auburn will face off with the Wolverines and West Virginia in a tri-meet, starting at 3 p.m. CT in Ann Arbor.
