FORT WORTH, Texas – Rotating between events in the order in which they'll compete in Thursday's NCAA Championship, Auburn practiced on podium Wednesday at Dickies Arena, spending 20 minutes each on beam, floor, vault and bars.
"I told the team, 'You deserve this, you earned it,'" Auburn coach Jeff Graba said. "But that doesn't mean this is easy, that doesn't mean it's going to be fun. It's going to be what you make of it, so show up, absorb the environment and make the most of what you can."
"We all needed a chance to get used to the equipment," said junior Aria Brusch, scheduled to compete on floor, beam and bars in the semifinals. "I think having a day to get all the kinks out is helpful so you can really go for it on the meet day."
The Tigers compete Thursday at 5 p.m. CT on ESPN2 in the second session of the Elite Eight, a quad meet with Florida, Missouri and Michigan.
"We've got to stay ahead of a team (Missouri) that's beaten LSU three times and we've somehow got to beat either the defending national champion (Michigan) or the team that's favored to win the national championship (Florida) at this point," Graba said.
The first session at noon CT features Minnesota, Oklahoma, Alabama and Utah. The top two teams from each semifinal will advance to Saturday's Final Four to compete for the national championship at noon CT on ABC.
"We've left enough in the tank that they have enough reserves to go on," Graba said. "Hopefully they'll let it all hang out tomorrow, and if we're rewarded for what we do and we get another turn to compete, then we'll worry about if we have anything left."Sunisa Lee practices bars while Auburn coach Jeff Graba watches
Individual event champions will also be determined during Thursday's semifinals.
"The best way to win a national championship as an individual is to do what you can do for your team," Graba said. "That's the way we approach it. It's really the secret to success. Team-focused."
Auburn gymnasts Drew Watson (2018) and Derrian Gobourne (2019) have competed at the NCAA Championship before as individuals. Now, they'll try to help their younger teammates finish in the top two Thursday to allow the Tigers to survive and advance.
"We know that if we do our jobs, we'll be able to move on," Brusch said. "This might be the last time for a lot of seniors to compete and all of us this season so we're all trying to enjoy the moment and do what we do best."
"Team-focused."@AuburnGym practiced Wednesday at @DickiesArena ahead of Thursday's #NCAAGym semifinals@AArriaab & HC Jeff Graba preview the Elite Eight ⤵️#WarEagle pic.twitter.com/4gg0ulWEMV
— Jeff Shearer (@jeff_shearer) April 13, 2022
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer