AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 6 Auburn gymnastics team returns to the road for another Southeastern Conference match up, traveling to No. 11 Alabama on Friday, February 3.
The Tigers and the Crimson Tide will face off at 6:30 p.m. CT in Coleman Coliseum and the meet will be televised on SEC Network.
"Going to Alabama is never an easy task," head coach Jeff Graba said. "We need to get better at competing on the road in a hostile environment so no better way to do that than this Friday."
The rivalry between the two schools has amplified in recent years.
"This is a special thing we get to be a part of," Graba said. "I think it's become one of the best rivalries in collegiate gymnastics. They're going to have a big crowd and it's going to be a big night for both programs."
The key to Auburn's success on Friday night will be the team's ability to enjoy the moment, soak in the energy and stay in the Auburn bubble.
"If our team is having fun, we're really hard to beat," Graba said. "And that is the trick on the road. How do you have fun when everyone wants you to fail? The competition we've faced so far to this point has prepared us for this Friday."
POTENTIAL LINEUP
The 2023 Auburn gymnastics squad brings a wealth of experience to the table this season as the team lost just two routines from 2022. The tentative lineup features one fifth year, five seniors, two juniors, three sophomores and one freshman.
The Tigers will go bars, vault, floor, beam as the visiting team in Tuscaloosa.
Auburn's top eight will remain the same for bars in the first rotation. Leading the charge is sophomore Sunisa Lee, who has scored a 9.9 or better in all four meets so far this season. That includes a 9.975 from two weeks ago.
Joining her will be fifth year Derrian Gobourne, seniors Cassie Stevens, Anna Sumner and Adeline Sabados, juniors Gabby McLaughlin and Olivia Hollingsworth and sophomore Sophia Groth.
Gobourne kicked off the year with a 9.9, while Stevens has remained a consistent with four-straight 9.85s this season.
The squad will move on to vault for rotation two.
Stevens has a team-best 9.906 average in the event with three 9.925s so far this year. She captured the event title last week against NC State.
Gobourne and Lee also lead the top eight. The pair both have a 9.95 under their belt this season.
Joining the trio in the vault potential lineup is Sabados, Hollingsworth, Groth, sophomore Sara Hubbard and freshman Hannah Hagle. Hollingsworth, Groth and Hubbard have all been in the lineup this season, while Hubbard kicked off the year with a career-best 9.9.
Auburn heads to floor for the for the third rotation.
Gobourne headlines the floor lineup after finishing second nationally and earning two All-America honors in the event last year. She ranks tied for second nationally with a 9.944 average and has scored a 9.95 or better three times already this season, including a 9.975 last week against NC State.
Joining Gobourne in the top eight is senior Aria Brusch, Lee, Stevens, Hollingsworth and McLaughlin. Lee debuted a new routine two weeks ago and tied her career best with a 9.975.
Hollingsworth set a career high vs. the Razorbacks with a 9.9 in the leadoff spot, while Stevens picked up a season best last week with a 9.925.
Also battling for a spot in the lineup this week will be Hubbard and Groth.
The squad will finish the night on beam in the final rotation.
The squad will be led by All-Americans Lee and Groth. Lee is the NCAA champion in the event, earning a 10.0 to start the season in Las Vegas (Jan. 7).
Groth is a two-time All-American and All-SEC performer on beam. McLaughlin, Hollingsworth, Stevens and Brusch all return from last year's lineup with big scoring potential, while Oldham and Hubbard have earned a spot in the top eight.
UP NEXT
Auburn returns to Neville Arena on Friday, February 10 for a Southeastern Conference match up with nationally-ranked LSU. The two Tiger squads will go head-to-head at 7:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
