AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 9 Auburn gymnastics team is set to conclude the 2023 regular season on Friday, March 10 with a 7 p.m. CT contest against Penn State. The Tigers and the Nittany Lions will face off inside Neville Arena and the meet will be streamed on SEC Network+.
"This is a great opportunity for us to finish the regular season strong," head coach Jeff Graba said. "We love competing at home and better way to send us into the postseason than an exciting meet inside Neville Arena."
The Tigers will celebrate eight student-athletes after the meet. Donning the orange and blue for the last time in Neville Arena will be Aria Brusch, Derrian Gobourne, Sunisa Lee, Morgan Leigh Oldham, Adeline Sabados, Piper Smith, Cassie Stevens, and Anna Sumner.
In addition, the program will be celebrating its annual Alumni Night, highlighting the 30-year anniversary of the 1993 Super Six team.
"We love tying the two events together on one night," Graba said. "We're looking forward to celebrating those that have really helped this storied program trend in the direction that it's currently going in.
In addition, this group of seniors, a fifth year and a sophomore have really been through a lot and they truly love this university. We're excited to celebrate all they've accomplished."
PARKING
The Neville Arena Lot is reserved for those with a parking pass beginning at 3 p.m. CT until the end of the pre-meet activities. Fans are encouraged to park in the Campus Safety Lot for quick entry to the 100-200 levels as well as the Wire Road lot.
Additional free parking is also available in the Coliseum Lot, Stadium Parking Deck, Athletics Complex Deck (top level), Campus Safety Lot and the Facilities lot located off Samford Ave. Post-meet egress will begin at the start of the fourth rotation. Please refer to the parking map for parking lot locations and post-meet traffic flow information located HERE.
Accessible parking is available in the Neville Arena lot and in the Wire Road lot on a first come, first serve basis. A state-issued hang tag or license plate is required and strictly enforced. Please display in a visible location. A golf cart shuttle will be available for those parking in the Wire Road ADA lot.
In addition to the Auburn gymnastics meet against Penn State, Auburn Athletics will also be hosting a baseball series with Southeast Louisiana. Fans are encouraged to park in the Facilities lot for quick access to Neville Arena. Tiger Transit shuttles will run from the Facilities lot located off of Samford Ave. and the Stadium Deck located on Heisman Drive to the Scholarship Entrance at Neville Arena. All shuttles are free of charge and will begin two hours prior to start of the meet. Shuttles will run for one hour after the meet.
MARKETING
A few reminders for fans during the meet…
- Fans are encouraged to wear WHITE on Friday.
- We'll be honoring our alumni prior to the meet and our group of student-athletes competing in the arena for the last time at the end of the meet.
- White t-shirts will be handed out in the lower bowl and glow crowns will be available to all while supplies last.
- Concessions and team shop are cashless.
- 500 shakers will be available at both the main and scholarship entrances for fans.
- Alabama Power Kid Zone will be open with games and crafts.
- Please arrive to the meet early and give yourself as much time as possible to enter Neville Arena. We advise being in your seats 15 minutes prior to competition to not miss out on any of the pre-game experience.
- Visit your Apple or Google app store and search "Auburn Tigers" to download the free Auburn App, which will allow you to take place in our War Eagle Lights pregame light show during the intro video all season long.
- Autograph cards and posters will be available at both the main scholarship entrances for fans to pick up.
POTENTIAL LINEUP
The 2023 Auburn gymnastics squad brings a wealth of experience to the table this season. The tentative lineup features one fifth year, five seniors, two juniors, three sophomores and one freshman.
The Tigers will go vault, bars, beam and floor as the home squad.
Auburn will go without All-American Sunisa Lee on Friday against Penn State. The sophomore is sitting out as she's going through non-gymnastics health issues.
The Tigers kick off the meet on vault and will be led by fifth year Derrian Gobourne as well as senior Cassie Stevens. Gobourne is a first team All-American in the event, while Stevens is coming off a career-best 9.975 at Kentucky last week.
Stevens is among the SEC's best in the event with a 9.9 NQS.
Joining the pair in the team's top eight will be senior Adeline Sabados, junior Olivia Hollingsworth, sophomores Sophia Groth, Sara Hubbard and Ananda Brown and freshman Hannah Hagle.
Hollingsworth has recently switched to a Yurchenko 1.5 and has a handful of 9.875s to her credit.
Auburn will move on to bars for rotation two and will once again be led by upperclassmen.
Guiding the squad will be Gobourne, Stevens and senior Aria Brusch. Gobourne is the SEC and NCAA runner-up in the event, while Brusch returned to the lineup two weeks ago with a 9.9.
Sabados, Hollingsworth and Groth along with junior Gabby McLaughlin and senior Anna Sumner are all in the team's top eight.
McLaughlin recently set a career high on the road at Kentucky with a 9.875.
The squad will head to beam for the third rotation. McLaughlin, Stevens and All-American Groth are set to lead the way for the squad.
In addition, Hollingworth and Brusch have been mainstays in the lineup, while Hagle has earned her way into the top eight. The freshman is coming off her first collegiate routine last week, scoring a 9.8.
Seniors Morgan Leigh Oldham and Sumner have also secured a spot in the potential lineup.
Auburn's final rotation will have the team on floor.
Gobourne is set to headline the event as she returned this season as a first team All-American as well as national runner-up.
Stevens, Hollingsworth, Groth and Brusch have all competed consistently this year. In addition, McLaughlin joins the crew after coming off a career high last week at Kentucky with a 9.85.
Oldham and Hubbard round out the top eight for the Tigers.