BATON ROUGE, La. – The No. 12 Auburn gymnastics team finished with a 197.100 on the road, earning a season-best road score as No.3 LSU won the meet with a 198.300 Friday night in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
"I thought the team fought well tonight in this environment," head coach Jeff Graba said. "We still struggled starting out slow, but we picked it up at the end with our two best events and I'm happy with that. We need to really find our groove being on the road because we're away from home all of March and this was a good start for us."
Fifth year Cassie Stevens finished second in the all-around with a 49.475, while senior Olivia Hollingsworth earned a 49.375 and junior Sophia Groth finished with a 49.350.
Auburn kicked off the meet with a 49.100 on bars with Stevens and senior Gabby McLaughlin leading the charge. The pair each earned 9.85s for the squad. Fifth year Aria Brusch, Groth and redshirt freshman Olivia Greaves each added a 9.8 to the overall team score.
The Tigers put together a 49.250 in the second rotation on vault. Freshman Julianne Huff finished second in the event, tying her career high with a 9.925. Stevens anchored the rotation with a 9.9, earning a 9.9 or better in four-straight meets.
Seniors Sydney Schumaker and Olivia Hollingsworth added 9.825s to the overall vault score with junior Sara Hubbard chipping in a 9.775.
Auburn continued to build in the third rotation, going 49.300 on floor. Hollingsworth anchored with another 9.9, her fifth 9.9 or better this season. Brusch led off the event with a 9.875 and Groth chipped in a 9.875 as well. Stevens earned a 9.85 and McLaughlin added a 9.8 for the Tigers.
The squad concluded the night on beam, scoring 49.450. Groth and McLaughlin led the way with a pair of 9.925s. That score was a season best for Groth. Stevens and Hollingsworth each earned a 9.875, while Brusch finished with a 9.85.
Auburn returns to the Plains for one last meet in Neville Arena in 2024. The Tigers will host nationally-ranked Missouri on February 23 at 6 p.m. CT and the meet will be televised on SEC Network.
-War Eagle-