AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 11 Auburn gymnastics heads to Lexington to take on No. 7 Kentucky in Historic Memorial Coliseum. The Tigers and the Wildcats will face off at 6:00 p.m. CT on SEC Network+.
“This is going to be our toughest road matchup by far,” head coach Jeff Graba said. “A dual meet in the SEC is tough and I'm ready to see what we're made of.”
This meeting will be an early assessment for the Tigers as the team prepares for a tough environment in the Southeastern Conference.
“At the end of this trip we will know who we are," Graba said. "This is a road test in, probably, one of the hardest environments to compete. They (Kentucky) are a really good top 10 squad. We have the toughest schedule in the country because we are having to go through this. It is a good challenge, and we are looking forward to it.”
AUBURN LINEUP
The Tigers are finally a true road team this Friday and will go bars, vault, floor and beam.
The bars squad will be led by freshman Katelyn Jong and sophomore Olivia Greaves, who are both coming off a pair of 9.925s last week. The duo shared the event title vs. Oregon State.
Jong is among the nation's best in the event, ranking seventh in the event.
Joining the crew in the top eight is fifth year Olivia Hollingsworth, senior Caroline Leonard, sophomores Alex Irvine and Emma Grace Boyd, redshirt freshman Bryn Bartman and freshman Marissa Neal.
Irvine finished fourth last week vs. Oregon State with a season-best 9.825. The appearance in the top eight is a first for Neal this season.
Auburn moves on to vault in rotation two and the team's top eight will feature seven 10.0 start values.
The Tigers will once again be led by sophomore Paige Zancan, who has really come into her own this season on the event. The Mr. Airy, Maryland native is coming off back-to-back 9.9s and vault wins for the team.
Also in the potential lineup are experienced vaulters in Hollingsworth, fifth year Sydney Schumaker and senior Sara Hubbard. Hubbard has competed on vault in every meet of her career so far.
Senior transfer Sarah Zois is in the top eight along with sophomore Julianne Huff, Jong and freshman Sophia Bell.
Auburn heads to floor for the third rotation and is led by a mixed group of experienced upperclassmen and youth.
Hollingsworth and fellow fifth year Gabby McLaughlin highlight the crew, and McLaughlin is coming off a season-best 9.875.
Jong won a share of the event title last week vs. Oregon State with a career-high 9.9. Classmate and roommate Neal is also coming off a career performance, scoring a 9.875.
Bell, Greaves and Zancan are also among the top eight with Bartman working her way into the potential lineup.
The Tigers will end the night on their best event as the team is sixth nationally on beam with a 49.256 average.
Neal leads the way and is ranked in the top 10 nationally with a 9.9 average. She is coming off an impressive 9.975 last week.
Jong and McLaughlin also had stellar performances vs. Oregon State, scoring a 9.925 and 9.875 respectfully.
Freshman Olivia Ahern as well as Zancan and Hollingsworth have contributed early this year in the event, while Greaves and Zois are working for a spot in the lineup for the team.
UP NEXT
The Tigers will be back at home in Neville Arena for Military Appreciation night on February 7 at 7:00 p.m. CT. Auburn will face a top 15 team in Georgia and the meet will be streamed on SEC Network+.