AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 12 Auburn gymnastics team heads to Gainesville for a Valentine's Day match up, taking on No. 3 Florida at Exactech Arena on Friday, February 14. The Tigers and the Gators will face off at 7:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
"This is going to be a big test for our young team," head coach Jeff Graba said. "We're going against one of the more seasoned teams in the country at their place. I'm looking forward to seeing if we can remain consistent and come away with a good road score."
Friday's meet starts a stretch of road meets for the Tigers as three of the next four competitions will be away from the Plains and all within Southeastern Conference play.
"This SEC schedule is tough," Graba said. "We have the toughest schedule in the country and one of the youngest teams in the country. But the cool part is that anything can happen. This team is a really talented team and they have a lot of heart and desire. That can be a benefit going into this final stretch of the season. There are a lot of opportunities coming up for these young people to step up and make a name for themselves."
AUBURN LINEUP
The Auburn Tigers will go in the following order as the road team this Friday in Gainesville - bars, vault, floor, beam.
Leading the way in the top eight on bars are sophomores Alex Irvine and Olivia Greaves as well as freshman Katelyn Jong.
Jong is among the nation's best in the event, ranking sixth nationally with a 9.9 average. She's scored a 9.9 or better in five of the first six meets this season, including a career-high 9.925 vs. Oregon State.
Irvine scored a career high last week, earning a 9.95 in the leadoff spot for the Tigers. That gave her the event win.
Greaves has been a consistent contributor for the squad, including a 9.925 to her credit.
Joining the three in the top eight are seniors Sophia Groth and Caroline Leonard and sophomores Emma Grace Boyd, Bryn Bartman and Julianne Huff.
Bartman and Groth are each coming off season bests on Friday, scoring a 9.85 apiece.
Auburn moves on to vault in rotation two.
Fifth year Sydney Schumaker and senior Sara Hubbard each earned 9.875s last week and are set to lead the way among the top eight.
Sophomore Paige Zancan has two 9.9s to her credit this year, while Jong has a vault title under her belt.
Huff, freshman Sophia Bell and seniors Sarah Zois and Anna Hill are all competing for a spot in the starting lineup on vault.
Floor is next as the team is coming off a season-high 49.550 last week.
Leading the charge are seniors Groth and Gabby McLaughlin. Groth has won three floor titles this season, including a 9.95 against Georgia last Friday. McLaughlin has been a consistent contributor, having five scores of 9.85 or better this year.
Zancan and Greaves are each coming off 9.9s last week, while Bartman made the first start of her career in the event vs. the Bulldogs.
Bell tied her career high against Georgia, scoring a 9.925. Classmate Jong remains in the top eight for the Tigers, having a 9.9 to her credit.
Zois has worked her way into the top eight after a successful exhibition routine last week.
The final event will be beam where the Tigers have exceled all season. The team ranks sixth nationally with a 49.288 average.
Usual suspects like Groth, McLaughlin and Jong highlight the top eight. McLaughlin has 56 starts in the event, while Groth has 45. Groth reached a season-best 9.9 last week.
Jong has been excellent on the apparatus, having three scores of 9.9 or better, including a 9.95.
Freshman Olivia Ahern and Zancan have been consistent contributors for the team with Zancan having a career-high 9.9 against Georgia.
Greaves has two starts on beam this season and has a 9.875 to her name.
Zois and Huff have each solidified spots in the top eight for the team in the event.
UP NEXT
Auburn takes to the road once again in the Southeastern Conference, heading to Florida for a Friday night Auburn stays on the road in the SEC, traveling to rival and nationally-ranked Alabama for Friday Night Heights. The Tigers and the Tide will face off at 7:30 p.m. CT in Coleman Coliseum and the meet will be televised on SEC Network.
No. 12 Tigers travel to No. 3 Florida for SEC road meet
The No. 12 Auburn gymnastics team heads to Gainesville for a Valentine's Day match up, taking on No. 3 Florida at Exactech Arena on Friday, February 14. The Tigers and the Gators will face off at 7:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
