AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 12 Auburn gymnastics team opens up postseason this Saturday, March 22 at the 2025 SEC Championship. The two-session meet will be held in Legacy Arena at the BJCC in Birmingham and will be televised on SEC Network.
Auburn will compete in the afternoon session at 2:30 p.m. CT and is the seventh seed. The Tigers will start on beam and will go against No. 6 seed Georgia, No. 5 seed Kentucky and No. 8 seed Alabama. Oklahoma is the top seed, while LSU (No. 2), Florida (No. 3) and Missouri (No. 4) will compete at 7 p.m. CT.
The Tigers needed to finish the regular season with a big score last Friday vs. LSU to secure their spot at the SEC meet. Arkansas was the lone conference opponent left out of the meet this season as only the top eight advance.
"We've never had to fight to get into the SEC tournament before so it's a new animal and I was really glad with how we responded," head coach Jeff Graba said.
Despite all the adversity throughout the, Auburn's mission remains to finish strong and improve its national standing at the end of the day Saturday.
"This is the best meet in the country this weekend and our goal is to win the afternoon session and get a good score. I feel like we are in a good spot. This is a young team and the stress will be high, but I think we're ready for it."
AUBURN LINEUP
Auburn is the third seed in the afternoon session and will start on beam. The teams will follow Olympic order with the Tigers going floor, vault and bars to close out the meet.
The Tigers have exceled all season on beam and rank ninth nationally with a 49.385 NQS.
Usual suspects like senior Sophia Groth, fifth year Gabby McLaughlin and freshman Marissa Neal highlight the top eight. McLaughlin has 61 starts in the event, while Groth has 50.
McLaughlin and Neal have a team-best 9.975 in the event this year, while Groth has a 9.95 to her credit.
Freshman Olivia Ahern and sophomore Paige Zancan have been consistent contributors for the team on the apparatus. Ahern earned a career-best 9.9 at Alabama, while Zancan has two scores of 9.925 on the year.
Sophomore Olivia Greaves has seven starts on beam this season and has a 9.875 to her name.
Senior Sarah Zois and junior Hannah Hagle have each solidified spots in the top eight. Zois earned a 9.875 in her first start in the event as a Tiger vs. Oklahoma.
Floor is next as the team continues to climb the rankings and jumped up to 10th nationally with a 49.425 NQS. The team reached a season-best on floor last week, earning a 49.575.
Leading the charge are seniors Groth and McLaughlin. Groth has won four titles this season, including a pair of 9.95s against rivals Georgia and Alabama. McLaughlin scored a 9.925 last week vs. LSU.
Zancan set a career best at home last Friday, earning a 9.925. Freshman Sophia Bell also had 9.925 vs. LSU, upping her total of that score to three this year.
Senior Sara Hubbard, Greaves, Ahern and Zois are also among the top eight. Ahern led off in the final home meet with a career-best 9.875.
Auburn moves on to vault in the third rotation where the team ranks eight nationally at 49.290.
Leading the way will be sophomores Julianne Huff and Zancan and experienced Tigers Sydney Schumaker, Hubbard and Zois.
Zancan wowed the crowd and the judges last week vs. LSU, earning a 9.975 to set a career high in the event. Hubbard added a 9.9 on senior night.
Bell, Huff, Schumaker and Zois all have 9.9s this year for the team. Also among the top eight is Greaves and senior Anna Hill.
The Tigers cap the day on bars in the final rotation where they rank 18th nationally with a 49.250 NQS.
Highlighting the top eight are sophomores Alex Irvine and Greaves.
Greaves had an outstanding meet vs. LSU, anchoring the team with a career-high 9.975 to win a share of the event title. Irvine has an NQS of 9.895 and has scored a 9.95 this season with four scores of 9.9 or better this year.
Joining the pair in the top eight will be redshirt freshman Bryn Bartman, sophomores Emma Grace Boyd and Huff, seniors Caroline Leonard and Groth and freshman Neal.
Groth has a handful of 9.9s to her credit this season and it will be Neal's third appearance in the top eight on bars this year.
UP NEXT
The 2025 NCAA Regional Championships are up next for the Tigers and the team is set to have a seeded spot in the regional meet once again.
The selection show will be aired at 11 a.m. CT on ESPNU, March 24. The Tigers will be sent to one of the following locations - Seattle, Washington; Salt Lake City, Utah; Tuscaloosa, Alabama; University Park, Pennsylvania.
Auburn’s postseason begins with the 2025 SEC Championship
The No. 12 Auburn gymnastics team opens up postseason this Saturday, March 22 at the 2025 SEC Championship. The two-session meet will be held in Legacy Arena at the BJCC in Birmingham and will be televised on SEC Network.
