AUBURN, Ala. – Revered and respected not only for her gymnastics but how she connected with the community, former Auburn gymnast Sophia Groth Davila added the 2025 Leah Rawls Atkins Award to her long list of accolades.
“It means everything,” said Groth Davila, who received the award from the Atkins family Nov. 1 at Jordan-Hare Stadium. “I love the Auburn family.”
Presented annually for excellence in academics and athletics to a student-athlete who models leadership, integrity and courage, the Leah Rawls Atkins Award is the highest honor an Auburn senior woman student-athlete can receive.
“I love to be able to carry on a legacy of an iconic woman who showed that she is a true Auburn woman,” said Groth Davila, who helped Auburn reach the Final Four as an All-American freshman in 2022. “I’m so thankful and honored to be able to carry on her legacy.”
Reflecting on her four years on the Plains, the 2025 SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year expressed appreciation.
“It gave me everything,” said Groth Davila, who earned her Auburn University bachelor's degree in exercise science and a master’s in adult administration of supervision and curriculum. “It gave me a vision, a family and a community that I knew I wanted to continue after college. It gave me passion and a family I’ll never lose.”
Married in May to fellow Auburn University alum Paul Davila, a former Auburn cheerleader, Sophia lives in Dallas and works for Southern Methodist University in athletics development.
“I’m excited to be on the other side of athletics and experience everything and get to see the whole picture now in an administrative position rather than the student-athlete side,” she said. “Still helping student-athletes and trying to make an impact.”
From her volunteerism to her campus leadership and competitive excellence, Sophia Groth Davila continues to make an impact, first at Auburn and now at SMU, a most deserving Leah Rawls Atkins Award recipient.
“I’m so thankful for everyone who helped pour into me and get me where I am today,” she said.