No. 11 Auburn faces rival No. 8 Georgia in Athens Sunday

AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 11 Auburn gymnastics team continues Southeastern Conference action, traveling to rival No. 8 Georgia for a Sunday meet. The Tigers and the Bulldogs will face off at 5 p.m. CT on SEC Network in Stegeman Coliseum.

“It’s always nice to have a couple extra days of practice,” head coach Jeff Graba said. “We’re going to challenge the team to embrace the opportunity to face Georgia, who is very good right now and is running on all cylinders right now. We’ve got to go be us on the road against a team that does very well at home. It’s going to be a big test for this young team.”

The Tigers roster only features one senior and relies on the underclassmen to step up in big ways. The junior and sophomore classes have been featured in 21 of the 24 routines competed in each of the first three meets this season.

“We’re a young team that is starting to believe in themselves and build a lot of confidence,” Graba said. “With that said, we’ve had a lot of little things that are taking tenths away from us right now that is just part of being a young team. We’ve got to get sharper and we’ve got to start fast and Sunday will be a good test for these young people to figure out how to be good on the road.”

AUBURN LINEUP
The Auburn gymnastics team will go bars, vault, floor beam being on the road this week at Georgia.

Finding themselves in the top eight in all four events is junior Olivia Greaves and sophomore Marissa Neal with potential to compete in the all-around. Junior Alex Irvine and freshman Charlotte Booth could go in three events for the Tigers.

Bars will open the meet and the Tiger lineup features one senior, four juniors, two sophomores and one freshman.

Highlighting the lineup are juniors Greaves, Irvine and Emma Grace Boyd. Greaves had two 9.95s and one 9.975 to her credit as a sophomore, while Irvine has been the team’s anchor through the first three meets. She won the bars title on the road at Arkansas two weeks ago with a season-best 9.9.

Looking to also represent the Orange and Blue Friday in the event will be senior Hannah Hagle, sophomores Bryn Bartman, Katelyn Jong and Marissa Neal and freshman Charlotte Booth.

All four were in the lineup against Florida with Jong making her season debut after an Achilles injury. She reached a team-best 9.85 in the event last week. 

The squad will move to vault and has four juniors, two sophomores and two freshmen among the top eight.

Junior Paige Zancan leads the way as she’s in the top 10 nationally with a 9.9 average. She already has a 9.975 to her credit this year.

Sophomore Sophia Bell is also among the team’s top in the event and has a 9.925 and a 9.9 this year so far on her Yurchenko double. 

Joining them are juniors Julianne Huff, Greaves and Jersie Woolsey. Huff has been consistent with her Yurchenko 1.5, while Greaves and Woolsey compete a full.

Among the top eight on vault will also be Neal and freshmen Mia Leverton and Brynn Torry. Both Neal and Leverton have appeared in the event in all meets so far this season with Leverton reaching a career-high 9.875 last week.

The third rotation has the team on floor, bringing another experienced group to the top eight.

Bell is among the nation’s best in the event, scoring a 9.95 and a 9.925 this year so far and having two event titles.

Greaves has also seen big scores early on the year, having a career-high 9.95 in the season opener vs. NC State.

Joining the trio will be Olivia Ahern, Bartman, Neal, Irvine, Booth and junior Emma Wehry. Bartman, Ahern and Neal have competed in the event in all meets so far with Neal scoring a career-high 9.9 against Florida.

The final rotation is beam and features a wealth of experience. Highlighting the group is Neal, Ahern, Greaves and Hagle. Ahern has continued to excel in the leadoff spot this season. Neal has a 9.975 to her credit, while Greaves has been a mainstay in the lineup. 

Joining them in the top eight are Booth, Irvine, Wehry and junior Sophia Greaves. Irvine earned a spot in the lineup at Arkansas and scored a career-best 9.9 for the team.

UP NEXT
Auburn returns home on February 6 to host the Kentucky Wildcats. The Tigers will face the Wildcats in Neville Arena at 7 p.m. CT and the meet will be streamed on SEC Network+.