No. 17 Auburn with two meets this weekend on the road

AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 17 Auburn gymnastics team has a busy weekend away from the Plains as the Tigers will compete in two meets over three days. Auburn will face off with No. 2 LSU in an SEC dual Friday, February 13, at 7:45 p.m. CT in Baton Rouge. The team will follow with a quad meet on podium at the Metroplex Challenge, February 15, at 7:15 p.m. CT in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Tigers will face No. 13 North Carolina, No. 21 NC State and Boise State in the Fort Worth Convention Center.

“We knew we were going to have to have a couple double weekends this year when we were planning the schedule,” head coach Jeff Graba said. “There are some benefits to having weekends like this on the calendar. It mimics postseason where we are going multiple days in one week.”

And no better way to kick off a full weekend than heading to Baton Rouge to compete against the No. 2 LSU Tigers in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. The two Tiger teams will face off on SEC Network.

“There is no place in the SEC where you can hide,” Graba said. “Everybody is really, really good. I take Friday’s meet as a good challenge and it’s a great place to get our act together. It’s a great opportunity to go against one of the best teams in the country in a very hostile environment.”

The team follows with its first chance on a podium Sunday, giving the youthful Tiger team an opportunity to experience competition on the elevated stage.

“We knew we wanted to get on a podium and the Metroplex Challenge does that,” Graba said. “We also wanted to get into an invitational meet. And we also knew we had a young team that doesn’t have any idea what they’re getting into in postseason, so we need to train it and Sunday provides all this for us.”

AUBURN LINEUP
Friday’s meet will have the Tigers go bars, vault, beam and floor in Baton Rouge. On Sunday, Auburn will start the meet on beam and follow with floor, vault and bars.

Four Tigers have worked their way into the top eight in all four events with junior Julianne Huff and sophomore Marissa Neal highlighting the group of potential all-arounders. Huff is coming off a career-high 39.400 vs. Kentucky last Friday, while Neal has a 39.375 to her credit.

Joining them are juniors Olivia Greaves and Alex Irvine. Greaves has competed in the all-around four times this season, while this is the first time Irvine has been listed on all four top eight lists.

Auburn’s vault squad is tied for 10th nationally with a 49.195 average and features five juniors, two sophomores and one freshman this weekend. Leading the way is junior Paige Zancan, Huff and sophomore Sophia Bell. Zancan has a 9.975 to her credit this year, while Huff and Bell have been consistent competitors for the Tigers.

Greaves, Neal and freshman Mia Leverton are also among the top eight. Leverton has scored a 9.825 or higher in all five meets this season on her Yurchenko 1.5. Junior Jersie Woolsey has been a consistent alternate for the team in the event, while Irvine makes her debut in the top eight on vault for the squad this year.

The bars squad is led by four juniors, three sophomores and one freshman. Huff is coming off a career-high 9.925 last week vs. Kentucky and Irvine has been the most consistent bars worker for the team this year, having a 9.840 average over five meets.

Greaves, junior Emma Grace Boyd and sophomore Katelyn Jong brings a wealth of experience to the top eight, while sophomores Neal and Bryn Bartman have been among the top eight consistently this year. Freshman Charlotte Booth is once again in the potential lineup, having gone on the apparatus in all five meets so far.

Auburn’s beam squad has progressively improved this year and are 12th nationally with a 49.145 average.  

Sophomore Olivia Ahern and Neal have bookended the lineup throughout the year and Irvine has come on as a big scorer for the team. Neal leads the Tigers with a 9.880 average, while Irvine is second with a 9.862 average.

Joining the three in the top eight is senior Hannah Hagle, Greaves, Huff, Zancan, Booth and junior Emma Wehry. Wehry is looking to make her third and fourth starts of the season on the apparatus for the team, while Hagle has a 9.8 or better in four of five meets competed.

Floor has been one of Auburn’s top events this year so far as the team is tied for 11th with a 49.265 average.

Bell leads the way with a 9.885 average, while Huff isn’t far behind at 9.881. Neal has been consistent on floor and has a 9.875 average for the team.

Also, among the top eight this weekend is Bartman, Ahern, Greaves, Irvine and Wehry. Bartman and Ahern reached a career high last week vs. the Wildcats, having a 9.85 and a 9.875, respectively. Irvine has been in the floor lineup three times this year, while Greaves has a 9.95 to her credit this season. Wehry competed in exhibition against Kentucky a week ago.

UP NEXT
Auburn returns to the Plains for a big rivalry match up vs. No. 3 Alabama. The Tigers and the Crimson Tide will face off at 7:45 p.m. CT on February 20 in Neville Arena. The meet will be televised on SEC Network.