Auburn gymnastics’ stellar season has come to an end.
The Tigers finished fourth overall in the NCAA gymnastics championship in Fort Worth, Texas, on Saturday, with a final score of 197.3500. The No. 1 seeded Oklahoma Sooners took the championship with a 198.2000, SEC-rival Florida finished second with a 198.0875 and the Utah Utes placed third with a 197.7500. The fourth-place finish for Auburn is its highest in program history.
The Tigers started out the meet strong on the bars, with Olympic gold medalist [autotag]Sunisa Lee[/autotag] and senior [autotag]Derrian Gobourne[/autotag] both netting scores in the 9.9s to help Auburn start the day off with a score of 49.425, good for second place. Lee would go on to place second in the all-around for the event.
After that, though, the Tigers started to fall back. Auburn found itself in fourth place after some missteps on the beam, and the Oklahoma Sooners began their stellar charge that would end up bringing them home the championship. Lee scored a 9.9 to close out the beam, her second of three scores in the 9.9s on the day.
Lee would do even better in the floor rotation for Auburn’s third set, where her routine netted her a 9.95. Gobourne shined as well, scoring a 9.9375 herself as the final Tiger on the floor.
Auburn’s final rotation was on the vault, where junior [autotag]Cassie Stevens[/autotag] put in the team-best score on 9.9375. The Tigers would remain in fourth place, and the Sooners would clinch the gymnastics championship with their final rotation on the beam.
Auburn’s fourth-place finish, highest in the program’s history, is a major turnaround from posting a 1-7 record last season. The gymnastics team could face some tough departures, but it certainly has much to be proud of as this season concludes.
WHAT A YEAR#WarEagle | #HistoryMade pic.twitter.com/S858o4tTPM
— Auburn Gymnastics (@AuburnGym) April 16, 2022