Tag: Jeff Graba

Auburn checks in at No. 17 in WCGA preseason rankings

Auburn, as well as the rest of the SEC, is set to be extremely competitive again in 2024.

Preseason rankings were released Friday and the Auburn Tigers are ranked No. 17 according to the Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association’s poll.

The SEC is set to be a very competitive environment this year, as all eight teams rank in the top 20, and four are ranked in the top 10. The Florida Gators are the conference’s highest squad, checking in at No. 2 in the initial poll.

Without [autotag]Derrian Gobourne[/autotag] and [autotag]Sunisa Lee[/autotag] on this year’s roster, Auburn head coach [autotag]Jeff Graba[/autotag] knows that his team will have to perform at a high level each week to achieve their goals for this season.

“The SEC is always very competitive, and this year is no different,” Graba said in a press release. “It will be a tight season once again this year with every conference team in the top 20. It will be a very exciting year and we’re looking forward to getting the season started!”

Despite Lee and Gobourne not returning this year, Auburn returns several key performers such as [autotag]Gabby McLaughlin[/autotag], [autotag]Olivia Hollingsworth[/autotag], [autotag]Sophia Groth[/autotag], and [autotag]Cassie Stevens[/autotag]. Several talented transfers have also joined the roster this offseason, such as [autotag]Anna Hill [/autotag](Temple) and [autotag]Madelynn Crow[/autotag] (Georgia).

Auburn will officially open the season on January 6th at the 2024 Super 16 Challenge in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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Auburn gymnastics reveals 2024 home schedule

It’s another loaded slate of home meets for Auburn in 2024.

Auburn gymnastics unveiled its home schedule for the 2024 season on Monday and there will be some great matchups on the Plains. The schedule includes meets against perennial powers, as well as the first quad meet in Neville Arena history.

“There’s no place like the Southeastern Conference where you can create a home schedule like this,” head coach [autotag]Jeff Graba[/autotag] said. “It will be a tremendous challenge and a lot of fun in 2024. On top of a great conference schedule, we’re excited to host the first regular season quad meet in Neville Arena history. So, fans need to renew their tickets soon!”

Auburn is entering a new era without superstars [autotag]Suni Lee[/autotag] or [autotag]Derrian Goubourne[/autotag] but is returning veterans [autotag]Cassie Stevens[/autotag], [autotag]Sophia Groth[/autotag] and [autotag]Aria Busch[/autotag]. Former five-star recruit [autotag]Olivia Greaves[/autotag] is also set to compete after missing last season with an injury.

While the road schedule has not been revealed, the Tigers will have five home meets during the season and here is a look at each matchup.

Tigers pick up two more gymnasts for 2024 season through the transfer portal

Jeff Graba adds two experienced members to a stacked 2024 roster.

The Auburn Gymnastics roster just got deeper as head coach [autotag]Jeff Graba[/autotag] and company has added two transfers to an already deep roster.

The new additions are [autotag]Madelynn Crow[/autotag] and [autotag]Lila Smith[/autotag].

Crow is a former Georgia Bulldog coming to Auburn as a sophomore. She is a native of Williamson, Georgia with notable accomplishments such as qualifying for the USAG Level 10 Development Program National Championships and being the first female at her high school to bring home a state title in Gymnastics.

Graba’s take on Crow: “We are so excited to have Madelynn join the Auburn gymnastics family. She brings a wealth of experience with her and has been successful at nearly all the levels of our sport. Having experience in the SEC is also going to be very beneficial as we are looking to build our team depth on all events. Even though Madelynn is best known for her beam proficiency, she should add needed depth on all the events.

Smith is a junior and a former Kentucky Wildcat. She is from Atlanta, Georgia, and competed with the same gym as Crow, Georgia Elite. She was also a USAG Level 10 Development Program National Championship qualifier and won state titles on beam and in the all-around.

Graba’s take on Smith: “We are eager to have Lila join our program as she is coming off a very successful run with another successful program. Her experience in the SEC will help as our young team will be looking to their teammates with experience as we enter this next season. Lila should give us needed depth on all the events early on.”

These two transfers will be a great addition to the 2024 roster. Crow and Smith will join an experienced roster that will feature [autotag]Aria Brusch[/autotag], [autotag]Cassie Stevens[/autotag], [autotag]Sophia Groth[/autotag], and [autotag]Olivia Hollingsworth[/autotag].

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Auburn gymnastics’ season ends in Los Angeles

An unconventional showing on bars led to the Tigers’ downfall in the Los Angeles Regional.

The Auburn Tigers’ season comes to an end after the team posted a 195.9, placing them in fourth in the afternoon session of the Los Angeles Regional of the NCAA Tournament.

“When you get to this meet, you have to be really good to move on,” Auburn coach [autotag]Jeff Graba[/autotag] said. “You can’t have an event like we did on bars. We picked a bad night to have our worst night of the year.”

Auburn got off to a strong start on floor. [autotag]Derrian Gobourne[/autotag] earned a 9.925 in the anchor role to earn a share of the session title for the event. [autotag]Gabby McLaughlin[/autotag] and [autotag]Olivia Hollingsworth[/autotag] both scored a 9.875. [autotag]Sophia Groth[/autotag] and [autotag]Cassie Stevens[/autotag] each posted a 9.85, bringing Auburn’s score to 49.375 which had the Tigers in second place.

The Tigers competed on vault in the second rotation. [autotag]Caroline Leonard[/autotag] led off with a 9.875, [autotag]Sara Hubbard[/autotag] followed with a 9.850. Hollingsworth and Stevens both took a 9.8 and Gobourne closed up with a 9.875. Auburn’s score after two rotations was 98.575.

Things started to go wrong for the Tigers on bars in the third rotation. After three straight falls at the beginning [autotag]Aria Brusch[/autotag] scored a 9.9. Stevens tied her career-high with a 9.925 and Gobourne anchored with a 9.85.

Auburn closed up on beam. [autotag]Hannah Hagle[/autotag] earned the top score for the Tigers with a 9.9.

“For (Hagle) to do that on beam was a huge deal,” Graba said. “Caroline on vault, going 9.875 on a 9.95 (start value) vault. Derrian (Gobourne) was great on floor. We got some really good performances, but as a group, not as consistent as we want.”

The Tigers will have a lot to build on going into next season but will return key pieces such as Sophia Groth, Olivia Hollingsworth, and Gabby McLaughlin.

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Gobourne named SEC Event Specialist of the Year after impressive season

“The Queen” adds more hardware to her trophy case.

[autotag]Derrian Gobourne[/autotag] has added yet another accomplishment to her already impressive resume as she was named SEC Event Specialist of the Year. Gobourne is the first gymnast to win the award twice.

“Derrian has brought so much to this program over her five years that it is hard to quantify,” head coach [autotag]Jeff Graba[/autotag] said. “For her to earn this award again only signifies how much she has meant to our program and how others are aware of her impact on Auburn gymnastics. What a great accomplishment voted by our peers at other schools in the league.”

Other achievements by Gobourne this season include being named SEC Specialist of the Week twice, winning two floor titles, two bars titles, and one vault title, as well as earning All-SEC honors on vault and floor.

Gobourne has scored better than 9.9 seven times on floor and five times on bars.

There were plenty of awards to go around for Auburn this season. Senior [autotag]Cassie Stevens[/autotag] was named SEC Scholar-Athlete of the year as well as earning All-SEC honors in every event including the all-around. Stevens was named SEC co-vault champion after scoring 9.95 in the conference championship meet.

[autotag]Aria Brusch[/autotag] earned all-SEC honors on bars for the second-straight season.

[autotag]Olivia Hollingsworth[/autotag] earned All-SEC honors on floor.

[autotag]Gabby McLaughlin[/autotag] earned All-SEC honors on beam.

Auburn will be back in action on March 30th when the Tigers compete in the Los Angeles Regional of the NCAA Tournament.

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Auburn gymnastics wins first session of SEC Championships with 197.100

Cassie Stevens posted a 39.650 all-around score and earned a share of the vault title during the first session of the SEC Championship on Saturday.

Auburn gymnastics began the postseason on the right foot by taking first place in the afternoon session of the SEC Championships at Gas South Arena in Duluth, Georgia.

The Tigers competed with Arkansas, Missouri, and Georgia in Session I of the championship, and took home the crown by scoring 197.100. Auburn edged out a persistent Missouri squad who built high scores on bars, beam, and floor. However, amazing personal scores by [autotag]Cassie Stevens[/autotag] and [autotag]Derrian Gobourne[/autotag] pushed Auburn to the title.

“I felt that for the most part, the team did a good job of picking each other up and getting through the meet,” head coach [autotag]Jeff Graba[/autotag] said Saturday. “We talked a lot about how that is what it takes to get through the postseason. You’re going to have adversity and you have to conquer it. I really feel like we did a good job with that today.”

Stevens posted a 39.650 all-around score and took home a share of the vault title on Saturday. She did not score below a 9.9 on any event during the championship.

“Knowing we had some bumps and bruises along the way, I just wanted to do it for them and I wanted it for us,” Stevens said. “We’ve worked so hard, and we’ve been through a lot this season. We’re ready for the hard work to pay off and just to be able to do this and step up in these moments for my team was really rewarding.”

Gobourne’s highlights include a 9.9 on bars and 9.875 on floor.

The Tigers ended fifth in the SEC Championships. Here’s a look at how the rest of the field did on Saturday:

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Auburn gymnastics ends regular season with 197.600 in win over Penn State

Cassie Stevens and Derrian Gobourne take home multiple event titles in their final meet at Neville Arena.

For seven Auburn seniors, their final meet inside Neville Arena ended in the best way possible.

No. 9 Auburn welcomed Penn State for the regular season finale on Friday night and ended with a 197.600-197.025 win. Not only did the team have to battle the emotions of senior night, but they also had to compete without Suni Lee for the second week in a row. Despite the challenges, head coach Jeff Graba was thrilled about his squad’s performance.

“I thought the girls did a good job of coming in and building off what we’ve tried to work on in practice,” head coach [autotag]Jeff Graba[/autotag] said following Friday’s meet. “This is a hard night, a lot of emotions, and I thought they did a really good job to get through it and get us set up for the next few weeks.”

Auburn ended the first rotation by trailing Penn State but jumped ahead after a solid performance on bars. Four Tigers scored 9.9 or higher on bars, with seniors [autotag]Cassie Stevens[/autotag] and [autotag]Derrian Gobourne[/autotag] earning 9.925’s in Auburn’s overall score of 49.525. Gobourne was delighted with her team’s performance on bars and says that it proves just how talented Auburn is at the event.

“With Suni in or out, we’re going to have her back. We’re going to do what we need to do,” Gobourne said. “Showing up the way we did even though we were missing her is really special, and it shows what we can do.”

Auburn continued to separate themselves from the Nittany Lions in their third rotation by scoring 49.250 on the beam. [autotag]Gabby McLaughlin[/autotag] paced the Tigers with a 9.950 and senior [autotag]Aria Brusch[/autotag] closed her home campaign on beam with a 9.900.

Then, in what has become the norm, Auburn closed out the event with a spectacular showing on the floor.

Brusch and [autotag]Sophia Groth[/autotag] scored 9.9 in the first half of the event, which paved the way for [autotag]Olivia Hollingsworth[/autotag] to put on a spectacular show for a team-leading 9.950, which sets a new career high. Seniors Cassie Stevens and Derrian Gobourne ended the meet with 9.9 and 9.875 respectively. Stevens was the all-around winner by recording a 39.525.

“I think we came together as a team tonight, and it was really fun,” Stevens said following her final meet at Neville Arena. “The vibes were different. We were doing it for each other. We were having fun while we were doing it. That’s Auburn gymnastics.”

The regular season has now concluded, and Auburn will now get ready for its next task, the SEC Championships. Auburn will compete for a series of conference crowns next Saturday at Gas South Arena in Duluth, Georgia.

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Suni Lee to miss regular season finale vs. Penn State

Head coach Jeff Graba says that Lee is going through a non-gymnastics health issue.

Gold medal olympian [autotag]Suni Lee[/autotag] was expected to participate in her final meet at Neville Arena on Friday when Auburn takes the floor against Penn State for senior night.

However, Auburn head coach [autotag]Jeff Graba[/autotag] revealed that Lee will not compete in Friday’s meet due to what is being called a “non-gymnastics health issue.”

Here is the official statement that Auburn Gymnastics posted on Twitter.

“Suni is going through a non-gymnastics health issue that has impaired her ability to train. We do not want to put our athletes in any position that could risk their overall health and well-being. With that said, we’ve decided that it is in Suni’s best interest to take Friday’s meet off.”

Lee did not compete in last Saturday’s meet at Kentucky, though no reason was given. In her last meet, Lee won the all-around title by scoring a 39.475 in Auburn’s win over Georgia at Neville Arena on Feb. 24.

Auburn Gymnastics closes the home slate on Friday night with Penn State at 7 p.m. CT. Auburn will honor Lee, as well as seniors [autotag]Derrian Gobourne[/autotag], [autotag]Cassie Stevens[/autotag], [autotag]Aria Brusch[/autotag], [autotag]Morgan Leigh Oldham[/autotag], [autotag]Adeline Sabado[/autotag]s, and [autotag]Anna Sumner[/autotag].

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Cassie Stevens wins all-around title in Auburn’s meet at Kentucky

Stevens’ 9.975 on vault paved the way for the senior to take the meet’s overall high score.

Due to projected inclement storms in the Lexington area on Friday, No. 9 Auburn‘s meet at No. 12 Kentucky had to be pushed to Saturday afternoon.

Despite the slight change in routine, Auburn stayed close to Kentucky until the end, falling to the Wildcats, 197.460-196.450.

Both teams stayed close to one another until the final event.  Kentucky would post a 49.400 on floor, but two scores of 9.300 and 9.275 caused Auburn to have a low score beam, thus propelling Kentucky to an overall win.

“Maybe it will leave a bad taste in our mouth,” head coach [autotag]Jeff Graba[/autotag] said of Saturday’s meet. “We’ve got a week to work on it and get ready to go for Senior Night.”

[autotag]Cassie Stevens[/autotag] won the all-around with an overall score of 39.500, beating out Kentucky’s Raena Worley. Stevens’ best event was the vault, where she scored a 9.975. In her other three events by scoring 9.825 or higher.

“I think it shows what a quality athlete (Stevens) is and the depth of our team,” Graba said. “If we get everybody on the same page like where Cassie is right now, we’re in really good shape.”

[autotag]Derrian Gobourne[/autotag] paced the team on bars with a 9.900, Stevens led on beam with a 9.825, and [autotag]Gabby McLaughlin[/autotag] earned a 9.990 on floor. Auburn sophomore and Olympic gold medalist, [autotag]Suni Lee[/autotag], did not participate in Saturday’s meet.

Auburn will conclude the regular season on Friday by hosting Penn State at 7 p.m. CT. The Nittany Lions squad currently ranks No. 32 in the country by posting an average score of 195.995 per meet.

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Auburn Gymnastics posts season-high 197.750 in top-10 win over LSU

Suni Lee’s 10.0 on bars and a dominant team effort on floor gives Auburn a pivotal win over LSU.

After No. 5 Auburn took a narrow defeat at No. 11 Alabama last Friday, head coach [autotag]Jeff Graba[/autotag] said, “I think you’ve got to be a 198 team to win the national championship. Clean some things up and just keep going.”

His team took a giant step forward in reaching that goal Friday night by posting a season-high 197.750 in a win over No. 9 LSU in front of a sellout crowd at Neville Arena.

After taking a 49.325-49.275 lead through the first rotation, Auburn suffered a setback as LSU’s Aleah Finnegan scored a 10.0 on vault. It would not take long for Auburn to respond, as [autotag]Suni Lee[/autotag] closed the rotation by posting a 10.0 of her own on bars, which was her third perfect score over the last two meets and her first 10.0 on bars in front of the home crowd at Neville Arena.

“I didn’t even know it was my first time getting a 10 here at Neville Arena on bars,” Lee said following the meet. “(It was) a super-amazing feeling.”

At the halfway point, Auburn led LSU, 98.825-98.625.

The second half of Friday’s meet got off to a great start for Auburn, as Lee and [autotag]Olivia Hollingsworth[/autotag] each grabbed a 9.9 on beam to stay ahead of the upset-minded Tigers from Baton Rouge.

“I was most impressed with beam,” Graba said following the meet. “That says a lot about our mentality and focus.”

Auburn already held a lead over LSU heading to floor, but a dominating performance by Auburn in the event solidified the impressive win.

Hollingsworth and [autotag]Sophia Groth[/autotag] started off with 9.9’s, which boosted the already electric atmosphere for [autotag]Cassie Stevens[/autotag], Suni Lee, and [autotag]Derrian Gobourne[/autotag] to close out the meet with great performances.

The trio did just that, as Stevens scored 9.900 while Lee and Gobourne scored 9.975.

“The energy was crazy tonight. It’s always so special every time I end on floor,” Gobourne said of Auburn’s floor performance. “We wanted to be strong and get it done. It was special to see everyone go out there and show out and not be afraid of the crowd, the judges, or the scores. Everyone really shining their light was so special to see.”

As for the goal of reaching a 198 overall score? Graba says that his team’s preparations are setting a favorable path to achieving the target.

“We’re proving that we’re a 198 team if we can put all four events together,” Auburn coach Jeff Graba said. “We’ve got to refine some stuff but we’re also pressing really hard to get to that 198. It’s a balancing act right now.”

Next up for Auburn is a trip to Columbia to face Missouri. Auburn and Missouri will meet next Sunday, Feb. 19, at 5 p.m. CT.