In another meet that saw the Tigers without Suni Lee, Cassie Stevens guided Auburn to victory by winning the all-around title for the second week in a row.
The No. 9 Auburn Tigers knocked off the Penn State Nittany Lions 197.600-197.025 on senior night.
“I’m just really proud of the effort tonight,” Auburn head coach Jeff Graba said. “I thought the girls did a good job of coming in and building off what we’ve tried to work on in practice. 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.”
The first rotation saw Auburn on vault and Penn State on bars. Stevens and Derrian Gobourne led the Tigers, each receiving a 9.900. Maddie Johnston received the highest score for the Nittany Lions, earning a 9.875.
“I just wanted to come in here and feel the positive energy and just be grateful for a great career,” Gobourne said. “I didn’t want to put any pressure on myself. I didn’t want to make it something that it wasn’t. I just wanted to have a good time and be grateful. Grateful for the fans, grateful for this opportunity and shine bright tonight.”
The second rotation put the Tigers on bars and the Nittany Lions on vault. Stevens and Gobourne led the way for Auburn again, each scoring a 9.925. Ava Piedrahita led the way for Penn State with a 9.875.
The third rotation moved Auburn to beam and Penn State to floor. Gabby McLaughlin held the Tigers' best score with a 9.950. The Nittany Lions were led by Elina Vihrova who scored a 9.875.
The fourth and final rotation had the Tigers on floor and the Nittany Lions on beam. Olivia Hollingsworth secured the top spot for Auburn by scoring a 9.950. Penn State's top mark came from Bella Salcedo earned a 9.950.
Stevens 39.525 secured the all-around title for Auburn. Penn State's highest all-around scorer was Johnston who scored a 39.400
“I think we came together as a team tonight, and it was really fun,” Stevens said. “The vibes were different. We were doing it for each other. We were having fun while we were doing it. That’s Auburn gymnastics.”
Auburn will be back in action next Saturday when the Tigers travel over to Duluth, Georgia for the SEC Championship Meet.
