AUBURN, Ala. — The No. 12 Auburn Tigers (7-1, 1-0) opened SEC conference gymnastics against the No. 17 Arkansas Razorbacks (0-4, 0-1), with the Tigers finishing with a final score of 196.700 compared to the Razorbacks final score of 196.250.
Auburn ended the night with a final score of 49.200 on Vault, 49.175 on Bars, 49.225 on Beam, and 49.100 on the Floor. The Tigers ended up winning outright on Vault, Bars, and Floor, and the Tigers tied the Razorbacks on Beam with both schools ending the night with a 49.225 on the apparatus.
Coach Graba said, “To come out and do such a good job with a really shuffled lineup, with a lot of young people, I’m really proud of them.”
Auburn was missing veteran gymnasts Olivia Hollingsworth and Julianne Huff tonight, but the young members of the team, especially the freshman stepped up and put up solid scores for it being their first time in Neville Arena.
Freshman gymnasts Olivia Ahern, Bryn Bartman, Sophia Bell, Katelyn (Keko) Jong, and Marissa Neal all competed for Auburn tonight, with Keko Jong and Neal having stellar performances.
Jong finished the night with a 9.875 on Vault, 9.900 on Bars, and a 9.850 on Beam and Floor. Neal recorded a 9.925 on beam tying with Arkansas’ All-Around competitor Joscelyn Roberson for the highest score on that apparatus and was in a five-way tie with a 9.850 on Floor.
“Just keep working on the little details. I try not to overthink when I go and to just trust my training, but to also have fun and let loose,” Neal said about her 9.925 on Beam.
Jong ended the night winning the individual All-Around title for the meet, finishing with a score of 39.475 which ended up being 0.200 more than the Razorbacks’ Joscelyn Roberson (39.275).
On competing in the All-Around Jong said, “It shows me that I have been working hard and that I can trust my coaches. I’m just happy that I get to do the All-Around.”
It wasn’t just about the freshman though, as Auburn Sophomore Paige Zancan tied a career-high with a 9.900 on Vault winning the event outright against Arkansas and she was one of four gymnasts tonight to record a score of 9.900 or higher.
On Zancan’s 9.900 Vault, Coach Graba said, “She just worked so hard since she did that vault last year and it just wasn’t as consistent and it’s amazing the work she put towards improving the vault.”
One huge takeaway from tonight’s meet, and the first couple weeks of the season, is that Auburn does not have a set lineup yet. “It’s the secret to our success right now, is everybody’s working hard to beat each other out and it’s been good healthy competition in the gym,” Graba said.
Auburn has a deep roster for each of the apparatuses, and with healthy competition for each of the six available spots for each apparatus, Tiger fans can expect to see the best roster possible each week.
The Auburn Tigers have a late meet next week when they face the Oregon State Beavers at 8:30 p.m. CT inside Neville Arena and on ESPN2.
