'Derrian's a superstar': Gobourne clinches rivalry win for Auburn gymnasts

'Derrian's a superstar': Gobourne clinches rivalry win for Auburn gymnasts'Derrian's a superstar': Gobourne clinches rivalry win for Auburn gymnasts

Auburn's Derrian Gobourne celebrates with teammates

AUBURN, Ala. – Lining up to perform her floor routine, Auburn's Derrian Gobourne noticed Aabama's anchor gymnast fall on beam.

The misstep opened the door for the Tigers to defeat their in-state rival. Gobourne knocked it off its hinges.

"I didn't know how much we needed to win," said Gobourne, who told herself "I'm just going to be normal."

The sophomore's "normal" effort electrified the sold-out Auburn Arena crowd of 7,424 Friday with a sensational performance that earned a 9.95 from the judges, the meet's highest score, to clinch Auburn's 196.625-196.025 victory.

"I honestly like it," said Gobourne of the responsibility of delivering the meet's final routine. "I don't really put too much pressure on myself. This is an event that I can just go all-out on. It's really not that hard for me, so I just let it all out. I love being in that position."

The home crowd energized Gobourne, who responded with a routine that brought fans to their feet.

"That helps a lot," she said. "Before I saluted, everyone was going crazy. I needed that."

Teammates raced to celebrate with Gobourne, who won the vault national championship as a freshman last season.

"Derrian's a superstar," said Skyler Sheppard, who won the event title on beam with a 9.925 and scored a 9.9 on floor. "Anything she does, we're always proud of her. I know when Derrian goes, it's going to be a show.

"I love standing in that corner and being the first person to congratulate her because that's what she deserves. Derrian is a one-of-a-kind athlete. It's amazing. I'm speechless for her performances every single time."

Derrian Gobourne's 9.95 on floor clinched Auburn's victory over Alabama

Auburn gymnastics coach Jeff Graba earned his second win over Alabama in five seasons. It was the 10th sellout in Graba's 10 seasons of leading the Tigers.

"In the locker room, the girls have to know that they're capable," Graba said. "They have to know that they can compete against everybody. We kept talking all week, we wanted a close meet, because a close meet sets us up for the end, the national championship, the regional meets, the SEC Championship.

"You want to have a tight meet so we have to be good at it. When the pressure's on and you have young people, they grow a lot. I feel like we have some home run hitters on this team and I think our freshmen are coming."

Junior Drew Watson won the all-around with a 39.425, including 9.9s on vault and floor.

"She's a phenomenal athlete," Graba said. "We need a one-two punch in the all-around and she's our superstar as well as Derrian."

Watson shook off neck soreness to compete in all four events.

"She gritted her teeth and toughed it out and had a great performance," Graba said. "She's really the grit at the top of the lineup most of the time. She sets the tone."

"I was ready to get out there for my team," Watson said. "I wanted to be out there, especially with Alabama, everyone wants to be out there. It's competitive. It got me fired up."

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer