No. 6 Auburn caps full weekend at annual Elevate the Stage meet

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No. 6 Auburn caps full weekend at annual Elevate the Stage meetNo. 6 Auburn caps full weekend at annual Elevate the Stage meet
Matthew Shannon/AU Athletics

AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 6 Auburn gymnastics team will finish a busy weekend on the road, traveling to Huntsville for the annual Elevate the Stage meet in the Von Braun Center. The Tigers will face off with No. 7 Alabama, Arkansas and Georgia in a nonconference contest on the podium.
 
"I'm anxious to see how our team handles Sunday's meet coming off a huge night Friday against Florida," head coach Jeff Graba said. "This meet is a good practice for us as we get closer to the postseason not only because it's on the podium, but also because of the quick turnaround.
 
The meet will be streamed live on FloGymnastics with the first routine scheduled for 1 p.m. CT.
 
AUBURN LINEUP
Depth and experience with a mix of new talent is what the Tigers will bring to the table in 2022.
 
Auburn will kick things off on floor after it put together a program-best 49.800 vs. Florida on Friday. Seniors Derrian Gobourne and Drew Watson with freshmen Sunisa Lee and Sophia Groth are set to shine for the Tigers as they are all in the top eight.
 
Joining them are juniors Cassie Stevens, Morgan Leigh Oldham and Adeline Sabados. Stevens is coming off a 9.925 vs. Florida. Freshman Sara Hubbard is also battling for a spot in the lineup.
 
The Tigers will be on vault in the second rotation where they ranks sixth nationally. Seniors Gobourne and Watson lead the squad Watson is among the nation's top 15 in the event, while Gobourne is tied for 17th.
 
Freshmen Groth, Hubbard and Lee have all done well for the Tigers in the event this season, including a 9.925 from Lee. Sophomores Tara Walsh and Gabby McLaughlin with Stevens are also among the team's top eight.
 
Rotation three has the team on bars and will be led by experience bar workers. Lee is third nationally with a 9.935 NQS and a 10.0 under her belt. Gobourne, Aria Brusch, Sabados, Piper Smith and Stevens all add experience and big scores to the team's top eight.
 
Groth and sophomore Gabby McLaughlin have also worked their way into Auburn's potential lineup for bars.
 
Auburn's beam squad ranks fourth nationally at 49.395. Lee is tied for third in the nation at 9.940 and has two 10.0s to her credit. Groth is also in the top 10 nationally at 9.920.
 
Sophomore Olivia Hollingsworth with Brusch, Smith, Stevens and McLaughlin all bring big scoring potential to the lineup. Fifth year Allie Riddle is also once again among the top eight with an opportunity to compete.
 
UP NEXT
Auburn closes out the regular season with a tri-meet at top-ranked Michigan, March 12, in Ann Arbor.