FINAL FOUR! Auburn advances to NCAA Championship finals, Lee wins beam title

Opens in a new window Final Gym Results
FINAL FOUR! Auburn advances to NCAA Championship finals, Lee wins beam titleFINAL FOUR! Auburn advances to NCAA Championship finals, Lee wins beam title

FORT WORTH, Texas – Earning the third highest score in program history, Auburn advanced to Saturday's team finals by scoring 197.8375 at the NCAA Championship semifinals Thursday at Dickies Arena.
 
"Really excited about finally accomplishing what they set out to accomplish months ago," Auburn coach Jeff Graba said. "We felt like we were capable of this. I'm really proud of the group. We talked a lot about how much fight that was going to take to get through."
 
Freshman Sunisa Lee won the beam national championship and finished second in the all-around while senior Derrian Gobourne was the national runner-up on floor and bars.
 
"In the past couple meets I've been struggling on beam so to come back and build that confidence again means a lot," Lee said. "The team makes it all so much better because it's so memorable, and it's something I'm never going to forget."
 
Competing in the evening session, Auburn took the lead after two rotations and held it until the final event, finishing .137 behind Florida's 197.9750. Auburn comfortably outdistanced third-place Missouri (197.200) and Michigan (196.2875).
 
Lee finished second in the all-around to Florida's Trinity Thomas, who edged Gobourne for the floor and bars titles.
 
After a strong start on beam and even higher scores on floor, Auburn led through two rotations.
 
Lee anchored beam with a 9.9625 to claim the individual NCAA event championship, building on freshman Sophia Groth's 9.925 and Gabby McLaughlin's 9.9. Aria Brusch earned a 9.85 with Cassie Stevens and Olivia Hollingsworth each contributing 9.8375s.
 
Auburn's 49.475 on beam trailed only Michigan's opening rotation score of 49.4875 on floor.
 
The Tigers claimed the lead on floor by scoring 49.575 on Auburn's second rotation. Stevens and Groth scored back-to-back 9.9s before Lee earned a 9.95, setting the stage for Gobourne's anchor routine.
 
The senior delivered once again, scoring 9.9625, a score that led the night session through three events and equaled Oklahoma's Jordan Bowers' afternoon session high before Florida's Thomas scored a 10 in the final rotation.
 
"Making it to the Final Four is just amazing," Gobourne said. "I had a calmness about myself and the team, even watching the first event I was thinking something great is going to happen. I wasn't really focused on the outcome. I was just focused on the moment."
 
Fifth year Drew Watson scored 9.925 on vault to help the Tigers maintain their lead through three rotations. Watson's score was the fourth highest in both sessions, earning her All-America honors.
 
"Drew has stepped up so many times," Gobourne said. "She's great at what she does."
 
Freshman Sara Hubbard tied her career high with a 9.9, earning the eighth best score of the meet and All-America recognition. Gobourne added a 9.875, Lee scored a 9.85 and Groth earned a 9.8.
 
The Tigers took a .175 lead to the final rotation, securing their Final Four spot by scoring 49.4375 on bars.
 
Gobourne scored 9.95 on bars to finish as the national runner-up to Florida's Thomas, repeating their one-two finish on floor.
 
Lee closed out the meet for the Tigers scoring 9.9125, earning an all-around score of 39.675.
 
Auburn stacked each score in the bars lineup. Adeline Sabados led off with a 9.8 before Groth's 9.8375, Stevens' 9.850 and Brusch's 9.8875.
 
Auburn's six highest team scores have occurred this season.
 
The Tigers will compete for the national championship Saturday at noon CT on ABC against Florida, Oklahoma and Utah.
 
"A little bit of validation that we are that good," Graba said. "We felt like we were capable of this. I'm really proud of the girls. A lot of pride for the program and where we've elevated this program to, and now it's just excitement. Just looking forward."
 
"I'm so proud of us and how we handled tonight," Gobourne said. "I'm super excited for Saturday."