No. 17 Auburn’s women’s gymnastics team finished third at the Metroplex Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas, on Sunday night with a score of 196.075. The quad meet took place at the Fort Worth Convention Center.
Head coach Jeff Graba commented on the team’s performance: “We had a great start tonight and it was really good to see beam rise to the level its capable of. I do think replacing our anchor on vault and floor has affected their mentality a little bit. I’m hopeful that we can get that ironed out when we get back to practice this week. And we need to start looking at some probable lineup changes in the future.”
North Carolina, ranked No. 13, won the event with a score of 196.375. NC State (No. 21) placed second with 196.1, while Boise State finished fourth at 194.825.
Sophomore Marissa Neal led Auburn by winning the floor title with a score of 9.9 and finishing second on both beam and vault. Junior Julianne Huff placed second in the all-around competition with a total of 39.175.
“Marissa has been fantastic and is a true competitor,” Graba said about Neal’s efforts during the meet. “I can’t say enough about her drive and determination and we’re hoping to get her back in the all-around soon.”
Auburn started strong on beam, earning a season-best team score of 49.525 in the first rotation. Neal and junior Alex Irvine each scored 9.925 for Auburn at the end of the lineup; this marked a career high for Irvine and season best for Neal. Junior Emma Wehry set her own career high with a 9.9, while senior Hannah Hagle tied her career best also scoring 9.9 points for Auburn.
On floor exercise during rotation two, Auburn posted a total score of 48.725 after struggling to keep momentum from their opening event.
The Tigers’ third rotation was vault, where they earned a team total of 49.075 points, led by Neal’s score of 9.85.
Auburn concluded on bars with an overall score of 48.750.
The Tigers will return home for their next meet against No. 3 Alabama on February 20 at Neville Arena; coverage will be provided by SEC Network.
