The No. 15 Auburn gymnastics team will face No. 7 Missouri at Neville Arena on March 13 in the final meet of the regular season, according to a statement released by the university. The competition is scheduled for 7 p.m. Central Time and will be broadcast on SEC Network+.
This matchup is significant as both teams have developed a rivalry over recent years, with Missouri providing strong competition for Auburn. Head coach Jeff Graba said, “We are up against what has kind of become a rival for us. Missouri is really good and have been a really good test for us these last couple of years. We need a packed Neville Arena and there is no better place to watch a gymnastics meet than Neville Arena.”
Auburn enters the contest after scoring 196.975 at home and achieving a 197.200 at the Elevate the Stage meet in Huntsville last weekend. Graba said that Friday’s goal is continued improvement before postseason play begins: “This road we’ve been on these last couple of meets has been good,” he said. “We’ve done a really good job at putting some things together and we now have more people available to us. We still have work to do and that will be the main focus on Friday. We have to go up there and put together all four events. We’ve come close a lot of times. We need to finish the regular season off the right way and we can do that this Friday at home.”
The event will also serve as Senior Night, honoring Olivia Greaves, Hannah Hagle, Hailey John, Emma Wehry, as well as managers Shayla Graba and Reese Marquis. Additionally, alumni will be recognized during an annual Alumni Meet celebration, including special recognition for the 2016 NCAA Regional Champion team.
Auburn’s lineup features several gymnasts ranked among the top eight in all four events, including juniors Olivia Greaves, Julianne Huff, Alex Irvine, and sophomore Marissa Neal. The Tigers are ranked nationally in vault (11th), beam (12th), and floor exercise (among nation’s best). Notable performances include Paige Zancan’s recent score of 9.95 on vault and Huff’s three all-around titles this year.
Looking ahead, Auburn will begin postseason competition at the SEC Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma on March 21.
