No. 12 Auburn Gymnastics Hosts No. 17 Arkansas in 2025 Home Opener

AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 12 Auburn gymnastics team will host No. 17 Arkansas on Friday, January 17, at Neville Arena in their 2025 home opener. The meet, set for 6 p.m. CT, will be televised on SEC Network.

“It’s going to be a tough one,” said Auburn head coach Jeff Graba. “Arkansas is coming off its first meet of the year and are really talented. We’re going to have to have a really good performance to come away with a good score.”

Graba emphasized the challenges of competing in the SEC, stating, “Auburn has the toughest schedule in the country. It’s partly because that’s what we chose to do on the road and also partly because we’re in the SEC. So, we’re going to have our hands full.”

The Tigers are looking forward to the home-crowd advantage that Neville Arena brings, especially for the newcomers. “We have a young team that’s really excited to get in front of our crowd and show them what we’ve been working on,” Graba added. “It’s all about the team with this group. I’m really excited with where we are and can’t wait to be at home on Friday.”

Auburn will start the meet on vault, followed by bars, beam, and floor. The team is coming off a season-best 49.250 on vault last week in San Antonio. Highlighting the top eight are senior Derrian Gobourne and freshman Sunisa Lee, who each earned a 9.875 on vault in Texas, marking a season best for Gobourne and a career high for Lee.

On bars, Lee leads the top eight with a pair of 9.9s to her credit. Senior Drew Watson, with 37 starts in the event, also secures a spot in the lineup. The beam rotation features freshmen Lee and Sophia Groth, each averaging a 9.85. Lee took the event title in San Antonio.

Auburn will finish the night on floor, where senior Gobourne is coming off a 9.925 in San Antonio, winning the event. The top eight on floor also includes freshmen Lee and Adeline Sabados, along with experienced gymnasts like Groth and Watson.

Up next, Auburn remains at home to welcome nationally-ranked Oregon State for a non-conference contest on January 24 at 8:30 p.m. CT, televised on ESPN2.