AUBRUN, Ala. - No. 12 Auburn hosted No. 13 Missouri Friday for Senior Night. It was a special night as six Auburn seniors were recognized including two fifth-year seniors. With such a memorable night taking place, Auburn did not want to disappoint.
“There’s a little extra emotion tonight,” Auburn head coach Jeff Graba said. “So just really happy that they finished it really well and that everybody was pretty successful. We ended this thing the right way with a good victory.”
Auburn won the meet 197.425 to 197.000 over Missouri. Multiple gymnasts had impressive nights, but none were as spectacular as fifth-year senior Cassie Stevens’s night. Stevens won the all-around with a score of 39.625.
“This was a good tough night for us,” Graba said. “This will help her get better.”
Stevens started the night strong and never let up. She began the night with a 9.900 on vault before scoring a 9.850 on bars in the second rotation. Stevens added a 9.925 on beam after an impressive routine. Finally, she finished the night with her best score which was a 9.950 on floor.
When Cassie Stevens’s career ends, she will go down as one of the most decorated gymnasts in Auburn history. For the last five years, she has been a staple for Auburn gymnastics and on Friday she left her final mark on Neville Arena.
“Obviously anyone wants to go out on a high note,” Stevens said. “So just really happy with my performance and happy with the team’s performance. It was just a lot of fun. I had a great time.”
Stevens was not the only gymnast who helped Auburn defeat Missouri Friday night, though. The home Tigers had a good night overall. They started the night with a 49.200 on vault but only improved from there. They scored a 49.325 on both beam and floor before finishing the night with a 49.575 on floor.
Sophia Groth scored a 9.900 on the final three rotations helping Auburn improve its score as the night went on. Olivia Hollingsworth had a really strong night as well. She propelled Auburn to its high score on floor with a 9.950 and even got a 10 from one judge.
“I just felt like all of my hard work paid off,” Hollingsworth said. “To see that 10, I was just so excited.”
Those strong performances paired with Cassie Steven’s big night, led the Tigers to the win on Senior Night. Auburn’s season at Neville Arena is now finished, but the season as a whole is not. Next up, Auburn will travel to Georgia next Friday to take on the Bulldogs. The meet will start at 6:00 p.m. and air on the SEC Network.
