It’s the Iron Bowl of Gymnastics at Neville Arena. News of Sophia Bell being on crutches to start Friday’s meet had the ripple effect many expected throughout the weekend, culminating in a season-low 48.750 on floor at the Metroplex Challenge on Sunday. Bell was a key contributor on vault and floor in January, and Auburn will need to identify a reliable replacement quickly to stay competitive on those events.
Alabama enters with a clear edge and has demonstrated increasing depth in recent weeks, including a strong vault appearance from freshman McKenzie Matters, who delivered a stuck landing last week. Lineup decisions will be critical in tonight’s high-stakes matchup.
Meanwhile, with Gabby Gladieux, Chloe LaCoursiere, and Azaraya Ra-Akbar all scoring 9.975s this season, tonight could be the moment perfection finally breaks through.
The meet will be streamed on the SEC Network, and scores can be found here.
Rotation 1: Auburn VT, Alabama UB
Greaves (Auburn) VT: Arm circle to hold it but sticks yfull! 9.800
Walker (Alabama) UB: Maloney to Pak great form, same on the VL back up to the high bar, full-in chest slightly down and an almost imperceptible hop back. 9.850
Leverton (Auburn) VT: Y1.5 step to the side, good block off the table. 9.850
Gladieux (Alabama) UB: Big air on Jaeger to bail, hit her feet on mat per broadcast but I missed it…let’s watch the replay, yep right after the bail. 9.625
Neal (Auburn) VT: Holds stick on Y1.5 but off to the side. 9.875
Pawlak (Alabama) UB: Maloney slight leg separation, DLO holds stick great chest position. 9.925
Huff (Auburn) VT: Also holds stick on Y1.5, similar form-wise to Neal’s but is centered. Lot of momentum to start in the first post-Bell meet of the season. 9.900
Fuller (Alabama) UB: Pak leg separation and loses shape a bit, back up on VL, DLO chest down and tries for stick but has to step forward to save it. 9.850
Zancan (Auburn) VT: Steps forward, the usual sticker cannot do the same tonight after a few in a row. 9.850
LaCoursiere (Alabama) UB: Pak Maloney VL routine is just a cut above the rest, chest up with the stick … it looks like her previous 9.975 routines. 9.905
Torry (Auburn) VT: Y1.5 steps to the side and out of the line to the right. Points to the sky, condolences to her after the loss of her brother last week. 9.875 feels a little high.
Ra-Akbar (Alabama): Maybe a hair of leg separation after VL, chest down on double back but holds sthe stick. 9.950
AFTER ONE: Alabama 49.525, Auburn 49.350
Solid starts for both teams, with Auburn’s feeling especially meaningful in the aftermath of the loss of one of their key contributors on that event. Alabama avoided counting Gladieux’s uncharacteristic mistake in a reminder of why bars is tied with floor for the Tide’s best event rankings-wise (vibes-wise, I’d say it edges floor out).
Rotation 2: Alabama VT, Auburn UB
Cawley (Alabama) VT: Very small hop, slight soft knees in the second flip. 9.875
Huff (Auburn) UB: Maloney to bail, routine feels really quick but not in a bad way, DLO pikes down and leg sep on second flip but holds stick. 9.800
Marshall (Alabama) VT: Her first career routine, second week in a row a freshman makes her debut for the Tide. Major squat on pike half. 9.825
Boyd (Auburn) UB: Maloney to Pak, holds stick on double back, honestly a really clean routine but looks labored in the second half. 9.875
Paradise (Alabama) VT: Sticks y1.5, great leg form in the air, on replay actually just a slight shift in place…not sure if they’ll give it to her. Yep, 9.950
Booth (Auburn) UB: This routine also looks a bit less labored to me this week, DLO looks like it usually has this season. 9.775
Matters (Alabama) VT: Another pike half vault, not stuck this week but great form in the air and height. 9.850
Jong (Auburn) UB: Almost goes over on last handstand but saves, full-in dismount step back. 9.700
Gladieux (Alabama) VT: 1.5 stumbles several steps back, broadcaster said hand slipped. Not her night thus far. 9.625
Greaves (Auburn) UB: Slight flexed feet on Church, full-in slight step back. 9.825
Ra-Akbar (Alabama) VT: The power she has anchoring two events as a freshman, small hop forward. 9.875 I thought that would break 9.9
Irvine (Auburn) UB: Piked Jaeger good, needs 9.850 for a season-high, stuck full-in I think she will. Honestly, I’m surprised she needed THAT much for that honor. 9.925, she got it.
AFTER TWO: Alabama 98.900, Auburn 98.575
Auburn’s season-high bars score just felt way better in terms of the vibes. Alabama working some newer faces into the vault lineup at this point of the season is a testament to the Tide’s deep roster; they’re doing their job in the Iron Bowl tonight.
Rotation 3: Auburn BB, Alabama FX
Ahern (Auburn) BB: Confident series, straddle didn’t look fully 180 and a slight check, this is a faster beam song, squats but holds stick on y1.5. Love Auburn’s Black History Month tees! 9.900
LaCoursiere (Alabama) FX: Begins her dance but then music doesn’t start. Silence in the arena … starts again. Double back big height, honestly this is how you do the choreo with the dramatic music. Stag super high as well. 9.900
Wehry (Auburn) BB: BHS LOSO, side aerial barely saves, chest super low. Front gainer holds stick. 9.725
Cawley (Alabama) FC: Full-in good control, front foot stays planted, back 1.5 front lay same. She gives such confident unbothered vibes. 9.900
Huff (Auburn) BB: Love her side aerial LOSO series. Sticks gainer full. She’s having a solid, just doing her job kind of night. 9.875
Matters (Alabama) FX: Front tuck through to double back, this is fun dance in the middle. Leaps 180 beautiful extension. Double pike some front foot movement. 9.900, the score of the night in this lineup.
Hagle (Auburn) BB: Front aerial BHS slight break in connection, side aerial to beat jump that was more fluid. Gienger back pike holds stick. 9.875
Ra-Akbar (Alabama) FX: Back 2.5 such amplitude, leaps extended and great form, Back 1.5 front lay does need to step back. 9.875
Irvine (Auburn) BB: BHS LOSO slight check. Switch leap to one arm BHS big check. Gainer tuck full I missed the landing … 9.825 feels charitable but love her work.
Sears (Alabama) FX: BIG DLO and slides back a little. Double tuck through to double back, liked that landing better. 9.900
Neal (Auburn) BB: Triple series very slight lean to the side. Back 1.5 small hop forward. 9.875
Gladieux (Alabama) FX: Let’s see how this event goes in light of the other two. Stuck full-in with a controlled step back. When she walks out of it it’s like she’s just normally walking in life LOL. Front Rudi to split jump small hop in place. 9.925
AFTER THREE: Alabama 148.425, Auburn 147.925
Feels like the broadcasters (who are doing amazing otherwise) playing up how close it is just a little bit … we do have Neville floor coming up, but Alabama truly feels elevated tonight even with Auburn having a much more put-together meet than weeks past.
Rotation 4: Alabama BB, Auburn FX
Fuller (Alabama) BB: Front aerial, slight check on the full-turn. Form on the latter part of the triple series. Stuck the dismount. 9.850
Bartman (Auburn) FX: Back 1.5 front lay and the audience is giving silent, weird … not sure if it’s the music being overly loud on broadcast. Straddle leaps get to 180. Double pike some feet form.
LaCoursiere (Alabama) BB: Check after her stag, felt like a break between front aerial and BHS too. Back 1.5 chest down holds stick. 9.900
Irvine (Auburn) FX: Rudi to stag. OMG same thing with the quiet arena, idk what is up with the volume. 9.800
Ladanyi (Alabama) BB: Front aerial to split jump confident. BHS LOSO soft knees but aggressive. Back full small hop back. Stuck back 1.5 with chest up. 9.900
Ahern (Auburn) FX: Wolf full, Love her ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ after Rudi to LOSO, back 1.5 front lay. 9.875
Cawley (Alabama) BB: Wolf turn a little crazy but got it around. Gainer full off the side held stick with chest up. 9.925
Huff (Auburn) FX: Full-in controlled lunge front foot doesn’t move, three combination combo pass with front tuck to end. 9.925 IKTR!
Gladieux (Alabama) BB: BHS to back two foot layout. Sticks dismount to end, redeemed herself the second half of the night. 9.875
Neal (Auburn) FX: Double pike controlled landing. Front tuck through to double back and has to slide back. 9.875 clinched a season high for the Tigers. 9.875
Kvamme (Alabama) BB: Front aerial to BHS LOSO, front toss confident. Front gainer full off the side and stuck. 9.925
Greaves (Auburn) FX: To conclude, double pike lands in place. Her floor this year reminds me of a routine she’d have done in elite, too. 9.800
FINAL: Alabama 197.950, Auburn 197.250
Bama once again misses out on the 198 mark by a hair, but a really complete performance even with Gladieux’s unusual mistakes on vault and bars; the Tide will have to feel even better about that going into next week. And talk about a vibe shift for Auburn; even after the tough breaks to the team in the past few weeks, the Tigers looked more confident than they have all season tonight, including at Metroplex. There’s definitely hope here where there may not have been before.
VT: Paradise 9.950
UB: LaCoursiere and Ra-Akbar 9.950
BB: Cawley and Kvamme 9.925
FX: Gladieux and Huff 9.925
AA: Huff 39.525
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Live blog by Katherine Weaver
