Auburn appeared to be on the rise in the beginning of the 2025 season, but injuries plagued the lineups, and the Tigers didn’t have the depth they needed to absorb those missing routines fully. Now, the Tigers have a highly ranked freshman class, two under-the-radar transfers, and hope to fully return their freshman phenom Katelyn Jong after an Achilles injury right before the postseason.
2025 Rewind
No. 11 overall | No. 7 at SEC | No. 15 in regular season | Regional final
The Tigers were quietly cruising through the beginning of their season, winning four of their first five meets. After losing Jong and Olivia Hollingsworth to Achilles injuries, the Tigers had to dig deep and fight for their spot in the SEC championship. Despite the setbacks, they had success and made it all the way to regionals. They were ultimately eliminated in the regional final, only a tenth and a half away from advancing to nationals as a team.
Losses & Gains
| RETURNING |
| Seniors: Hannah Hagle |
| Juniors: Emma Grace Boyd, Olivia Greaves, Sophia Greaves, Julianne Huff, Alex Irvine, Jersie Woolsey, Paige Zancan |
| Sophomores: Olivia Ahern, Bryn Bartman, Sophia Bell, Katelyn Jong, Marissa Neal |
| IN |
| Freshmen: Charlotte Booth, Adriana Consoli, Mia Leverton, Rebekah Smith, Brynn Torry |
| Transfers: Kaylee Bluffstone (Florida), Emma Wehry (WVU) |
| OUT |
| Graduated: Sophia Groth (UB/BB/FX), Anna Hill, Olivia Hollingsworth, Sara Hubbard (VT), Caroline Leonard (UB), Gabby McLaughlin (BB/FX), Sydney Schumaker (VT), Sarah Zois (VT) |
| INJURY UPDATE |
| Freshman standout Jong tore her Achilles in late February. Per a podcast interview with head coach Jeff Graba, she is back to training full routines on bars but has yet to return fully on the other three events. |
Fresh Faces
Auburn brings in a freshman class headlined by former elite Booth, who could be available for the all-around after recovering from an Achilles injury faster than expected. Torry competed both elite and level 10 in 2025 and won two medals on vault and bars. The class also includes Consoli, Smith, and Leverton, a late signee who won a silver medal on vault at level 10 nationals in May. The Tigers also brought in two transfers, Bluffstone from Florida and Wehry from West Virginia. Neither competed in 2025 due to injury, but preseason training footage indicates they are fully training and ready to contribute come January.
Apparatus Deep Dive
Vault
2025 Event Ranking: No. 10 | NQS: 49.290 | Average: 49.173 | High: 49.500
| Event Overview: The Tigers finished in the top 10 nationally on vault for the first time since 2022, powered by mix of clean Yurchenko fulls, powerful one and a halves, and a highlight in Paige Zancan’s stickable front handspring front pike vault. They gain several new 10.0 start values this year, making it a possibility that they could field six 10.0 vaults at some point in 2026. | ||
| Locks: Sophia Bell, Julianne Huff, Paige Zancan Bell primarily vaulted a Yurchenko full in 2025, but showed a one and a half in Auburn’s preview meet last season and a double full in preseason this year. Her versatility makes her a lock on vault. Zancan returns as the highest NQS with her vault, which has gone as high as 9.975. | ||
| Contenders: Mia Leverton, Brynn Torry, Emma Wehry Leverton’s Yurchenko one and a half has been featured multiple times on Auburn’s Instagram this preseason, making her a likely contender as a freshman. Torry has the ability to compete both a one and a half and a double twist, but will likely opt for the one and a half. Wehry’s front handspring pike half will be a welcome 10.0 start value; she led her former team, West Virginia, in NQS her last competitive season. | ||
| Wildcards: Kaylee Bluffstone, Charlotte Booth, Alex Irvine, Katelyn Jong, Rebekah Smith Bluffstone had an impressive one and a half in Level 10, but her injury may prevent her from being on this event right away. Irvine was training an Omelianchik in preseason; if she can clean it up, she will be an additional 10.0 option for this event after only competing bars so far for the Tigers. Jong’s status will be dependent on her recovery. If she’s healthy, her one and a half is a must-have. |
Bars
2025 Event Ranking: No. 19 | NQS: 49.250 | Average: 49.164 | High: 49.425
| Event Overview: Bars was Auburn’s weakest event last season, and Jong’s injury did not help. Auburn loses three senior routines from last year, but with new options emerging, bars could be on the rise for Auburn in 2026. | ||
| Locks: Olivia Greaves, Alex Irvine, Katelyn Jong A national qualifier on this event, Greaves brings top-tier difficulty and exquisite form that should keep her in the anchor spot. Irvine competed in all but three meets on this event for Auburn in her first season, while Jong was in every meet and was averaging just over a 9.800 prior to her injury. She is back to training full bar routines, so this should be the event we see her return to first. | ||
| Contenders: Charlotte Booth, Emma Grace Boyd, Marissa Neal, Brynn Torry Booth’s best event in elite was bars. She brings an impressive Ray to Ezhova combination that will turn heads in Neville Arena if she chooses to bring it to NCAA. Boyd competed in every meet on bars for the Tigers last year, while Torry won her session of level 10 nationals on bars with a 9.850, making her likely to get a chance in this lineup early. | ||
| Wildcards: Bryn Bartman, Hannah Hagle, Mia Leverton, Rebekah Smith, Emma Wehry Hagle did not compete in 2025 but is a solid option on this event if needed. Bartman made 10 appearances last season but struggled with her consistency; she could be on the outside looking in with some stronger options available. |
Beam
2025 Event Ranking: No. 9 | NQS: 49.385 | Average: 49.278 | High: 49.450
| Event Overview: Where bars was a struggle, beam was a strength for the Tigers last season. It was the one event that they did not dip below a 48 as a team, and it stands to get stronger considering they only need to replace two routines from 2025. | ||
| Locks: Olivia Ahern, Marissa Neal, Paige Zancan Neal has the highest returning NQS and topped out at a 9.975 in her freshman season, while Ahern competed in every meet with only four scores below a 9.800. Zancan had four scores of 9.900 plus, making these three likely options for the back half of the lineup. | ||
| Contenders: Charlotte Booth, Olivia Greaves, Katelyn Jong, Brynn Torry After Hollingsworth’s career ended due to an Achilles injury, Greaves stepped into her spot and became a consistent competitor. Booth and Torry have really nice form and should make the competition for the lineup interesting. If Jong returns to training this event, she will be a welcome boost. | ||
| Wildcards: Bryn Bartman, Kaylee Bluffstone, Adriana Consoli, Sophia Greaves, Julianne Huff, Mia Leverton, Rebekah Smith, Emma Wehry Auburn has lots of depth options that could very easily slot into a lineup spot if needed. Bartman and Wehry have NCAA experience, so they would likely be the first ones called upon. Primarily known for her vault, Huff has an impressive side aerial layout series that could see her get lineup time as well. |
Floor
2025 Event Ranking: No. 11 | NQS: 49.430 | Average: 49.294 | High: 49.575
| Event Overview: Auburn started slow, but ended up excelling on floor due to difficulty in tumbling and excellence in musicality. The Tigers graduated several E-passes from 2025, so fans may see a dip in difficulty at first, but their excellent performance quality should not waver. | ||
| Locks: Sophia Bell, Olivia Greaves, Paige Zancan Bell and Greaves appeared on floor in every meet for the Tigers, while Zancan stepped into Hollingsworth’s lineup spot after her injury. All three had season highs of 9.900 plus, with Bell hitting that mark six times as a freshman. | ||
| Contenders: Olivia Ahern, Mia Leverton, Marissa Neal, Brynn Torry Ahern was a solid replacement routine after Jong’s injury; look for her to contend for that spot if Jong is not back to full strength. Neal only made three appearances, but hit above 9.850 on all three and is training a full-twisting double layout that could see lineup time. Torry’s elite composition makes her a candidate for a lineup spot, while Leverton has been seen training a full-twisting double tuck that could make her an early contender as well. | ||
| Wildcards: Bryn Bartman, Kaylee Bluffstone, Charlotte Booth, Emma Grace Boyd, Hannah Hagle, Katelyn Jong, Rebekah Smith, Emma Wehry Similar to beam, there are a lot of depth options available for the Tigers. Bluffstone, Booth, Jong, and Wehry are all returning from various injuries, but if fully healthy, could provide much-needed boosts and help Graba rotate his lineups throughout the season. |
Records Watch
Team: 198.575 | AA: 39.825 (Sunisa Lee) | VT: 49.500/9.975 (Paige Zancan) | UB: 49.675/10.000 (Sunisa Lee) | BB: 49.725/10.000 (Sunisa Lee) | FX: 49.800/10.000 (Derrian Gobourne)
Auburn is still searching for its first individual perfect 10 on vault, and with how close Zancan came last year, it won’t be a surprise if she’s the one to set that record in her junior season. Look for Greaves and Neal to make a push for 10s this year as well; both went 9.975 on bars and beam, respectively, last year.
The Big Picture
Auburn was an unfortunate victim of the injury bug in 2025, but all signs point to everyone being lineup-ready by the time season starts. The freshman class will likely be called upon early to fill some gaps, but it should be enough to bring Auburn back to regionals and another top-16 finish.
Likely 2026 finish: Regional Final
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Article by Savanna Wellman
