Alabama Meet Notes

March 15, 2006

AUBURN, Ala. - The 14th-ranked Auburn gymnastics team concludes its regular season on Friday at 7:30 p.m., as the Tigers (8-9, 1-5 SEC) make the trek to Alabama (13-1, 5-1 SEC) for their third meeting of the year with the 5th-ranked Crimson Tide. Auburn will face Alabama at Coleman Coliseum as the Crimson Tide honors five seniors on Senior Night. Auburn has lost both meetings with the Crimson Tide this season and has not defeated Alabama since March 13, 1979. Auburn halted its losing streak at two on March 10 with a 195.775-192.625 win over Illinois-Chicago. Alabama has won three straight since falling to No. 1 Georgia and enters Friday's meet following a 196.250-195.850 win over No. 7 Stanford at home.

Scouting Alabama
Alabama is ranked fifth in the country and enters the meet 13-1 overall and 5-1 in the SEC. The Crimson Tide have a high score of 196.650 at Kentucky on Feb. 3 and an RQS of 196.315. The Crimson Tide's lone loss this season came at home against No. 1 Georgia on Feb. 10, when the Tigers fell, 196.625-195.575. Alabama is led by senior and nine-time All-American, Ashley Miles, who is ranked first on vault (9.935) and floor (9.915). Freshman Brittany Magee is ranked 20th on floor and vault and sophomore Terin Humphrey is ranked 13th on bars. In 2005, Alabama finished runner-up to Georgia at the NCAA Championships. Last year, Miles was an All-American on vault, bars, floor and in the all-around. Humphrey was a member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team that competed in Athens, Greece, and was the NCAA Champion on bars last year. Alabama is coached by Sarah Patterson, who is in her 28th year at Alabama. She has guided the Crimson Tide to an overall record of 357-77-4 and four National Championships. In her 28-year career, Patterson has never lost to Auburn.

The Series
Since winning the first nine meetings between the two schools, Auburn has dropped 87 straight to the Crimson Tide and is 9-87 all-time against Alabama. Earlier this season at the Super Six Challenge, Auburn fell to Alabama by the .575, which was the closest the Tigers have come to beating Alabama since their last victory on March 13, 1979. On that date, the Tigers defeated the Crimson Tide, 127.75-119.55, in the AIAW Region III Championship. From 1975-79, Auburn won all nine documented meetings with the Crimson Tide, but the Tigers have not won since. Due to insufficient information in Auburn's archives, no results are available from the 1976 season. Jeff Thompson is 0-21 in his career vs. Alabama. Auburn has never won in Tuscaloosa.

Last Time Out
After two consecutive close defeats, the 13th-ranked Auburn gymnastics team pieced together its fourth-highest score of the season en route to a convincing 195.775-192.625 victory over Illinois-Chicago Friday at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum. On a night where Auburn (8-9, 1-5 Southeastern Conference) celebrated Senior Night with lone senior Danielle Holtz, the Tigers outscored Illinois-Chicago (7-7, 4-0 Midwest Independent Conference) in all four events and won all four individual event crowns. Individually, Julie Dwyer ran away with her seventh all-around title of the year, scoring a 39.425. Dwyer won three of four event titles. Her title came on the heels of her school-record performance of 39.550 at Arkansas. Dwyer's all-around total was aided by her career-best score of 9.900 on bars. Dwyer's bars score marked the third straight meet the Bloomington, Ind., native has either set or tied a career high in the event. The only event Dwyer did not win came on vault, where Kayla Gies won the first event crown of her career by vaulting a 9.800. Lindsey Puckett placed second in the all-around for the Tigers with a 38.950. As a team, Auburn had at least the top-three individual finishes in each event, including having the top-six finishers on floor. With the win, the Tigers improved to 20-2 against non-conference foes under Thompson.

Gies Wins Title
Kayla Gies won the first event title of her career against Illinois-Chicago on March 10, when she vaulted a 9.800 to claim first in the event. The previous week, Gies had a career-best finish at Arkansas on March 3 by tying for second on beam with a career-best 9.825. Gies' previous top finish on vault was a fourth-place finish at Centenary on Feb. 19.

Dwyer Heating Up
Julie Dwyer won her seventh all-around title of the year and second in a row, as the Tigers defeated Illinois-Chicago on March 10. Dwyer posted a 39.425 en route to the title, while taking three of four event crowns and the all-around. Dwyer now has 23 first-place finishes on the year. In the last two meets, Dwyer has won nine of the possible 10 individual titles. On March 3, she swept all four events and the all-around title at Arkansas. In her last four all-around competitions, Dwyer has an average score of 39.494. The Bloomington, Ind., native is ranked sixth in the all-around with an RQS of 39.405. Her average score of 39.362 is the fourth-best in the country.

Recapping Both Meetings
The Tigers fell to Alabama in the two previous meetings this season. On Jan. 6, Auburn finished fifth of six teams at the Super Six Challenge, as Alabama won the meet and defeated the Tigers, 194.250-193.675. On Jan. 27, Auburn lost at home to Alabama, 196.175-194.450.

Jan. 6 - Alabama 194.250-193.675
Competing in its first-ever Super Six Challenge, Auburn turned heads by putting together a solid fifth-place performance that challenged for the title until the end. The Tigers finished fifth with a team score of 193.675, just .575 behind No. 4 and meet champion Alabama (194.250). In an extremely tight field which featured six teams ranked in the top 16, No. 15 Auburn's margin of defeat to Alabama was the closest they have come to defeating the Crimson Tide since the Tigers defeated Alabama on March 13, 1979. No. 8 Nebraska finished second with a 194.10, while No. 11 Iowa State finished third with a 194.050. No. 7 and host LSU placed fourth with a 193.90 and No. 16 Missouri finished behind Auburn in sixth with a 192.70. Individually, sophomore Julie Dwyer finished third in the all-around with a 39.075, while also finishing fifth on beam. Freshman Lindsey Puckett had two top-five finishes, as she tied for fifth on vault with a 9.850 and fifth on bars with a 9.850.

Jan. 27 - Alabama 196.175-194.450
Despite posting its second-highest score of the season, the 17th ranked Auburn gymnastics squad was not able to top No. 3 Alabama as the Crimson Tide defeated the Tigers, 196.175-194.450. Auburn took an early edge of 49.425-49.100 after the first rotation in the meet by posting a season-high score and the eighth-highest score in school history on vault. Alabama quickly responded with a 49.425 on vault during the second rotation, led by Ashley Miles' 9.975, to take the lead for good at 98.450-97.200. Individually, Julie Dwyer won her third straight all-around with a 39.375, which tied her career high previously set vs. West Virginia on Jan. 13. The Bloomington, Ind., native also placed second on floor with a 9.900 and second on bars with a 9.825. Lindsey Puckett finished second in the all-around with a career-best score of 39.325, topping her score of 38.875 vs. West Virginia. The Tigers, who were without injured all-arounder A.J. Mills for the second straight meet, continued to break in fresh faces in all four events. Due to Mills' injury, the Tigers performed two events with first-time competitors and only used a five-person lineup on floor. Kayla Gies made her season debut on vault, while Alicia Lenkiewicz debuted on beam.

Scheduling The Best
Auburn has faced four of the top five teams and seven of the top 13 teams in the GymInfo poll released March 13. Auburn has also faced two top 10 teams twice this season in LSU and Alabama. Overall, 10 of the Tigers' 15 opponents so far this season are ranked in the top 22. Auburn has faced No. 1 Georgia, No. 3 Florida, No. 4 Iowa State, No. 5 Alabama, No. 8 LSU, No. 11 Nebraska, No. 13 Missouri, No. 18 Kentucky, No. 20 Arkansas and No. 22 West Virginia. The only opponents Auburn has faced that aren't ranked are Centenary, Illinois-Chicago, NC State, James Madison and William & Mary. Prior to the Hearts Invitational on Feb. 10, all eight of the Tigers' opponents to start the season are currently ranked. This week's matchup with No. 5 Alabama will be the third of the year between the two schools.

Dwyer Breaks All-Around Record
After matching the second-highest all-around score in two consecutive all-around competitions, Julie Dwyer finally broke through against Arkansas by posting a school-record score of 39.550 en route to winning her sixth all-around title of the year. For the first time this year, Dwyer swept all four events, while matching her career high on bars and floor with a 9.875 and a 9.900, respectively. Prior to setting the school record in the all-around at Arkansas, Dwyer had posted consecutive all-around scores of 39.500, which are tied for the second-highest scores in school history. Dwyer's all-around score topped Natica Johnson's school record of 39.525 in 2004.

Sweet Home Alabama
Auburn's meet against Illinois-Chicago marked the first of three straight meets in the state of Alabama. The Tigers will not leave the state of Alabama until NCAA Regionals on April 8. After facing Alabama in Tuscaloosa on March 17, the Tigers will head to the SEC Championship on March 25 in Birmingham.

All-Around Ace
In her last four all-around competitions, Dwyer has an average score of 39.494. The Bloomington, Ind., native is ranked sixth in the all-around with an RQS of 39.405. Her average score of 39.362 is the fourth-best in the country. Dwyer's last four all-around scores have been 39.500, 39.500, 39.550 and 39.425. Dwyer's score of 39.550 at Arkansas topped the previous school record of 39.525 by Natica Johnson in 2004. Dwyer's back-to-back all-around scores of 39.500 tied with former gymnast Courtney Puckett's top score for the second-highest score in school history. Dwyer did not compete in the all-around at Centenary, as she did not compete on floor. It was the first time Dwyer was not in the all-around since Feb. 18, 2005 vs. Oklahoma. Dwyer has won seven of the 10 all-around competitions she has been a part of this season.

Tube Time
The Tigers' meet at Alabama on Friday will be televised on a tape-delayed basis by CSS at 8 p.m. The Tigers' televised meet at Alabama will mark the sixth of seven meets that Auburn will be featured on television. The Tigers opened the year on ESPN2 at the Super Six Challenge in Baton Rouge, La., and they were also televised by CSS against Alabama. Auburn also had its meet with the Gators televised by Fox Sports South and its meet with Georgia was televised by CSS. Lastly, the Tigers' meet at Arkansas was televised by Cox Sports. The SEC Championships on March 25 will be televised by Fox Sports South.

Raising The Bar(s)
For the third consecutive week, Julie Dwyer posted a career high on bars. After scoring back-to-back 9.875s vs. Georgia and at Arkansas, Dwyer raised the bar by scoring a 9.900 vs. Illinois-Chicago to win the event title. Dwyer's 9.900 tied A.J. Mills for the highest score this year on bars. Dwyer's score at Arkansas earned her a first-place finish and her score vs. Georgia earned her a tie for third. Dwyer's previous top mark was 9.825 scored at the Super Six Challenge and vs. Florida earlier this season.

Gies Sets Personal Record
Kayla Gies matched her career-high score of 9.825 on beam for the second meet in a row. In the last five meets, Dwyer has an average score of 9.770. During that span, she has posted the three-highest scores of her career. Gies ranks second on the team this season with an average beam score of 9.741.

Above And Beyond
Since performing on floor for the first time in her career vs. Florida on Feb. 3, junior Nicole Barnett has been more than impressive. The Chatsworth, Ga., native has posted two 9.850s at LSU and the Hearts Invitational and set a new career high with a 9.875 to tie for fourth vs. Georgia on Feb. 24. Following A.J. Mills' leg injury prior to the Kentucky meet, the Tigers only used a lineup of five on floor at Kentucky and vs. Alabama. Since the emergence of Barnett beginning at the Florida meet, Auburn has posted all five of its highest scores of the year on floor.

Close Call
Although Auburn lost to Georgia on Feb. 24, the improvement of the Tigers was evident, as the score was the closest in series history. Auburn is 0-55 all-time against Georgia. The narrow margin toppled the previous nearest margin of 1.4 on Feb. 8, 2003 (197.875-196.475).

Dwyer Completes Personal Records Sweep
With Julie Dwyer setting a personal record on bars with a 9.875 vs. Georgia, the Bloomington, Ind., completely rewrote or matched all of her personal records entering the season. Dwyer matched her record on bars the following week with another 9.875 at Arkansas and has since broken the record again with a 9.900 vs. Illinois-Chicago. Dwyer set a new record on vault with a pair of 9.925s at Centenary and LSU. On beam, she set a new record with a 9.925 vs. Florida and matched it at Centenary. On floor, she tied her record of 9.900 at Arkansas, at LSU and vs. Alabama. In the all-around, Dwyer set a school record with a 39.550 at Arkansas.

Beaming With Confidence
Auburn's top event this season is beam, where the Tigers rank eighth nationally with an RQS of 48.995. A key contribution to the Tigers' ranking is their season-high beam score of 49.225 at Centenary. The Tigers' score on beam was the seventh-highest mark in school history and the highest since recording a 49.350 at the Central Regional on April 2, 2004. Individually, Julie Dwyer leads the Tigers on beam and is tied for fourth in the country with an RQS of 9.900.

Puckett Named SEC Gymnast Of The Week
After posting the two-highest all-around scores of her career en route to the first all-around title of her career at Centenary and a third-place finish at LSU, Auburn freshman gymnast Lindsey Puckett was chosen as the Southeastern Conference Gymnast of the Week on Feb. 21.

Puckett won the all-around title at Centenary on Sunday with a 39.350. The Lilburn, Ga., native's victory at Centenary came on the heels of a career-high score of 39.475 in the all-around at LSU on Friday, which earned Puckett a third-place finish. Puckett's all-around score of 39.475 at LSU tied for the fourth-highest score in school history.

In addition to her all-around crown at Centenary, Puckett finished second on bars (9.850) and floor (9.800) and tied for second on vault (9.850) and beam (9.850). At LSU, Puckett set a career high on beam to tie for first with a 9.900. Puckett also tied for third on vault and floor at LSU with a pair of 9.900s.

The honor for Puckett is the first of her career and the second this year by the Tigers. Sophomore Julie Dwyer received the honor on Jan. 31 after winning the all-around title for the third straight meet by tying her career high with a 39.375 vs. Alabama on Jan. 27. In the meet, Dwyer also tied her career high on floor and bars, finishing second on each event.

Mills Returns
After missing four meets due to a leg injury, freshman A.J. Mills returned for the Tigers at LSU, where she competed on bars. Mills' return marked the first time she had competed since Jan. 13, when she won her first bars title vs. West Virginia. In her return, Mills made an immediate impact by tying for fourth with a 9.825 at LSU. At Centenary, Mills won her second bars title with a career-best 9.900. Mills' score was a season high for Auburn and matched the 10th-highest score in school history. At Arkansas, Mills competed on beam for the first time since Jan. 13.

Flooring The Competition
At Centenary, freshman Claire Seiffert became the sixth individual this season to secure a first-place finish for the Tigers. The Louisville, Ky., native finished first on floor with a career-best 9.825. Seiffert's score topped the 9.800 scored at the Hearts Invitational on Feb. 10.

Puckett Reaches New Heights
Freshman Lindsey Puckett posted the top-two all-around scores of her career and won the first all-around title of her career in Auburn's victories at LSU on Feb. 17 and Centenary on Feb. 19. Puckett's all-around title came at Centenary, as the Lilburn, Ga., native followed up her career-high score of 39.475 at LSU with a 39.350 at Centenary to win the crown. En route to her first all-around title, Puckett finished second on bars (9.850) and floor (9.800) and tied for second on vault (9.850) and beam (9.850).

Puckett's all-around score at LSU earned her a third-place finish and is tied for the fourth-highest score in school history. Puckett set a career high on beam at LSU to tie for first with a 9.900. Puckett also tied for third on vault and floor at LSU with a pair of 9.900s. On the year, Puckett has four first-place finishes and owns either the first- or second-highest scores in three of four events by the Tigers.

Vaulting To The Top
After Auburn posted a team score of 49.100 on vault against Alabama, which tied for the eighth-highest score in school history, the Tigers made history by vaulting a school-record 49.375 on vault at LSU, besting the 49.350 scored on Jan. 30, 2004 at Kentucky. The Tigers continued their success on vault by matching the fifth-highest score in school history with a 49.200 at Centenary.

Dominant Duo
The Tigers' duo of Julie Dwyer and Lindsey Puckett has rung up the top scores for Auburn in all four events and the all-around. Dwyer and A.J. Mills own the top score on bars with a 9.900, while Puckett is tied with Alicia Lenkiewicz for the second-highest score. Dwyer owns the top score on beam and the all-around. On vault and floor, Dwyer and Puckett are tied with a 9.925 and 9.900, respectively. Dwyer and Puckett own the top five scores on floor and beam, with Dwyer holding four of the top scores on both events. On vault the duo splits the top four scores.

Auburn In The Polls
Auburn dropped one spot to No. 14 in the latest GymInfo poll released on March 13. The Tigers were ranked 13th for three straight weeks prior to the drop. The Tigers have an RQS of 195.690. After scoring their two highest scores of the year at the time at LSU and Centenary, the Tigers moved up four places in the Feb. 20 poll to 13th. After Auburn's loss at Kentucky, the Tigers dropped from their No. 9 ranking to No. 17 on Jan. 23. The Tigers' performance against West Virginia helped them climb up the rankings to No. 9. Auburn opened the season ranked 15th in the GymInfo Women's Preseason Coaches Poll released Dec. 1. Following the Tigers' fifth-place showing at the Super Six Challenge, the Tigers vaulted to a No. 11 ranking.

Tigers In The Rankings
All-Around
Julie Dwyer is ranked sixth in the all-around with an RQS of 39.405. Lindsey Puckett is ranked 18th with an RQS of 39.220.

Vault
As a team, Auburn ranks 12th with an RQS of 49.065. On vault, Lindsey Puckett and Julie Dwyer are tied for 27th with an RQS of 9.865. Karmen Pinckney is tied for 49th with a 9.835 RQS.

Bars
The Tigers are ranked 14th on bars with an RQS of 48.910. Julie Dwyer is tied for 36th with an RQS of 9.835. A.J. Mills is tied for 49th with a 9.820 RQS on bars.

Beam
The Tigers are ranked eighth on beam with an RQS of 48.995. On beam, Julie Dwyer is tied for fourth with an RQS of 9.900. Lindsey Puckett is tied for 19th with an RQS of 9.850.

Floor
The Tigers RQS of 49.095 ranks 10th on floor. Julie Dwyer is ranked 16th with an RQS of 9.880. Lindsey Puckett is tied for 25th with an RQS of 9.855.

Dwyer Named Gymnast Of The Week
For the first time in her career, Auburn gymnast Julie Dwyer was tapped as the Southeastern Conference Gymnast of the Week on Tuesday, Jan. 31. Dwyer received the honor for her performance against Alabama on Jan. 27, where the Bloomington, Ind., native won the all-around title for the third straight meet by tying her career high with a 39.375. In the meet, Dwyer also tied her career high on floor and bars, finishing second on each event. On floor, Dwyer recorded a 9.900 and on bars, Dwyer scored a 9.825. Dwyer also placed fourth on vault and beam against the Crimson Tide, recording a 9.850 and 9.800, respectively. On the year, Dwyer has won seven event titles in four meets. Nationally, Dwyer is ranked sixth in the all-around with an average of 39.262.

Rachelle Thompson Promoted
Rachelle Thompson was promoted from assistant to associate head coach on Feb. 8. Thompson, who is the wife of head coach Jeff Thompson, has been a member of the Auburn staff for the last seven years, serving as an assistant coach since 2003. She was the Tigers' volunteer coach from 2000-02. Currently, Thompson's coaching responsibilities include beam, floor and handling the floor exercise choreography. Thompson's coaching success is evident in Auburn's record book, where four of the Tigers' top-five individual scores on beam and floor have come under the guidance of Thompson. As a team, the Tigers have set new school records on beam and floor with both marks coming in 2004.

Early Beginnings
The Jan. 6 start to the 2006 season is the earliest Auburn has begun since the 1986 season when the Tigers opened the year on Jan. 4 at Jacksonville State. Last year, the Tigers began the season on Jan. 7.

Pinked Out
The Tigers wore pink to help raise Breast Cancer Awareness for the Kentucky and Alabama meet, but the tribute by the Tigers did not get them a mark in the victory column. Auburn dropped its match at Kentucky, 194.975-192.800 and its home match with Alabama, 196.175-194.450, leaving the Tigers sick on pink. After two straight meets in pink, the Tigers' pink leotards can be stowed away for another year.

Non-Conference Force
With the Tigers' win over West Virginia, Centenary and Illinois-Chicago, they improved their record to 20-2 under head coach Jeff Thompson in non-conference dual meets. Auburn's losses came in 2001 when the Tigers fell to Minnesota, 194.850-192.525 and in 2005 when Oklahoma defeated the Tigers, 191.900-195.000.

SEC Impresses
All seven programs in the Southeastern Conference are currently ranked in the top 25, including three of the top-five squads. Leading the way is defending National Champion, Georgia at No. 1. At No. 3 is Florida with an RQS of 196.355. Alabama is ranked No. 5 with an RQS of 196.315. LSU is No. 8, while Kentucky is No. 18 and Arkansas is ranked 20th.