Northeast Regional Notes

April 5, 2006

AUBURN, Ala. - In pursuit of its fourth trip to the NCAA Championships, the 14th-ranked Auburn gymnastics squad will look to continue its season by finishing in the top two at the Northeast Regional in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday. The third seed in the Northeast Regional, Auburn (10-14, 1-5 Southeastern Conference) will be making its 14th regional appearance and third in a row when it battles No. 2 Utah, No. 9 Michigan, No. 27 New Hampshire, No. 45 Pittsburgh and No. 52 Rutgers on Saturday at Crisler Arena at 5 p.m. CT. The Northeast Regional is one of six regionals comprised of six teams that are all vying for the coveted 12 spots at the NCAA Championships, which will take place from April 20-22 in Corvallis, Ore. In addition to the six teams, each regional also has five all-around competitors, who are not on a qualifying team, and one individual event specialist per event (who has a minimum Regional Qualifying Score of 9.4). From each regional, the top two teams and the top two all-around competitors, who are not on an advancing team, will receive an automatic berth to the national championships. Event winners, whose teams do not advance, will also advance to the championships.

Scouting The Field
All six of the teams in the Northeast Regional are ranked among the top 52 teams in the country. The top seed in the regional is Utah, who has won nine national championships and has advanced to the NCAA Championships every year. Utah has also made it to the Super Six the past six years and has only missed twice in the 13-year history of the Super Six. Host Michigan is the No. 2 seed in the regional and has won the Big Ten title 13 of the past 15 years. The Wolverines have been in every NCAA Championship since 1992 and they have been in the Super Six three of the past five years and nine out of the last 13. The fourth seed is New Hampshire, who is led by 27th-year head coach Gail Goodspeed, who is making her 25th appearance in the NCAA Regionals. UNH has one Northeast Regional Championship title (1994). During her tenure at UNH, Goodspeed has also coached five NCAA individual qualifiers. Fifth-seeded Pitt is coached by 20th-year head coach Debbie Yohman and is coming off an eighth-place finish at the EAGL Conference Championships. Seeded sixth, Rutgers is making its second straight appearance at regionals. Rutgers placed seventh at the EAGL Conference Championships.

Auburn Against The Field
Auburn is 14-9 all-time against the field at the Northeast Regional. The Tigers' best mark is against New Hampshire, where the Tigers are 7-2. The only team Auburn has never defeated is Utah, who is 2-0 vs. the Tigers. Auburn last faced Utah and Michigan in 2003 in the NCAA Championships, with the Tigers falling to both teams. Auburn last defeated Michigan in 1993 at the NCAA Championship, 194.725-193.125. Auburn last faced New Hampshire in 2004 at the New Hampshire Quad. The Tigers upended the Wildcats 196.000-195.200 in the meet. Auburn last faced Pitt in 2002 at the Cat Classic, where the Tigers lost to the Panthers, 193.050-192.500. Auburn's last win over the Panthers was in 1995 at the Cat Classic, where the Tigers defeated Pitt, 188.200-180.625. Auburn last faced Rutgers in 1998, with the Tigers taking the meet, 192.150-184.975.

Auburn At NCAA Regionals
Auburn has advanced out of the NCAA Regionals and into the championships three times (1991, 1993, 2003). This year marks the 14th NCAA Regional appearance and the third in a row. Auburn's best finishes were in 1991 and 2003 when the Tigers placed second in the Central Regional. In 1993, the Tigers advanced to the NCAA Championships after placing third in the Central Regional. All of Auburn's regional appearances, but one have come in the Central Regional. The lone year the Tigers were not selected to the Central Regional was in 1999, when the NCAA classified regions by Roman numerals. In 1999, the Tigers competed in Region IV in Baton Rouge, La. The Tigers' highest score in regional competition is a 196.350 posted in 2003. In fact, the three-highest scores by Auburn have all come in the last three years.

Individual Regional Champions
In the 13 previous regional appearances, Auburn has won eight individual event titles. In 2005, the Tigers won two event titles, as Aimee Goheen won bars and Rachael Tarantino won beam. Auburn's first regional event title was in 1991 by Danielle Pritts, who won vault. Pritts and Becky Erwin are the only repeat winners in school history. Pritts followed her vault title up with the floor title in 1992. Erwin won beam in 1993 and 1994.

Dwyer Named SEC Gymnast Of The Year
After winning seven all-around titles and posting 24 first-place finishes, Julie Dwyer was named the 2006 SEC Gymnast of the Year, as voted on by the league's coaches. Dwyer received the award at the conclusion of the SEC Championships. With the honor, Dwyer became just the second gymnast in school history to receive the award. In 2000, former gymnast Sarah Wentworth shared the honor with two other gymnasts.

Rare Class
By being named SEC Gymnast of the Year, Julie Dwyer placed herself in the rare category of winning SEC Freshman of the Year and SEC Gymnast of the Year in consecutive seasons. Only Andree' Pickens of Georgia in 1999 and 2000 and April Burkholder of LSU in 2003 and 2004 have won both awards in consecutive years.

Barnett Named SEC Scholar Athlete Of The Year
Following the SEC Championships, Nicole Barnett became the first Auburn gymnast in school history to be receive the distinction of SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year. In a vote by the league's coaches Barnett was selected as the conference's scholar athlete with a GPA of 4.0 in biomedical sciences. Barnett's success in the classroom also landed her on the Academic All-America team in 2004 and 2005.

2005 Central Regional Rewind
The Tigers had much to celebrate at the 2005 NCAA Central Regional, as sophomore Rachael Tarantino and freshman Aimee Goheen won regional titles and four gymnasts qualified to compete at the NCAA Championship in Auburn. The Tigers finished third overall in the team competition with a 194.800. Tarantino earned a spot at the national championship competing on beam by winning the title with a 9.900. Goheen finished in a tie for the bars title with a 9.850 to advance to nationals. In the all-around, freshman Julie Dwyer and senior Courtney Puckett earned spots at the championships after scoring a 39.100 and 39.000, respectively. The top two all-around gymnasts not on a qualifying team earn the spots at nationals and for Dwyer and Puckett this was how the duo qualified. Alabama won the regional competition with a 196.675 followed by Iowa State with a 195.625. Kentucky came in fourth (193.323) followed by Kent State (192.500) and Utah State (192.375).

Last Time Out
Auburn made history at the SEC Championships as the Tigers claimed two of the four individual awards as they posted a 194.975 to finish fifth. In this the 26th season of SEC gymnastics, just one Auburn gymnast had ever been tabbed as SEC Gymnast of the Year or SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year - that was until this year. After 24 first-place finishes, including seven all-around titles during the regular season, sophomore Julie Dwyer followed up her 2005 SEC Freshman of the Year honor with the SEC Gymnast of the Year honor. Former Auburn gymnast Sarah Wentworth also received the honor in 2000. Joining Dwyer in the post-meet awards ceremony was junior Nicole Barnett, who became the first Auburn gymnast to be chosen as SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year. The award for Dwyer marked just the third time in the history of the SEC Freshman of the Year and SEC Athlete of the Year awards that a gymnast received the awards in consecutive years. Barnett, who holds a 4.0 GPA and is in the honors program for Biomedical Sciences, has competed in every meet this season for the Tigers and ranks second on the team in average floor score. In the first-ever SEC Championship held on a podium, Auburn's score of 194.975 was its fourth-highest in school history at the championships, as the Tigers placed fifth for the fourth time in the last five years.

Top-Five Stalwart
With the exception of floor, Julie Dwyer has competed in every event at all 13 meets this season. On floor, Dwyer has competed in 12 of the 13 meets, only missing the Centenary meet. Out of a possible 51 routines between all four events this season, Dwyer has finished in the top five a remarkable 41 times. Dwyer's top event is beam, where she has finished in the top five in all 13 meets. On vault and bars, the Bloomington, Ind., native has 10 top-five finishes in each event out of a possible 13. Out of 12 floor routines, Dwyer has eight top-five finishes.

Jeff Thompson At NCAA Regionals
Head coach Jeff Thompson has led the Tigers to three consecutive NCAA Regional appearances. Under Thompson, the Tigers top finish was in 2003, when the Tigers placed second with a 196.350 and advanced to the NCAA Championships for just the third time in school history. Since placing second, Thompson has guided the Tigers to a fourth-place finish in 2004 and a third-place finish in 2005. In the last three years, Thompson has guided the Tigers to their three-highest scores in NCAA Regional history.

Quoting Jeff Thompson
On NCAA Regionals...
"Simply put, we have to beat Utah or Michigan to go to Nationals and that will be an incredible accomplishment. We are elated about the opportunity that lies before us and it should be a very competitive meet."

On the rotation...
"If I had to choose, I would not have chosen to follow Utah around all night, but on a good note we are on a bye the first rotation and end the night competing. We will know what Utah has posted as a final score and what we will need to overtake them before we compete on our last event. Finishing the night on beam is a plus for us. The judges will have seen every other team before us, and having been in the top 10 all year on beam, I expect it to be our top scoring event. Although Michigan will be on floor while we are on beam, I can't imagine it being any louder than this past weekend when Georgia was on Floor and Alabama was on bars."

Auburn In The Great Lakes State
Auburn has traveled to the state of Michigan on three occasions, but only once to Ann Arbor. Auburn's lone visit to Ann Arbor was in 1995, when the Tigers placed third at the Michigan Invite, behind the Wolverines and UCLA. In 1997, the Tigers traveled to East Lansing, Mich., where they defeated Michigan State 192.025-189.475. Auburn's last visit to the Great Lakes state was in 2003, when the Tigers finished second at the Michigan State Invitational with a 195.350.

Smith Named To Good Works Team
Jackie Smith was named to the Southeastern Conference Gymnastics Good Works Team on March 22. A native of Marietta, Ga., and Auburn's team captain, Smith was one of seven gymnasts, one from each competing institution, who were named to the Good Works Team, which recognizes an athlete from each school who gives back to their community in superior service efforts. Smith has been an active contributor to the Reading with the Tigers Program, which also encourages children to stay in school and the importance of education. In addition to her contribution to the reading with the Tigers program, Smith also helped collect donations for the Hurricane Katrina relief effort and volunteered with other members of the team at the Capital City BBQ Pig Out, benefiting Children's Harbor. Prior to Christmas, Smith and the Tigers made Christmas boxes to help the less fortunate who are not able to afford gifts during the holidays. urn has not defeated Georgia or Alabama this season, the Tigers have made significant strides toward closing the gap between the programs. At the first meet of the season at the Super Six Challenge, Auburn came as close as it has come to defeating Alabama since the Tigers' last win on March 13, 1979. Auburn fell to the Crimson Tide by a margin of just .575 (194.250-193.675). On Feb. 24, Auburn again almost made history by falling to Georgia by .400 (196.550-196.150). Auburn is 0-55 all-time against the Gym Dogs and the loss by four-tenths is the closest in series history.

Dwyer Heating Up
Although Julie Dwyer has not won the all-around in the last two meets, she has continued to match personal records and earn top-five finishes. At the SEC Championships, Dwyer tied for fifth on beam with a 9.850 and tied her career high on floor to tie for sixth with a 9.900. At Alabama on March 17, Dwyer earned her 24th first-place finish of the year after posting a 9.900 on beam to win the individual title. The previous week vs. Illinois-Chicago on March 10, Dwyer won her seventh all-around title of the year and second in a row. Dwyer posted a 39.425 en route to the title, while taking three of four event crowns and the all-around. In back-to-back meets against Arkansas and Illinois-Chicago, Dwyer won nine of the possible 10 individual titles. On March 3, she swept all four events and the all-around title at Arkansas. Beginning with the LSU meet on Feb. 17 and continuing through to Illinois-Chicago meet on March 10, Dwyer had an average all-around score of 39.493. The Bloomington, Ind., native is ranked 10th in the all-around with an RQS of 39.415. Her average score of 39.344 is the fourth-best in the country.

2006 NCAA Championships Information
There are a total of six regionals, including the Northeast Regional. The regionals are used to fill the field for the NCAA Championships, which will be held April 20-22 in Corvallis, Ore. From each regional, the top two teams and the top two all-around competitors, who are not on an advancing team, will receive an automatic berth to the national championships. Event winners, whose teams do not advance, will also advance to the championships.

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 27. With No. 2 Utah and No. 9 Michigan awaiting the Tigers at the Northeast Regional, Auburn will have faced each of the top five teams and nine of the top 13 teams. Auburn has also faced four top 10 teams at least twice this season in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and LSU. The Tigers have faced LSU three times and Alabama four times. 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. 7 LSU, No. 12 Nebraska, No. 13 Missouri, No. 18 Arkansas, No. 20 Kentucky 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 were currently ranked. All six of the Tigers' opponents at the SEC Championships on Saturday are ranked in the top 20.

Dwyer Beaming With Confidence
Dwyer has won nine beam titles in 13 meets. In all 13 meets, Dwyer has placed in the top five. Nationally, Dwyer ranks sixth with an RQS of 9.905 on beam. The only meets this season where Dwyer has not finished first on beam were the Super Six Challenge, vs. Georgia on Feb. 24, the home meet with Alabama and the SEC Championships. Dwyer owns eight of the Tigers' top 10 scores on beam this season, with Lindsey Puckett holding the other two. Dwyer's top score on beam is 9.925 scored at Centenary and vs. Florida. Dwyer has had six routines scored at least a 9.900.

Tube Time
Auburn has been televised a total of seven times this season. The SEC Championships on March 25 was the last meet televised. The championships were shown on a tape-delayed basis on Fox Sports South. On March 17, the Tigers' meet at Alabama was televised on a tape-delayed basis by CSS. The Tigers opened the year on ESPN2 at the Super Six Challenge in Baton Rouge, La., and they were also televised by CSS at home against Alabama. Auburn also had its meet with Florida 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.

Gies Matches Personal Record, Again
A week after matching her career-high score of 9.825 on beam for the second meet in a row, Kayla Gies matched her career-high on vault at Alabama. Gies vaulted a 9.850 at Alabama, which tied for fifth and matched her career high. Gies also vaulted a 9.850 at LSU and vs. Alabama earlier this season.

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 trip to Ann Arbor, Mich., will be the first time the Tigers have left the state of Alabama since March 3 at Arkansas. The Tigers were at Alabama on March 17 and in Birmingham for the SEC Championships on March 25.

All-Around Ace
In her last six all-around competitions, Dwyer has an average score of 39.412. The Bloomington, Ind., native is ranked 10th in the all-around with an RQS of 39.415. Her average score of 39.344 is the fourth-best in the country. Prior to scoring a 39.275 at the SEC Championships and a 39.225 at Alabama, Dwyer's previous four all-around scores had 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 12 all-around competitions she has been a part of this season.

Gies Wins First 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.

Raising The Bar(s)
Beginning with the Georgia meet, Julie Dwyer posted a career high on bars in three consecutive meets, a streak that was snapped last week with a 9.800 at Alabama. 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.

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 six of its highest scores of the year on floor. Barnett ranks second on the team this season with an average floor score of 9.769.

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., native 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, vs. Alabama and at the SEC Championships. In the all-around, Dwyer set a school record with a 39.550 at Arkansas.

Balancing Act
Auburn's top event this season is beam, where the Tigers rank 10th 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 ranked sixth in the country with an RQS of 9.905.

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
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. Auburn's vault score of 49.100 vs. Alabama on Jan. 27, is tied for the 10th-best score in school history.

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 remained No. 14 in the latest GymInfo poll released on March 27 for the third straight week. The Tigers were ranked 13th for three straight weeks prior to the drop to No. 14 on March 13. The Tigers have an RQS of 195.695. 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 10th in the all-around with an RQS of 39.415. Lindsey Puckett is ranked 19th with an RQS of 39.295.

Vault
As a team, Auburn ranks 12th with an RQS of 49.080. On vault, Lindsey Puckett and Julie Dwyer are tied for 29th with an RQS of 9.870.

Bars
The Tigers are ranked 16th on bars with an RQS of 48.910. Julie Dwyer is tied for 39th with an RQS of 9.840.

Beam
The Tigers are ranked 10th on beam with an RQS of 48.995. On beam, Julie Dwyer is ranked sixth with an RQS of 9.905. Lindsey Puckett is tied for 29th with an RQS of 9.850.

Floor
The Tigers RQS of 49.110 ranks 11th on floor. Julie Dwyer is ranked 15th with an RQS of 9.890. Lindsey Puckett is tied for 36th with an RQS of 9.860.

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 196.570. Alabama is ranked No. 5 with an RQS of 196.460. LSU is No. 8, while Arkansas is No. 18 and Kentucky is ranked 20th.