April 27, 2006

AUBURN, Ala. - The Auburn gymnastics team capped its 2006 season at its annual end of the year banquet at the Auburn University Club on Thursday. Highlighting the evening was the awarding of scholarships to junior Nicole Barnett and sophomore Karmen Pinckney. Both Barnett and Pinckney competed in every meet in 2006.

"We reward hard work, dedication, loyalty and academic excellence on this team," head coach Jeff Thompson said. "These are the building blocks of a great team. No two gymnasts have shown these qualities more than Nicole Barnett and Karmen Pinckney."

Pinckney, a native of Simpsonville, S.C., competed on vault and floor in every meet this season and also performed on bars in 10 meets, including the last six. Pinckney had seven top-five finishes on vault and posted a season-high score of 9.850 four times. On bars, Pinckney earned two top-five finishes, including a career-best finish against Florida when she tied for second with a career-high 9.800. On floor, Pinckney finished in the top five at four meets, and twice finished second (Illinois-Chicago and West Virginia). Pinckney's success doesn't end in the gym, as she was also selected to the 2006 SEC Academic Honor Roll.

"Karmen competed on three events all season long and was incredible for us in nearly every meet," Thompson said. "She is a Top Tiger and a member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll. She deserves to be rewarded for her hard work."

Barnett, a native of Chatsworth, Ga., became Auburn's first gymnast to be named Southeastern Conference Scholar Athlete of the Year at the SEC Championships. Holding a 4.0 GPA in Biomedical Sciences, Barnett competed at every meet this season on either floor or beam or both events. Barnett earned four top-five finishes on floor and finished second on the team with an average floor score of 9.752 in 10 meets. A two-time Academic All-American (2004 and 2005), Barnett has also been selected to the SEC Academic Honor Roll three times(2004, 2005 and 2006). Prior to Auburn's meet with Florida on Feb. 3, Barnett had never participated on floor in her career. In the seven meets after making her debut on floor, Barnett earned four top-five finishes and tied the second-highest score of any Auburn gymnast in 2006 with a 9.875 vs. Georgia. On beam, Barnett had an average of 9.665 over her last five beam routines, including a career-best 9.750 at Centenary on Feb. 19.

"Nicole too is a Top Tiger, a member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll and an Academic All-American," Thompson said "She is the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year with a perfect 4.0 in Biomedical Sciences. We knew at the beginning of the season that someone was going to step up and this young lady was there when we needed her. She replaced the No. 2 floor performer in Auburn history and never missed a routine, even when she was hurt."

To begin the evening's festivities, a plaque was presented to Jackie Smith, who was honored for her role as the team captain. Earlier this season, Smith was honored by the SEC by being named to the Good Works Team.

Receiving the Most Improved Gymnast award was Pinckney. The award, which is the longest running of any and dates back to 1977, is usually presented to a walk-on who excelled during the season.

Earning Freshman of the Year honors was Lindsey Puckett, who was the only Auburn gymnast to compete in every event at each meet this season and was the Northeast Regional Vault Champion. Puckett tied for 31st at the NCAA Championships with a 9.700 on vault. Puckett earned five first-place finishes this season, including the all-around title at Centenary. Puckett's sister, Courtney, was named Freshman of the Year in 2002.

The recipient of two awards, Julie Dwyer was presented with "The Rock" award, which recognizes the Most Consistent Gymnast and the Ed Bengston award, which is presented to the Athlete of the Year.

Dwyer received the Most Consistent Gymnast award for her solid contribution at every meet. The 2006 SEC Gymnast of the Year, Dwyer hit a solid 57-of-60 (95 percent) routines, while only falling on bars at regionals and twice stepping out of bounds on floor.

For the second year in a row, Dwyer received the Athlete of the Year award, as she earned 24 first-place finishes, including seven all-around titles en route to being named second team All-American on beam at the NCAA Championships. Dwyer became just the third gymnast in AU history to earn multiple All-America honors. She was named second team All-American on vault in 2005.

The most prestigious award of the evening - the Wentworth Award - was presented to Barnett. The award is named for former gymnast/team captain Sarah Wentworth and is based upon the gymnast that most exemplifies the Auburn Creed. With a lack of depth due to injuries, the Tigers used a lineup of five gymnasts on floor at Kentucky and against Alabama until Barnett stepped forward against Florida on Feb. 3. After joining the floor lineup, Barnett helped Auburn to all six of its highest scores on floor.

The Tigers return 22 of 24 routines for the 2006 season with only senior Danielle Holtz exhausting her eligibility. Returning for Thompson's eighth season are two-time All-American and 2006 SEC Gymnast of the Year Julie Dwyer and 2006 Northeast Regional Vault Champion Lindsey Puckett.