Seniors, Suni Lee set to close out home slate for Auburn gymnastics

“It’s definitely a bittersweet feeling just because I have been here for so long,” she said. “I’m so excited for the next journey, but I’m also really sad that I have to leave this one behind.”

Friday's meet is Gobourne’s second senior night in her time at Auburn thanks to Covid eligibility rules. She said she was able to avoid the pressure of senior night last year because she knew she was going to stay, but this year she will try to keep the pressure off knowing it is her last time in Neville Arena. 

"I really was just taking everything in," said Gobourne of last year's senior night. "And that's kind of how I want to approach this senior night. It's really no pressure; it's just being grateful that I do have this platform and that I was able to just share my joy and my love for gymnastics with the fans."

In her time at Auburn, Gobourne has earned the honors of All-SEC four times, SEC Co-Specialist of the year twice, NCAA All-American three times, National Runner-up on bars and floor in 2022 and National Champion on vault in 2019, with awards for this season yet to be decided. 

Along with her fellow seniors, Gobourne was also a catalyst of the Tigers' resurgence under head coach Jeff Graba, whose teams regularly score above 197, which was once a rarity on the Plains but is now the expectation.

"It's a group that's basically been through everything with this program," said Graba, who noted that they experienced the program's first Final Four appearance last year. "This senior group has sort of spanned the rebirth of our program."

While Friday's meet may include a sense of nostalgia and provide seniors with a chance for reflection, the Tigers have more pressing concerns as they work to get their mojo back after failing to reach 197 for just the second time this season last weekend against Kentucky. 

Graba did not put out his normal lineups against the Wildcats, though, due to injury and sickness, but plans to finish the regular season strong. 

“We’ve been dinged up and sick and all that type of stuff the last three or four weeks,” Graba said. “I think we just have to get the right foot in front and get after it.”

With Auburn out for spring break, Graba has been able to work more with his gymnasts and fine-tune their routines while also giving them a breather. He said the lack of school responsibilities allows the team to spend a little more time on certain things rather than being in a rush to stick to class schedules.

“If you’re a two event person, I don’t need you here for four hours, and if you’re a four-event person … if you’re getting your stuff done, I really want to move you to the next event,” he said. “That’s really been a hard thing when school is in session because you only got a small time stamp that you can practice and everybody’s here.”

Graba said the team is in postseason mode now with the regular season coming to an end. He said spring break is a great way for the gymnasts to prove they are no longer going through the motions and are making an effort to improve. 

“The good thing about spring break is you can get your head focused on what you want to accomplish,” Graba said. “Everybody’s got one or two things that they could tweak, and that’s really what the goal is this whole week.”

The Tigers and Nittany Lions will square off at 7 p.m. Friday in Neville Arena. With students out of town, there may be standing-room only tickets available for fans to cheer on Lee and the seniors one more time. 

"The goal is to send them off the right way, send them off with a big crowd, send them off the way Auburn fans do it at Neville Arena and make it a memorable appearance," Graba said.