Dec. 31, 2006

AUBURN -

 With 12 letterwinners returning and three talented incoming freshmen, expectations for the 2007 season in Auburn are very high.
 "We have this team prepared to win," Thompson said.
 The Tigers will be looking to build off of a 2006 season that featured a fourth straight trip to the NCAA Regionals. For the second year in a row, Auburn was able to qualify at least two gymnasts for the NCAA Championships, as Lindsey Puckett advanced by winning vault and Julie Dwyer advanced in the all-around for the second year in a row.  Dwyer tied for fifth on beam at Nationals, earning All-America honors.
 Auburn finished 2006 with a 13-16 record that included a victory over LSU in Baton Rouge for the first time since 1992.  After coming within .4 of eventual national champion Georgia, which was the closest meet between the two schools, and a slim .575 loss to Alabama, which was the closest meet since Auburn last beat the Crimson Tide in 1979,
 This season, the Tigers have a new theme.
 "Our theme for this year is focus, fight and finish," Thompson said.  "Last year we were very focused and fought our way through a lot of meets, but we didn't finish the season the way we wanted to.  Now, everyday we talk about it.  Whether it's on a skill, routine or part that you are doing, you should focus on what you are doing, fight for the landing and finish the routine.  We are hoping that by instilling that at the beginning, it is going to pay off for us at the end."
 
Who's Gone
 The Tigers lose just one gymnast from the 2006 team, Danielle Holtz.  Holtz led off both the floor and vault events for Auburn and was very consistent, finishing as high as fourth on floor and fifth on vault. 
 With just two routines to replace, Thompson will be looking to his crop of potential-filled freshmen to take her place.

 The Newcomers
 Three new faces will don the orange and blue this season, as freshmen Jessica Froning, Carmen Nelms and Krissy Voss look to put their stamp on the Auburn program.
 Voss, a native of Paradise Valley, Ariz., has been very steady for the Tigers after arriving with quite an impressive resume.
 "We are looking for Krissy to take Danielle's place not only on vault and floor, but she is going to be able to step in on bars and beam, where Danielle didn't even train," Thompson said.  "Not only will she give us depth on bars, but she will give us a great beam routine.  She is a great worker and comes from a great club in Arizona where she was highly recruited.  She is a great kid and will be outstanding for us."
 Nelms, who is a walk-on from Stone Mountain, Ga., has been turning heads in the gym this fall.
 "Carmen is unbelievable, but she doesn't know it yet," Thompson said.  "She could could easily be the best vaulter on our team, and we have Lindsey Puckett who was the regional vault champ and Julie Dwyer who just missed vault finals both years by .025.  She is super talented and her beam routine is as nice as any of the other kids.  She could be a real star at some point."
 Froning, a walk-on who hails from Charlotte, N.C., comes to Auburn after training with Southeastern Gymnastics.
 "Jessica Froning is a great girl who works really hard and has a great attitude," Thompson said.  "She isn't as far along as the others, but she is someone who I think can break into our lineup in the near future."

The Returners
 With 12 letterwinners returning this season, Thompson and the rest of the team will look to the three seniors Nicole Barnett, Jackie Smith and Shanna Somero, for leadership in 2007.
 "All three of the seniors were walk-ons at one point," Thompson said.  "They have worked extremely hard and are all on scholarship now."
 The Tigers suffered a blow in October when Barnett injured her knee, which will cause her to miss the entire 2007 campaign.
 Smith returns for her final season after being one of the captains in 2006.
 "Jackie is concentrating on bars and beam for us this year," Thompson said.  "Her bar routine looks great.  She hasn't competed that much for us in the past, but as she continues to train and perform well under pressure, she will be in our bar lineup."
 Somero will look to build upon her solid performance of last season.  She was one of four Tigers to compete in each meet on beam, placing as high as a tie for second (against Centenary).
 "Shanna is training all four events this year," Thompson said.  "We are going to try not to have her do floor or vault due to her previous achilles injury, but she could step in for us if need be."
 The junior class could feature some of the most talent on the team, and it all begins with two-time All-American Julie Dwyer.
 Dwyer became just the third gymnast in conference history to be named SEC Freshman of the Year and SEC Gymnast of the Year in consecutive seasons.
 "As good as she was last season, she is way better now then she was at the end of the year, Thompson said.  "She is going to have a chance to take on all of the top gymnasts in the country, and I think she will do very well.  She is an incredible kid and a great leader." 
 Karmen Pinckney returns after competing in both the vault and floor lineup each meet last season, placing as high as second in each.
 "Karmen competed on three events last year (including bars)," Thompson said.  "She is back training balance beam.  We expect her to be really good this season."
   Aimee Goheen is looking to regain her form of 2005 that made her a regional bar champion as a freshman.
 "Her bar routine is incredible now," Thompson said.  "She has a big release move and a big dismount, which were the two things that weren't there in the past."
 Kayla Gies made a name for herself after joining the vault lineup early last season, while also competing on beam in each meet.
 "Kayla was incredible on vault last year," Thompson said.  "She also only fell once beam last year and did a great job for us.  We expect her to do the same this year."
 After being one of the most highly touted recruiting classes in Auburn history, the sophomore fab five are back to take the next step in their journey towards excellence.
 Lindsey Puckett returns as one of two Tigers to make it to Nationals in 2006 after winning the regional vault championship.
 "She has been incredible on all four events for us," Thompson said.  "Bars was her weak event last year, and over the summer she got a big release and dismount.  Lindsey has been a dream and should go neck-and-neck with Julie for the all-around title every meet."
 A.J. Mills is back competing on all four events after battling shin problems that limited her to beam and bars last season.
 "We are very happy to have A.J. back healthy," Thompson said.  "She can give us big scores on vault and floor and her bar routine is amazing because she has two big release moves and a huge dismount.  She is going to be a big scorer on bars and beam."
 Alicia Lenkiewicz returns to the lineup after a successful first season as a member of both the bar and beam lineups. 
 "Alicia had some Achilles problems when she got here, so we didn't push her as hard for floor and vault," Thompson said.  "She could be the best bar swinger that we have."
 Claire Seiffert is back after being a two event walk-on on vault and floor for the Tigers last season.
 "We expect her to be a competitor on both of those events, and be in the lineup and compete every meet.  We are very confident that she can give us exactly what she did last year."
 Megan Hill entered last season as a walk-on and improved leaps and bounds, giving Thompson a lot of hope for her this season.
 "She had a lot room to grow before she made the lineup and she has done that," he said.  "She is doing really well on bars and floor, and her vault is coming along.  We are hoping that she makes the lineup and that her hard work pays off."

Vault
 Auburn returns all but one member of its vault lineup from last season, led by  regional champion Lindsey Puckett.  Puckett recorded three first place finishes last season and will be looking to duplicate that effort again this year. 
 Not to be outdone, Julie Dwyer led Auburn with a 9.832 average on vault last year and will once again team with Puckett to be favorites to win the event each meet.  The duo each recorded scores of 9.925 which tied for the second highest score in school history
 The Tigers will also look to Kayla Gies, who was in the lineup the last 11 meets, to continue her steady climb to success.  Also returning are Karmen Pinckney and Claire Seiffert, both of whom participated in vault every meet in 2006.
 With the addition of A.J. Mills, Carmen Nelms and Krissy Voss, Auburn looks to be in good hands once again to vault their way to top of the rankings.

Uneven Bars
 The Tigers return its entire bar lineup for the 2007 season.  Mills led the way with a 9.784 average in 10 meets, including two first place finishes.  Dwyer also registered two top finishes and will once again be a force in the event. 
 Aimee Goheen and Alicia Lenkiewicz will also be counted on heavily to contribute to the lineup, after each took home a first place finish in 2006. 
 Puckett will also be back after improving vastly over the summer, according to Thompson. Also looking to crack the lineup will be Shanna Somero and Pinckney, along with Voss. 
 With that much experience and talent, the squad has all the makings of another top bar unit. 
 
Balance Beam
 Auburn will also return its entire beam team, which was ranked as high as fifth in the country last year.
 Dwyer will lead the way after capturing a fifth place finish at Nationals to earn her second All-American honor.  She placed first in 9-of-15 meets last season, averaging a 9.864.
 Puckett also recorded a top finish, tying with Dwyer at LSU and will be called upon to help lead.
 The Tigers will also be helped with the return of Somero and Gies, two steady performers who competed in every meet on beam last season.
 Lenkiewicz and Mills are also capable of being called upon to put up big scores, and newcomers Voss and Nelms will also be looking to find their way into the lineup.

Floor Exercise
 The Tigers will miss Holtz and Barnett's floor routine in 2007, but don't think for one second that the cupboard is bare.
 Leading the way for AU once again will be  Dwyer.  The junior averaged a 9.835 after recording three first place finishes last year.
 Pinckney was third on the team last season with a 9.737 average and will be asked to be a  steady performer again this year.  Puckett will be another gymnast to watch for, as she looks to continue her rise to the top.
 Seiffert also returns to the floor lineup after registering a first place finish at Centenary last year.  Auburn will receive a big boost from the return of Mills to the lineup, as well as Voss, who has been very impressive this fall.

The Schedule
 The 2007 schedule will start out in bright fashion for the Tigers.
 "We are extremely excited to be heading off to sunny Cancun to start our season," Thompson said.  "This is something we have been looking forward to getting on our schedule for years.  It has a very strong reputation and we are happy to be going.  It helps our recruiting because we can tell them that once during their time here, they will get to go to Cancun."
 The meet will feature three other quality teams, BYU, Missouri and Iowa State, where former assistant Jay Ronanye is  now head coach.
 The team will then open up its home schedule with back-to-back meets against NC State (Jan. 12) and Kentucky (Jan. 19).
 From there, a trip to Tuscaloosa to face Alabama on national television awaits the Tigers on Jan. 26. 
 Then it is off to Florida to face the Gators on Feb. 2, and back home to take on LSU on Feb. 16 after a week off.  That meet will be AU's second televised meet of the year.
 Auburn will be back out on the road to face the two-time defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs on Feb. 23.  A home meet against Arkansas on March 2 will follow before the Tigers head off to Chicago.
 The squad will take on Illinois and Illinois-Chicago on March 9 and 11, respectively. 
 The final regular season meet of the year will be the second showdown of Auburn/Alabama on March 16.  That night will be Senior Night, as the Tigers will look to honor its three seniors with its first victory over the crimson Tide since 1979.
 The SEC Championship will be held in North Little Rock, Ark. on March 31.  For the second straight year, the meet will be held on the podium, and will be the only meet in the country to do so all season.
 With the nucleus of the team returning, a challenging road schedule and five exciting home meets, there is a lot to be excited about in Auburn in 2007.