Sept. 20, 2007

AUBURN- The Auburn gymnastics team opens the 2007-08 season with its first practice Friday at the McWhorter Center as ninth-year head coach Jeff Thompson will welcome nine letterwinners and six freshmen.

The Tigers return 20 of their 24 competitive routines from last year as well as the senior quartet of 2007 NCAA Central Region Gymnast of the Year Julie Dwyer, former NCAA Regional Bar Champion Aimee Goheen, Karmen Pinckney and Kayla Gies.

"It's hard to believe that the start of practice is already here," said Thompson. "We are more than ready to get things underway. Dwyer is going to be Dwyer, and Karmen is expected to be a leader again on Vault and Floor and continues to improve her bar routine by working a new dismount. Aimee will be tough to beat on uneven bars and is having a wonderful preseason. Kayla will be focusing all of her energy on uneven bars and balance beam this season."

Juniors AJ Mills and Lindsey Puckett are expected to challenge Dwyer for top honors in each meet while Claire Seiffert will once again be a mainstay in the Floor and Vault lineups. Sophomore Krissy Voss was the team"s Freshman of the Year and sophomore Carmen Nelms is going to challenge for the bar lineup.

"You would never know that AJ had a hand injury last year by the way she has been training so far," said Thompson. "Lindsey's been catching a full-twisting Tkatchev in the spotting belt and will be ready to move to the next phase very soon. Carmen is focused and determined to be in the bar lineup, and that"s going to make us better than we have been on bars."

Freshman Becky Blahyj was the No. 2 Floor Exercise performer at the 2007 Junior Olympic National Championship and finished seventh on Vault and ninth in All-Around. Freshman Rachel Inniss had a sixth-place finish on Floor Exercise at the Junior Olympics while freshman Lauren Brzostowski finished in the top 15 in Vault. The freshmen trio of Leah Vining, Shannon Walpole and Katie Hurley will also go through their first college practice.

"The key for us in 2008 will be to stay healthy," said Thompson. "We were ranked in the top 10 for nearly half the season last year before we were snakebit. Now, we have almost everyone back along with six freshmen to replace the four routines we lost. It could be a magical year for us."

Auburn opens the season at Kentucky Jan. 12 and has its first home meet Jan. 18 vs. Alabama.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, Contact: Chuck Gallina (334) 844-9800 September 20, 2007