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AU Media Relations

All five Tigers finished in the top 30, as No. 10 Auburn held off the rest of the field for its first tournament win of the season, winning the Central District Invitational.

Auburn carded a 15-over-par 303 in the final round to finish the two-day tournament at 18-over 882.

Hosted by Michigan State University, the Central District Invitational was a 54-hole tournament played at River Wilderness Country Club in Parrish, Fla. The par-72 course played at 6,099 yards.

The Tigers battled wind and cold weather on Tuesday, but held together at the end with a full-team effort to seal Auburn’s first team victory since winning the 2007 Liz Murphey Classic.

Junior Candace Schepperle posted a final-round 75 to finish the tournament in second place with a 2-under-par 214. She finished one stroke behind individual champion Megan McChrystal of Duke.

Auburn led wire-to-wire in the 54-hole tournament, beating out six other top-25 teams and 10 teams ranked in the top 50 in the nation.

Mills named SEC Gymnast of the Week
Auburn senior A.J. Mills has been named Southeastern Conference Gymnast of the Week, the league office announced Tuesday. Mills receives the honor for the first time in her career.

Against Arkansas, Mills put on show that sent her into the record books of Auburn gymnastics as the sixth-ranked Tigers defeated No. 7 Arkansas, 196.175-195.400.

She claimed the all-around title with a score of 39.525, topping her previous career high of 39.500 that was established earlier in the season. Her mark also ranks among the best in the program’s history, coming in fifth.

The fifth-ranked Tigers will be back in action in Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum on Friday with a 7 p.m. contest against Kentucky.

Track’s Atkins honored by SEC
Auburn sophomore Joanna Atkins has been named the Southeastern Conference’s Female Runner of the Week, the league office announced Tuesday.

Last weekend at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., Atkins posted the fastest time in the SEC this year in the 400 meters, winning that event with a time of 53.22 seconds.

Her time was the fourth fastest in the NCAA this year.

She also helped Auburn’s 4x400-meter relay team win that event with a time of 3:37.75, which is just off of Auburn’s season-best time of 3:37.39 which ranks third best in the nation this year.

Atkins is currently the only woman in the country to own NCAA provisional qualifying times in the 60 meters, 200 meters and 400 meters. In addition to being ranked fourth in the 400, she currently is ranked 15th nationally in the 200 and 26th in the 60.

The Auburn track and field teams will be off this weekend prior to competing at the SEC Indoor Championships on Feb. 27-March 1 in Lexington, Ky.