After Auburn gymnastics suffered a narrow loss to Arkansas, the gymternet was filled with variations of the same refrain: “Auburn sucks! But with all the harsh comments flying around, it didn’t take long for Auburn sophomore Sophia Bell to clap back.

Bell, a member of the 2025 SEC All-Freshman Team, posted an image on Instagram of her and her teammates hugging each other emotionally after a tough meet. But what stood out was her caption:

“hi psa to the gymternet: the girls you see on your TV are real humans with real emotions. we are not pawns in a game. the hate you choose to spew online is seen and heard by us,” she wrote.

“the goal of this sport is literal perfection, so trust me when i say we beat ourselves up enough, we do not need to hear it from people hiding behind a screen too. you will never begin to understand what it feels like to compete let alone “fail” on a national stage. like we learned in kindergarten if you have nothing nice to say, don’t say it at all,” continued the statement.

Her message pushes back against a wider problem in college athletics. Two years back, in 2024, the NCAA conducted a study, analyzing social media comments about championship level sports like national women’s gymnastics. The results identified thousands of abusive or threatening messages directed at student-athletes, teams, coaches and officials around that time.

During the National Collegiate Women’s Gymnastics Championships, the study flagged that 92% of s**ual messages targeting gymnasts came from bot accounts pushing inappropriate material, which was removed after reporting.

Even NCAA President Charlie Baker weighed in on the issue: “Fans have to do better…Student-athletes come to college hoping to fulfill their athletic and academic dreams, and our job at the NCAA is to provide them with the most fulfilling experience possible. We will exhaust all options to reduce the harassment and vitriol student-athletes are experiencing too often today.”

Despite her criticism, Bell’s post ended on a note of resilience: “all I ask is that you be kind human beings, collegiate athletes already go through enough. i will always protect my team and any other gym team that is victim to the hate of the internet. choose to uplift others with your words, not tear them down. with all that said, we’ll be back, don’t doubt us.”

For someone who was the star of the night for Auburn gymnastics, it stings all the more. After all, the Tigers fought hard, came close to winning, and still fell short.

Auburn’s performances kept them competitive throughout

At Bud Walton Arena, Fayetteville, Auburn fought hard but came up just short against Arkansas, falling 196.075 to 197.250. It all started on bars, where Auburn scored a strong 48.750 in the first rotation, well ahead of the Razorbacks’ bars total of 49.250.

But in the end, it was the remaining apparatuses that let them down on the night.

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The team moved to vault in rotation two, with Sophia Bell leading the squad at 9.9, tying for second in the event. Freshman Mia Leverton and junior Paige Zancan added 9.825s, and Neal contributed 9.75. The total of the Tigers’ vault was 49.025, just short of Arkansas’ 49.375.

The floor rotation, followed by a slow beginning, provided energy and momentum with the score of 49.200, narrowly behind Arkansas with 49.225. Bell won 9.925 and took the floor title, with Huff at 9.875 and Neal with 9.85. Olivia Ahern and Bryn Bartman (sophomores) contributed 9.8 and 9.75, respectively, to the team score.

During her last rotation on the beam, Irvine debuted on beam with 9.9, and Neal and Greaves with 9.85. Huff and Ahern each scored 9.775, while the Razorbacks posted their best score of the night on beam – 49.400.

While the Tigers fought hard with some excellent performances, the meet was lost on the fine margins.