After Auburn University gymnast Samantha Cerio dislocated both her knees in a gruesome, career-ending injury last week, many fans and supporters are coming forward to offer words of encouragement for the college athlete.
The senior was carried out on a stretcher following her floor routine at the Baton Rouge Regional, when she fell hard to the mat after attempting a handspring double front with a blind landing.
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Cerio was reportedly screaming in agony on the floor, clutching both of her legs, before medical staff and athletic trainers rushed to her.
Auburn head coach Jeff Graba announced on Monday that Cerio dislocated both of her knees and sustained multiple torn ligaments in both knees.
On Tuesday, he announced that her surgery was an “extreme success.”
The meet was delayed while medical workers put splints and air casts on both of her legs. They carried her out of the Pete Maravich Assembly Center to a standing ovation.
Cerio, who focuses on the floor and the bars, was recently named an SEC co-scholar athlete of the year, according to the Auburn Tigers website.
Following Cerio’s injury, the team finished the Friday night competition with an overall score of 197.075, the highest regional score in program history, to advance to the regional final on Saturday night.
Cerio shared support for her team following her injury and their historic win on Friday.
“I love my team,” she tweeted in her first social media post following her injury, adding the university’s hashtag, #WarEagle. She continued to share encouraging messages for her teammates as they advanced into the “Sweet Sixteen” of the tournament and also retweeted positive words of support for her recovery.
“War eagle forever,” she captioned a few photos of herself competing. “Never will I let them fall,” she captioned a different Instagram photo of herself high-fiving her teammates.
In a longer post addressing her injury, Cerio wrote:
“Friday night was my final night as a gymnast. After 18 years I am hanging up my grips and leaving the chalk behind. I couldn’t be prouder of the person that gymnastics has made me to become. It’s taught me hard work, humility, integrity, and dedication, just to name a few. It’s given me challenges and road blocks that I would have never imagined that has tested who I am as a person. It may not have ended the way I had planned, but nothing ever goes as planned.”
“Thank you Auburn family for giving me a home and a chance to continue doing the sport that will always be my first love,” she continued. “I am honored to have had the privilege to represent the navy and orange AU for the past 4 years with my team by my side. Thank you for letting me share my passion with you. Thank you for letting me be a part of something bigger than myself. War Eagle Always.”
Immediately following Cerio’s injury, Graba said his players rallied around the injury to support her and propel themselves forward.
“It was pretty tough to watch,” Graba said after the meet, according to Nola.com. “She’s a trouper. The last thing she said was, ‘Go help the girls.’ The girls rallied around her. They’re doing this for her right now.”
In a statement shared Monday, Graba said the “Auburn Athletics Department is thankful for the outstanding care that the Auburn and LSU medical staffs have provided to Sam.”
“We are also thankful for the support from the LSU Athletics Department for going above and beyond in this situation. Sam is a fighter and is in great spirits. We couldn’t have a better leader for this team.”
The team rallied around Cerio’s injury, using the hashtag #StickItForSam, before Saturday night’s competition. Graba told The Advocate that Cerio was the “heart and soul” of the team.
“We wanted more than anything to do this for her,” he said.
Despite the rally, the team ended up coming up short during the regional finals on Saturday, finishing fourth.
“I think we were out of gas,” Graba said. “Emotionally spent. But I thought the girls fought hard. They did a great job.”
Before Saturday’s meet, senior Abby Milliet told AuburnTigers.com that she told her teammates Cerio would not want them to wallow in the injury.
“Sam is just so passionate in everything she does, especially with this team,” Milliet said. “So I circled everybody together and I said, ‘We’re not going to do this. We’re not going to get sad. We can be sad later because it is sad. But we’re going to do what she would want us to do and light this fire. This is time for us to have a new fire. Sam wouldn’t want us to give up. She would fight harder.’”
“I think in the back of our minds we were all thinking that we know we can do it,” sophomore Drew Watson added. “And I think we all just had Sam in the back of our minds. We were pushing through for her.”
Sir Charles with his own “One Shining Moment.” Thanks for thinking of our girl, @sam_cerio! #WarEagle | #StickItForSam pic.twitter.com/svpAMxjnNp
— Auburn Gymnastics (@AuburnGym) April 9, 2019
Among the teammates, coaches, friends and fans offering support, former NBA player and Auburn legend Charles Barkley offered words of support for Cerio following the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship, in which Virginia took down Texas Tech in overtime.
“There’s a young lady at Auburn University, who broke her leg in a gymnastic contest the other day,” Barkley said during the postgame Monday night on CBS. “I want to give her my love and say, ‘War Eagle.’ Samantha Cerio, I hope I am pronouncing your name right, young lady.
“I saw your devastating leg injury. You graduate from Auburn. We love you. We’re proud of you. War Eagle.”
Many fans took to Cerio’s Instagram comments to wish her well.
“What an amazing career you have had and it has been an absolute joy to watch you,” one wrote. “You are an amazing young lady who has achieved so much and positively influenced so many. Continued prayers for you and your recovery. Praying for God to grant medical staff wisdom.”
“My young daughter and I were in attendance Friday evening, learning your name. She’s been thinking about you a lot, so we’ve been researching your career,” another wrote. “We look forward to one day hearing your name again, doing something else as awe inspiring. We are sending prayers and guiding light for healing, physical and mental recovery and patience for your next adventures to unfold!”
“You are in our thoughts thru out this Sam,” someone else wrote.
Cerio’s fiancé, Trey Wood, wrote that he was “so proud” to call her his.
“I’m so proud of you, @sam_cerio and all that you have accomplished. It’s bitter sweet seeing gymnastics end for you, but you’re going on to do even greater thing. I’m so proud to call you mine forever. I love you!”
All,
— sam_cerio (@sam_cerio) April 8, 2019
I wanted to reach out and thank everyone who has sent me encouraging messages. I truly appreciate all of the support and prayers that I have have received! I am doing well right now and getting lots of rest! From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much!
Cerio reached out on Twitter to thank any and everyone who reached out to her with prayers and words of support.
“All, I wanted to reach out and thank everyone who has sent me encouraging messages,” she wrote. “I truly appreciate all of the support and prayers that I have have received! I am doing well right now and getting lots of rest! From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much!”
Photo credit: YouTube / jjtortelli / Instagram / @sam_cerio
