Samantha Cerio Auburn’s Samantha Cerio celebrates her balance beam routine during the NCAA women’s gymnastics championships, in Fort Worth, Texas. Samantha has been a gymnast for 18 years but revealed she was leaving the sport on Apr. 7 after she suffered two dislocated knees when she failed to land a tumbling pass at the NCAA Regional semifinals in Baton Rouge, LA on Apr. 5. The gruesome injury was caught on film and made headlines all over the gymnastics world and beyond. Shortly after the incident, on Apr. 8, Samantha’s coach Jeff Graba released an update on her condition in a statement. “Senior Samantha Cerio suffered two dislocated knees Friday in Baton Rouge with multiple torn ligaments in both knees. Sam will undergo surgery this afternoon with Dr. James Andrews,” the statement read. “The Auburn Athletics Department is very thankful for the outstanding care that the Auburn and the LSU medical staffs have provided to Sam. We also are 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.”
