It has been a wild month for Auburn: 3 straight wins to finish the regular season, 3 straight wins to clinch an SEC tourney title, and then a 2-PT loss to Yale in the NCAA tourney last Friday. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Auburn Tiger Paw Hayden Clift about her team’s remarkable run.
You are from Madison, AL: what made you choose Auburn? When it came time for me to pick where I wanted to go to college, it was an easy choice: so easy that it was the only school I even applied to. I have wanted to come to Auburn forever. My mom was an Auburn grad and Auburn was all I knew growing up: I started going to Auburn football games before I could even comprehend it! I love Auburn for so many reasons: its sense of community, beautiful campus, traditions, and so much more. Choosing Auburn is one of the best decisions I have ever made and I have not looked back since!
You are majoring in Law & Justice with a minor in Spanish: why did you choose those subjects? I have always loved to read, write, and argue, so when picking a major I knew that Law and Justice would be perfect for me. Once I started taking law classes at Auburn, I fell in love with the law and knew I wanted to pursue a career in the legal field. I have a desire to advocate for those who cannot advocate for themselves and make a positive impact on people’s lives. When it comes to my minor in Spanish, this was something that sort of fell into my lap freshman year. My major required 2 foreign language classes, so I took Elementary Spanish 1 and 2 during freshman year. After doing well in both of them, realizing that I enjoyed the challenge of learning a new language, and considering the benefits of bilingualism in my future career, I decided to minor in it. 7 Spanish classes later, I can confidently say that I am happy that I pursued it as a minor and hope to use it in my future career.
You have a 4.0 GPA: how do you balance your work on the dance team with your work in the classroom? Growing up, my parents always emphasized the importance of academics and pushed me to be the best student I could be. I am so thankful for this because I have carried this mindset through my time at Auburn and have successfully maintained good grades while being involved in extracurriculars, honor societies, and athletics. Balancing my academics and Tiger Paws has not been easy and has come with a lot of learning moments. In doing so, I have learned the importance of time management, organization, and sacrifice.
You are a junior: what is the post-graduation plan? After graduating in May of 2025, I hope to start law school the following Fall. I am unsure of where I want to go and what area of law I want to practice, but I know for sure that getting a law degree is the path I want to take. With the application process starting in a couple of months, I know that my senior year will be busy with preparing for my career and finalizing my post-graduation plans.
You have been a Tiger Paw for 3 years: how long have you been dancing for, and what is the best part of being on the dance team? This May will wrap up my 19th year of dance, so yes: literally my entire life! I have had the most wonderful experiences through Tiger Paws and this program has introduced me to my best friends! There are so many things that I love about Tiger Paws, but if I had to pick 1 I think the best part is the relationships/connections I have built through our program. I get to spend my days with 19 of my best friends. I am so grateful that this program has introduced me to people I would have never met otherwise and has gifted me with the most genuine friendships. Additionally, I have made memorable connections with the Auburn family. Whether that be at an appearance, game, or event, this program has allowed me to make an impact on the Auburn community and meet so many new people.
1 of your hobbies is reading: do you have any book recommendations? My recent obsession has been books by John Grisham. It is a nice change of pace from the court cases I have to read in my classes! Even though law may not be for everyone, I would recommend them to anyone.
What was your favorite memory from this season: beating Alabama at home in February, beating Georgia on Senior Night, winning the SEC tourney, other? I have experienced some great memories this season but if I had to pick 1, winning the SEC tournament in Nashville would be my favorite. The excitement in the arena the day of the championship game was unmatched and a feeling I will never forget. I loved seeing the Auburn fans come to Nashville to support, and it felt like we were in Neville Arena! It was such an honor getting to see our team be rewarded for their hard working season.
How does your school decide who got to go to the NCAA tourney, and what did it mean to you to see your team do its thing in front of a national TV audience? Similar to our cheer team, our coach (Darby Scarborough) chooses and plans who goes on each trip. She takes into consideration seniority, as well as our individual participation in appearances on and off campus throughout our season. Getting to travel is so much fun and I am grateful to my coach Darby and our spirit coordinator (Latisha Durroh) for providing us these opportunities. It was such a cool experience dancing at a game in front of a national TV audience! We absolutely love representing Auburn through our passion for dance, so any chance we get to show others that is awesome.
This is your school’s 3rd NCAA tourney in a row: did you get to dance in Greenville in 2022/Birmingham in 2023? This was the first year I got to travel to a NCAA tournament and it was blast! Because our travel is based on seniority, our seniors got to travel to Birmingham/Greenville, but I had the opportunity to dance in Nashville at the Women’s SEC tournament in 2022 and Men’s SEC tournament in 2023/2024.
How did you feel about Auburn’s performance last weekend? I am so proud of both our Men’s and Women’s basketball teams for their successful seasons. Although the tournament did not play out how either team wanted, I have witnessed the hard work and sacrifice these athletes have poured into their seasons. It was such an honor to get to travel and cheer them on this season and I will forever cherish these memories: War Eagle!