AUBURN, Ala. (EETV) – Auburn traveled to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, for a mat showdown against the Crimson Tide. Despite falling short to Alabama, 197.700 to 197.850, Auburn gymnast Sunisa Lee finished the night with two perfect 10.00s.
Starting off with vault, Alabama’s Luisa Blanco scored a 9.950, .50 higher than Lee’s 9.900, although boosting Auburn into the 9.9 club.
Lee came back ready to dominate on bars scoring a perfect 10.00 with her routine, one of the three perfect 10.00s the judges gave out the entire night. Her flawless routine continues to captivate the crowd each meet.
Moving on to beam, there was a perfect 10.00 showdown between Lee and Alabama’s Blanco. Both gymnasts nailed their routines to boost their team's overall scores. Although there was a little slip-up on beam from Auburn’s Gabby McLaughlin, there was still hope for the Tigers to pull through.
Stepping into the last event of the meet, the tension was high. There was a two-way tie for first place between Alabama’s Lily Hudson and Luisa Blanco, both gymnasts scoring 9.975. Second place had a four-way tie with a score of 9.925 between Alabama’s Mati Waligora and Gabby Gladieux, and Auburn’s Suni Lee and Derrian Gobourne.
Although Auburn did not come out on top in each event, Suni Lee’s perfect 10.00 on bars allowed her to soar above the competition and achieve the first-place win in all around.
Despite the loss, the Auburn Tigers are prepared to strive for perfection as they return to the mat next Friday, February 10th, to face off against the LSU Tigers at home.
