Auburn gymnastics to be without Suni Lee for third straight meet

Suni Lee is out for her third straight meet.

Lee, who missed Auburn gymnastics' competitions against Kentucky on March 4 and Penn State on March 10, won't be able to participate in the SEC Championship on Saturday, AU announced Friday evening.

"Auburn will once again be without Sunisa Lee," a press release stated. "The sophomore is sitting out as she's going through non-gymnastics health issues."

PENN STATE:Suni Lee is out for Auburn gymnastics' meet vs. Penn State: Here's why

KENTUCKY:Auburn gymnastics' Suni Lee resting vs Kentucky, will compete vs Penn State on Friday

Lee posted to her Instagram story Friday, seemingly showing her posing with her teammates for a picture. Additionally, in the photo AU used for the press release, Lee can be seen with her teammates, although she is wearing a different outfit than the others pictured.

Coach Jeff Graba released a statement the morning of Auburn's meet versus the Wildcats, citing "schedule changes" for Lee being unavailable. Graba also said the Tigers were resting Lee and made no mention of an injury or any health issues.

But a day before Auburn's regular-season finale against Penn State on March 10, Graba sent out another statement, this time announcing Lee was sidelined because she "is going through a non-gymnastics health issue that has impaired her ability to train."

Lee released her own statement that same night: "Due to a non-gymnastics health issue, I'm saddened to share that I will not be competing in tomorrow's meet. This would have been my last home meet at Auburn, and there is nothing like competing at Neville.

"I was looking forward to experiencing the energy and love from that arena one last time, and I am sending so much love to my senior teammates."

Asked March 10 about when Lee could return, Graba explained the Tigers recently "just decided to quit talking timetables."

"We're talking day-to-day and putting a lot of trust in our medical staff," he said. "I feel like if we just stay focused on getting a couple days under our belt and taking a breath of fresh air, and then doing it again, I think that's the best way to approach it.

"This time of the season, it's really easy to get the anxiety level up. So, we're just trying to take it one day at a time. And she's been handling it phenomenally. And so have her teammates."

Lee is in the midst of her final season at Auburn. She announced prior to the start of the season that this would be her last campaign competing for the Tigers.

Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on Twitter @rich_silva18.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn gymnastics to be without Suni Lee in SEC Championship