Led by Suni Lee's epic collegiate all-around debut, Auburn gymnastics beats rival Alabama

AUBURN — Suni Lee can add a new title to her ridiculous list of achievements.

Olympic gold medalist? Not bad.

Iron Bowl hero? That's more like it.

"This is probably up there with the Olympics," she said.

In a showcase of some of the nation's top talent, Auburn pulled out a coveted win in the Iron Bowl of Gymnastics on Friday night at Auburn Arena, posting a season-high 197.525 team score to comfortably beat Alabama's 197.125.

It's the third time since 1979 that Auburn has defeated its in-state archrival, and the third time since 2016 — the 117-meet losing streak is long gone — but the Tigers (5-0, 2-0 SEC) were no underdogs this time. Ranked No. 8 in the country coming in (Alabama was No. 9), they were led by the best performance of Lee's burgeoning NCAA career.

The Olympic all-around champion competed on all four events at the college level for the first time, debuting on vault.

"I actually started vaulting only three days ago," Lee laughed. "I just decided that I wanted to do vault because I felt like I had to prove to myself this meet that I could still do it, and that I kind of deserve the all-around medal. Because I feel like I've just been in denial."

It didn't take much convincing for Auburn coach Jeff Graba to slot her in the lineup — "That's a drill vault for her," he said — and Lee didn't disappoint.

She scored a team-high 9.875 on vault. Then she flexed a bit more with the meet's highest scores on uneven bars (9.925) and balance beam (9.975). One judge gave her a perfect 10 for her bounce-back beam effort after falling last week. She finished with a 9.925 on floor for a 39.7 overall individual score — the fourth-highest in the NCAA this season.

Point proven.

"I actually wrote in my journal before the competition, and I was telling myself to just go out there, enjoy it and just be myself," Lee said, "because I knew that I'm not ready yet. And I'm not 100%, and I'm not where I want to be yet. But this is just the start."

For the second consecutive week, Auburn's team score was the second-highest in program history.

Alabama (1-3, 1-2) entered the meet with the better season-high team score. But Auburn opened up a big lead in the second rotation when the Crimson Tide attempted all of its vaults at a perfect-10 start value, prioritizing difficulty in a tough road environment.

Canadian Olympic vault finalist Shallon Olsen stuck her landing to lead off with a season-high 9.9, but the rest of the lineup struggled. Junior Luisa Blanco, a defending All-SEC gymnast in every event, stumbled on her landing. Alabama dropped her anchor score of 9.275, and the team's deficit was 0.4 points at the halfway point of the meet.

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Blanco bounced back with a 9.975 on the beam, where she is defending national champion. She also scored a team-leading 9.925 on bars.

Alabama's other defending national champ is floor routine master Lexi Graber, who anchored Friday with a 9.925. In 19 of her last 21 floor routines, she has scored at least 9.9.

But a challenger might be rising to meet her this season. Auburn senior Derrian Gobourne had the fourth-highest national qualifying score on floor last season. She ended the meet with a 9.95, topping even Graber and Lee for the best performance in that event.

Auburn finished with a 49.55 on floor, another season best. It was the cherry on top. After the scores went final, the Tigers celebrated with Alabama football's crane kick pose.

"It's nice to beat Alabama," Auburn senior Drew Watson said. "All the other teams and sports were doing it."

Even in defeat, the 197.125 was Alabama's second-highest score of the season. Its 197.65 last week against Kentucky is a reflection of the team's ceiling, which remains higher than Auburn's at the end of January. But consistency plagued the Tide on a night when the Tigers continued their trend of improving every week.

Adding events on three days' whim, Lee's spirit was at the heart of that. "The best athlete in the world," Graba called her.

She made a compelling case Friday night in the Iron Bowl.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Suni Lee leads Auburn past Alabama in Iron Bowl of Gymnastics