No. 5 Auburn defeated Kentucky 197.925-197.150 at Auburn Arena on Friday. The score of 197.925 is the best score in Auburn program history, toppling the mark set in Baton Rouge three weeks ago.
"We're here to be the best,” said Aria Brusch. “And if that's breaking records, that's what it is."
Suni Lee posted her second perfect score of the season as she posted a 10 on the beam, her first 10 in Auburn Arena.
“So surreal,” Lee said “It really does feel like a family the way that we all celebrated together and everybody was so happy, it’s not like anything I’ve ever experienced in my life, and if I could relive that I would.”
In addition to the perfect score, Lee also won the all-around title scoring a 9.825 on vault, a 9.975 on bars, a 10 on beam, and a 9.975 on the floor.
Auburn started out the meet on the vault and came out a bit slow only posting a 49.275, but after that settled in and got in a groove.
“We’re trying to get better on vault,” said head coach Jeff Graba. “There was some urgency early on and then they settled themselves down. That’s gonna come in handy. In the long run, we’re gonna look back on this and feel like this made us better. We’ve got to get started faster.”
Auburn posted a 49.325 on the bars, led by Lee’s 9.975, and then posted a 49.400 on the beam that included Lee’s 10.
This was a close meet throughout, as the score was knotted at 148.250 into the final events, but Auburn sealed the win on the floor led by Lee and Derrian Gobourne both posting 9.975.
For the first time in a couple of weeks, the Tigers were in a close meet and had to face some pressure, and coach Graba really liked the way the Tigers responded.
“We know what we’re capable of,” Graba said “They got to manage the nerves, I could tell they were a little tight early on and I was just hoping they would settle, and they did. I thought they did a good job of settling down, still had a couple of hiccups, but didn’t let it get out of hand. What that tells me is when we need it, we’re going to be able to do it.”
After missing the last two meets, Aria Brusch made her return to the lineup and posted a 9.950 on the bars.
“I was excited to be back in the lineup,” Brusch said. “It’s nice to be able to contribute because when you’re on the sideline it’s fun to cheer and watch your friends, but you really want to be in there contributing.”
Despite winning their meets, the Tigers’ energy had been lacking a little as they have gotten into the middle of the grind of an SEC schedule, Lee admitted.
“I feel like the past couple of weeks the energy has been down a little bit,” Lee said. “We’re all super tired, we’re competing week after week, I think the goal today was to go out and progress."
Auburn’s next meet will be in Auburn Arena against Florida. The Tigers can clinch a share of the SEC regular-season title if they win that meet on Friday, March 4. The meet will air on SEC Network + at 7 p.m. CST.
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Henry is a sophomore from Dallas, Texas. This is his second year with The Auburn Plainsman.
Twitter: @Henry_Patton23
