Suni Lee scores first perfect 10, LSU music outage causes stir in Auburn gymnastics' first loss
Auburn gymnastics' first loss of the 2022 season was also its biggest win.
Freshman Suni Lee scored the first perfect 10 of her college gymnastics career — and Auburn's first in 18 years — as the Tigers matched an all-time program record for their highest team score (197.75) Saturday at LSU.
It turned out to be a dramatic walk-off loss, as No. 8 LSU's Kiya Johnson scored the third perfect 10 of the meet on the final floor routine, elevating the home Tigers to a winning score of 197.975.
"We weren't even mad that we lost because we gave it all we've got today," Lee said. "And I think we still know that we still have so much to improve on, and it's really helpful to see the end scores because then we know that we have so much potential."
No. 6 Auburn (5-1, 2-1 SEC) wasn't as fortunate as LSU on floor: There were three music stoppages at Pete Maravich Assembly Center, which disrupted the Tigers' rhythm.
"I believe it's a cable problem that they had here, and they couldn't fix it," Auburn coach Jeff Graba said. "But you've got to get through that. There's worse things in life than having a music problem."
In Lee's second week competing in all-around competition, she had the meet's top score again: a 39.825 to build on her 39.7 against Alabama. She anchored on uneven bars, and the judges deemed her execution to be flawless. Graba joked earlier in the season that he thought senior Derrian Gobourne was close to having a perfect 10 on floor routine. There have been "a couple of near misses," he said Saturday. When Lee landed her bars routine, he knew it was capable of a 10.
"I never, ever consider anything I do perfect," Lee said. "So it's just like, when I went out there, I felt like I just got better today. That was just my mentality, to get better today. Not necessarily to score a 10, but a perfect 10's a perfect 10."
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Along with her perfect 10 on bars, Lee scored a 9.975 on beam, earning a 10 score from one judge and cementing the record-matching team score at the end of the meet.
Auburn has improved its team score every meet this season. Graba emphasized that what made the scores so impressive was the road venue.
"This is so good for a young team to go through," Graba said. "I'm really excited with this group."
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Suni Lee scores first perfect 10 in Auburn gymnastics' loss at LSU
