No. 9 Alabama Gymnastics Falls at No. 8 Auburn, 197.525-197.125

The Crimson Tide placed the highest score in just one event, with Shallon Olsen registering a 9.900 on the vault.

Joey Blackwell | Jan 28, 2022

No. 9 Alabama gymnastics stumbled on the road on Friday night, falling at No. 8 Auburn by a final score of 197.525-197.125.

The Crimson Tide is now 1-3 to start the season and has lost all three of its meets on the road this season.

“We didn’t get off to the start that we wanted to tonight," Alabama coach Dana Duckworth said. "We wanted to come in and handle the chaos, but I felt like we held back on the first two rotations. We did make some steps forward on vault, with six 10.0 vaults in our lineup, which will help us in the long run. After the first two rotations, we went over to the floor and beam and had great performances on both. To compete like that – where we were aggressive, strong and showed great composure in this kind of environment – is what makes a championship team.

"We will use these lessons to make us better and to move forward.”

Makarri Doggette at Auburn — Alabama Athletics

In the first rotation of the night, Alabama took to the uneven parallel bars while Auburn approached the vault. After the rotation, Auburn led the way with a narrow 49.175-49.125 lead.

The second rotation saw the Tigers increase its lead by 49.350 on the bars, while the Crimson Tide took a 49.025 on the vault. At the conclusion of the third rotation, Auburn once again increased its lead with a solid 49.450 team score on the balance beam and Alabama registering a 49.325 in the floor exercise.

After three rotations, Auburn had built up a .500 lead over Alabama, with the total score being 147.975-147.475.

The fourth and final rotation sealed the deal for the Tigers, with Auburn totaling a 49.550 on the floor and Alabama a 49.650 on the beam. The score for the Crimson Tide was the second-highest team total on the balance beam in program history. However, despite having a .100 advantage in the rotation, the score wasn't enough for the Crimson Tide to overtake the Tigers.

Lexi Graber on floor — Alabama Athletics

Alabama boasted the highest score in just one event, the vault. Crimson Tide senior Shallon Olsen held a 9.900 on the vault, but the next four highest scores all fell to Auburn. For the Tigers, Sunisa Lee boasted the highest score on the vault with a solid 9.875.

On the bars, Luisa Blanco led Alabama with a score of 9.925. However, she was tied by two Tigers in Lee and Derrian Gobourne.

Lee and Blanco split for the best score on the beam, each registering a 9.975. On the floor, Gobourne took the top spot with a 9.950. Lee and Lexi Graber of Alabama tied for second with the score of 9.925.

Up next for Alabama, the Crimson Tide will host Western Michigan and North Carolina at Capes and Crowns Night inside Coleman Coliseum on Friday, Feb. 4 (7:30 p.m. CT, SEC Network).

Here is the full list of scores for both Alabama and Auburn from Friday night's meet:

Published Jan 28, 2022

JOEY BLACKWELL

Joey Blackwell is an award-winning journalist and assistant editor for BamaCentral and has covered the Crimson Tide since 2018. He primarily covers Alabama football, men's basketball and baseball, but also covers a wide variety of other sports. Joey earned his bachelor's degree in History from Birmingham-Southern College in 2014 before graduating summa cum laude from the University of Alabama in 2020 with a degree in News Media. He has also been featured in a variety of college football magazines, including Lindy's Sports and BamaTime.