The Extra Point: Will Auburn's Olympian Gymnast Intimidate Alabama?
No. 11 Alabama gymnastics will host No. 6 Auburn this Friday night in Coleman Coliseum for their Power of Pink meet.
The stands are expected to be packed with an energetic, soldout crowd as Alabama and Auburn are rivals in all sports.
Both teams have powerful and talented gymnasts. Auburn's Suni Lee, former Olympian champion, is an all-around gymnast who brings high scores to the team. Her experience in Elite and Olympic level gymnastics makes her stand out amongst many other collegiate gymnasts.
Although Lee is phenomenal, Alabama has multiple gymnasts with high-scoring potential. Makarri Doggette, senior, scored a 10.0 on bars against Kentucky. With the Crimson Tide finally earning its first perfect score of the season, it should bring some confidence to the team.
The Crimson Tide was also able to hit an overall team score of 197.325 last meet against Kentucky, which is the highest they've scored this season and marked the first time crossing the 197 threshold. Alabama is capable of reaching that all-around team score again if they are able to stay consistent.
Last meet, Ella Burgess fell on balance beam. That event is her strong suit, and she rarely falls or has bobbles. This caused the team to drop her score and count two 9.7 scores. If the team is able to keep Burgess' usual score, then they should be capable of going beyond their current highest team score.
While the Tigers beat Alabama last year in Auburn, the Crimson Tide scored higher at both the Elevate the Stage meet in Huntsville and SEC Championships last season and has dominated the series history with the in-state rival. Alabama won't be intimidated by Auburn's higher ranking or star gymnast. The athletes keep improving each competition, and that should be shown at this upcoming meet.
The competition between Alabama and Auburn takes place in Coleman Coliseum this Friday night at 6:30 p.m. CT and will be aired on SEC Network.
Watch the video at the top of the page to see BamaCentral’s Claire Yates and Katie Windham discuss the upcoming gymnastics meet between Alabama and Auburn.
