AUBURN, Ala. — The LSU gymnastics team fell three times on the balance beam in the final rotation to allow Auburn to escape with a 194.500-194-275 victory in a battle of Tigers at Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum on Friday night.
Leading by more than a point heading into the final rotation, LSU suffered falls by Megan Durning, Annie Gagnon and Jade Jenkins in consecutive routines led to an Auburn comeback. LSU had earlier counted a fall on the uneven bars as Gagnon and Brooke Cazeaux missed release moves.
“We just lost our focus on the beam. We looked like a bunch of freshmen up there,” said LSU coach D-D Breaux. “It should have been an easy win for us after getting a one-point lead, but we just gave it away. I am extremely disappointed.”
The loss ruined a spectacular night by freshman April Burkholder who won two individual titles outright and shared two others en route to winning the all-around crown with a 39.475.
“April performed the way she is capable of and she will get better and improve on that score. She does routines with a lot of difficulty and completes them at the highest level. We just need a little more support around her,” Breaux added.
LSU, ranked 13th, fell to 5-1 on the season and 1-1 in the Southeastern Conference while No. 15 Auburn moved to 5-2 overall and 1-0 in the league.
In the first rotation on the uneven bars, LSU counted a fall for the second time this year. However, Burkholder won the event with a 9.925 and Kelly Lea and Lindsay Beddow each posted a 9.85 to keep the Tigers close.
Auburn, which began on vault, wasn’t much better in the opening rotation. Only Hannah Littrell scored better than a 9.8 for the home team, which led by less than a quarter point, 48.725-48.500, after one rotation.
LSU cut into the deficit in the second rotation with a 48.925 on vault while Auburn was just behind with a 48.875 on the bars. Burkholder won her second title of the evening by tying Littrell’s 9.85 vault score.
The balance beam wreaked havoc on Auburn throughout the third rotation as three Tigers fell and one other had to stop to re-claim her balance. Meanwhile LSU was solid in its floor routines, recording four scores of 9.75 or better, to take a seemingly insurmountable lead, 146.325-145.300, into the final rotation.
However, the beam was just as unkind to LSU and while the Tigers struggled on the beam, Auburn was stellar on the floor. Auburn gave five straight performances of 9.8 or better en route to a 49.200 to clinch the victory.
Women’s Gymnastics
Jan., 24, 2002
Auburn, Ala.
Event – Team Scores (Individual Champion)
All-Around – Auburn 194.500, 194.275 (April Burkholder, LSU – 39.475)
Vault – LSU 48.925, Auburn 48.725 (April Burkholder, LSU; Hannah Littrell, Auburn – 9.850)
Uneven Bars – Auburn 48.875, LSU 48.500 (April Burkholder, LSU – 9.925)
Balance Beam – LSU 47.900, Auburn 47.700 (April Burkholder, LSU – 9.825)
Floor Exercise – Auburn 49.200, LSU 48.900 (April Burkholder, LSU; Natica Johnson, Auburn – 9.875)