Suni Lee's perfect 10 helps Auburn gymnastics make NCAA Championships

AUBURN — A nervous energy among Auburn fans spread through the building. A door had opened, but after the Tigers' rough start to the NCAA gymnastics regional final, walking through it wasn't guaranteed.

Then Suni Lee kicked it wide open.

No more memory of her kicking the bar.

Lee's perfect 10 on balance beam leapfrogged the seventh-seeded Tigers past Kentucky into second place, where they stayed the rest of Saturday night on the way to making the NCAA Championships. Auburn scored 197.775, finishing behind No. 2 Florida's 198.750 — the third-highest team score in NCAA history. Both advance to Fort Worth, Texas, where the final eight teams will compete April 14-16.

The evening  ended with Auburn chasing coach Jeff Graba off the floor with a cooler of water. "There was ice in it," he deadpanned. "This wasn't warm."

Here are three key observations from the Sweet 16 regional final meet.

Suni Lee does the improbable

Graba paused. It was the same topic: Lee's resilience. How does the Olympic gold medalist do it?

"It's hard to get you guys to understand, to get anybody to understand, the pressure she's under," Graba said. "I mean, did you see floor? We had people come out of the crowd to say hi to her. This is — it's hard to quantify how difficult it is for her and for her teammates. This happens everywhere." 

She rallied after bars this time. The Tigers put early pressure on themselves. They were forced to keep freshman Sophia Groth's 9.75 after Lee kicked the bar for a 9.725. 

WATCH SUNI LEE:Watch Suni Lee score perfect 10 on balance beam for Auburn gymnastics at NCAA regional final

DELAYED OLYMPICS WERE KEY:Why Suni Lee honored Auburn gymnastics commitment made 4 years ago despite Olympic gold medal win

CLASSIC AGAINST FLORIDA:Perfection from Derrian Gobourne and Suni Lee helps Auburn gymnastics score first-ever 198

The 49.2 was Auburn's third-lowest on bars this season. 

More pressingly, the first rotation ended with Auburn in last place.

Then No. 10 Kentucky also scored its third-lowest on bars. It was renewed life. Groth was the first to bounce back for Auburn: She scored 9.95 on beam. Then came Lee, scoring Auburn's only perfect 10 of the weekend and her fifth of the season. 

"She was ready to redeem herself," Auburn senior Derrian Gobourne said.

It highlighted a season-high 49.625 for Auburn on beam. Lee added a 9.95 on floor and a 9.875 on vault.

Florida soars from the beginning

The screams from the small Florida contingent were almost enough to equal Auburn's home-court advantage.

There was no slow start for Florida.  And the Gators were led by star Trinity Thomas. The senior scored her third and fourth perfect 10s of the weekend, injecting early energy with her floor routine. She was on her way to a season-high 39.9 all-around score. Her "weak" events, bars and beam, were both 9.95.

Florida scored its second-highest scores on vault (49.7) and bars (49.675), plus a season-high on beam (49.75). 

Sloane Blakely had a tough all-around night, with a 9.675 on vault and 9.725 on floor. It barely mattered. Thomas, Leanne Wong (39.875) and Megan Skaggs (39.65) had her covered. Only five of Florida's 24 routines scored below a 9.9.

Last time the Gators visited Auburn, their 198.575 matched the fourth-highest score ever.

A bittersweet vault and 'chills' for Drew Watson

Auburn's highs — and there were a lot — peaked with super senior Drew Watson sticking her last-rotation vault for a 9.975. That was the moment Graba knew Auburn was probably advancing.

"I remember last year in the gym, talking to her about why she wanted to come back," he said. "This is what she wanted. She wanted to drag her team to nationals with her."

She had been alone before. This was surreal for her.

"I couldn't believe it a lick," Watson said. "I was as nervous as can be. We were like, 'We don't care what you say. We won't believe it until we see it up on the scoreboard.'"

As the Auburn fans chanted, Watson looked around and finally soaked it in: "I got chills."