Jan. 6, 2006
BATON ROUGE, La. - Competing in their first-ever Super Six Challenge, Auburn turned heads by putting together a solid fifth-place performance that challenged for the title until the end in front of a season-opening record crowd of 3,646 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Friday. The Tigers finished fifth with a team score of 193.675, just .575 behind No. 4 and meet champion Alabama (194.250).
In an extremely tight field which featured six teams ranked in the top 16, No. 15 Auburn's margin of defeat to Alabama was the closest they have come to defeating the Crimson Tide since prior to the 1986 season.
"We were fired up," head coach Jeff Thompson said. "This was exactly what we wanted to do. The goal was to not count a fall, which we accomplished. It was a really good way to start the season."
No. 8 Nebraska finished second with a 194.10, while No. 11 Iowa State finished third with a 194.050. No. 7 and host LSU placed fourth with a 193.90 and No. 16 Missouri finished behind Auburn in sixth with a 192.70.
Individually, sophomore Julie Dwyer finished third in the all-around with a 39.075, while also finishing fifth on beam.
Julie is a rock for us," Thompson said. "She is so consistent and she got up and rocked for us tonight."
Freshman Lindsey Puckett had two top-five finishes, as she tied for fifth on vault with a 9.850 and fifth on bars with a 9.850.
The Tigers opened the meet on beam with a 48.00. Dwyer posted the top score for the Tigers, scoring a 9.725, while freshman A.J Mills scored a 9.700 in her first event of her collegiate career to finish just behind Dwyer. Sophomore Kayla Gies tallied the third highest score for the Tigers with a solid 9.625, while junior Shanna Somero posted a 9.550. Junior Nicole Barnett scored a 9.400, while freshman Lindsey Puckett finished with a 9.275.
Following a bye, the Tigers competed on floor in the third rotation, where they scored 47.975. The Tigers were paced by Dwyer, who scored a 9.725. Dwyer was also the Tigers' top finisher on beam. Following Dwyer was sophomore Karmen Pinckney with a 9.675. Senior Danielle Holtz opened the event for the Tigers with a 9.625. Freshman Claire Seiffert pieced together a 9.600 in her first collegiate event. Mills scored a 9.375, while Puckett concluded the event with an 8.350.
In the fourth rotation, the Tigers scored a 48.675 on vault, led by Puckett's 9.850. Scoring just behind Puckett's team-high score of 9.850 was Dwyer, who vaulted a 9.825. Pinckney had a 9.725 for the Tigers' third-highest score. Pinckney's score was her highest since scoring a 9.775 on vault on March 3, 2005 against North Carolina and Iowa. Following Pinckney was Mills, who finished with a 9.700. In the second slot, Seiffert scored a 9.575 after Holtz opened the event with a 9.525.
The Tigers had their second and final bye during the fifth rotation before finishing the meet on bars for the sixth rotation.
Needing to score a 48.06 to surpass Missouri for fifth, the Tigers came through with a resounding 49.025. The Tigers' score on bars topped last year's season-high score of 48.950 vs. LSU. Puckett paced the Tigers with a 9.850, while Dwyer, sophomore Aimee Goheen and Mills each secured scores of 9.825. Freshman Alicia Lenkiewicz finished with a 9.700. Lastly, Somero scored a 9.675 to conclude the competition for the Tigers.
Auburn competed without sophomore Tiffany Robinson and junior Rachael Tarantino, who were dismissed from the team due to a violation of team rules.
Alabama's victory in the Challenge was their fourth in the seven-year history of the meet.
The Super Six Challenge will be aired on Jan. 15 at 1:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
Auburn opens its home slate on Friday, Jan. 13 when West Virginia visits Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum at 7 p.m.