Jan. 23, 2009
AUBURN - The senior duo of Lindsey Puckett and A.J. Mills stole the show as the sixth-ranked Auburn (2-2, 0-1 SEC) gymnastics team routed No. 18 Iowa State (0-3, 0-2 Big 12) 196.275-195.225 Friday night in Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum. Puckett and Mills combined for the Tiger sweep on all four events and the duo finished one-two in the all-around on career-high marks.
"Iowa State was a great team and they had us under pressure at the end," head gymnastics coach Jeff Thompson said. "Lindsey really stepped it up a lot. If she had a made a mistake or gone out of bounds [on floor], we would've had to count a fall. We were a little shaky on beam, but A.J. and Lindsey finished really strong. We're happy. It was a good score and it's the first 196 we've had at home in a while. That's four really high scores we've had now."
Puckett was the vault, balance beam, floor exercise and all-around champion on a career night. She won the all-around on a 39.525, but made her mark by earning a 9.975 on beam for the second-highest score on the event in Auburn history. She was awarded a 9.95 and a perfect 10.0 to combine for the 9.975. It was the first time in Puckett's career that she had earned a 10.0.
"Beam has always been something that I've been really good at," Puckett said. "It's a challenge; not everyone can walk and flip on four inches, so each time you make it, it's kind of like a personal victory, like `I did that.' I've never gotten a 10 at all. I came close on vault one time with a 9.95, but this is a first and it's very surreal."
Mills had a career night of her own, scoring a personal best 9.9 on uneven bars to claim the individual title. The title is her third this season on bars and sixth overall. She finished as the all-around runner-up with a career-best performance of 39.500, a mark that ranks among Auburn's top-10 all-around scores.
"I think my confidence is growing," Mills said. "I'm much more relaxed going into each competition. This team is great. We're able to pick each other up usually, and at practice as well."
Auburn overcame a slow start on vault (48.950), to post a season-high 49.075 score on bars. Junior Carmen Nelms had a strong performance, posting a personal-best 9.825 en route to a third-place finish. Rookie Allyson Sandusky posted a 9.8 for the second meet in a row in the No. 3 spot.
Iowa State opened with a 49.000 on bars and notched a 48.750 on vault in the second rotation.
Freshman Kylie Shields picked things up for the Tigers midway through Auburn's beam rotation by registering a career-high 9.85. She was followed up by Mills' 9.9 and Puckett's historic 9.975.
"It's really early in the season and judges don't like to throw 10s this early, but that was a flawless beam routine," Thompson said of Puckett's performance. "We got a 10 from one judge and a 9.95 from the other. It's really fun for the fans when they see that."
Auburn, the nation's second-ranked floor team, took to its marquee event and the final rotation with a 147.150-146.350 advantage over the Cyclones. ISU combined for a 48.600 on floor in the third rotation.
Nelms nailed her floor routine and was awarded a career-best mark of .85 as the first competitor. Fellow junior Krissy Voss made her floor debut with a 9.75. Mills and Puckett closed out the event earning a 9.85 and 9.9, respectively.
Iowa State wrapped up on beam with a 48.875.
The Tigers will be back in action in Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum on Jan. 30, to face Southeastern Conference foe and 11th-ranked LSU at 7 p.m. Live stats and video will be available on auburntigers.com.
Vault - 48.950
Lauren Brzostowski 9.725
Kylie Shields 9.625
Allyson Sandusky 9.725
Krissy Voss 9.775
A.J. Mills 9.85
Lindsey Puckett 9.675
Uneven Bars - 49.075
Krissy Voss 9.775
Carmen Nelms 9.825
Allyson Sandusky 9.80
Kendall Swartz 9.7
Lindsey Puckett 9.775
A.J. Mills 9.90
Balance Beam - 49.125
Lauren Brzostowski 9.725
Katie Hurley 9.575
Allyson Sandusky 9.675
Kylie Shields 9.85
A.J. Mills 9.90
Lindsey Puckett 9.975
Floor Exercise - 49.125
Carmen Nelms 9.85
Katie Hurley 8.80
Claire Seiffert 9.775
Krissy Voss 9.75
A.J. Mills 9.85
Lindsey Puckett 9.90
All-Around
Lindsey Puckett 39.525
A.J. Mills 39.500