Moments before stepping onto the floor for her routine, Rheagan Courville can be found pacing a little distance away, her eyes fixed on the ground.
The sophomore all-arounder is quick to acknowledge she’s not the most energetic gymnast. Though an intensely focused Courville stands in stark contrast to her rowdier teammates, her quiet isolation is just as much of a routine as her leaps and landings.
“I’ve always been like that,” Courville said. “I just do some mental sets in my head, and that’s what has always worked for me.”
It’s a formula that has yielded great results for Courville. Last year, she took home First Team All-American honors on vault and the all-around competition, making her only the third freshman in LSU history to earn multiple First Team All-American accolades.
Courville has had little trouble carrying over her success into her second year at LSU. Courville is the No. 6 all-arounder in the nation with a 39.530 regional qualifying score, and her eight all-around titles give her the most in the country.
“I had to take what I learned and put it into effect for this year to be even better than last year,” Courville said. “Obviously, nothing I did was anywhere near perfect. But I had a good year, and I was able to bring that momentum from last year into this year.”
Courville has helped the Tigers become the No. 1 vaulting team in the nation, and her 9.930 regional qualifying score on that event is fifth-best in the country.
Junior all-arounder Sarie Morrison said the experience Courville gained at last year’s national competition makes her a respected leader in the gym.
“She’s very disciplined and dedicated and determined,” Morrison said. “I think that helps the team overall. They know how great of a gymnast she is and how much she supports everyone.”
LSU coach D-D Breaux said Courville has become increasingly vocal and has challenged her teammates more as the season has progressed. Breaux gushed about Courville’s ability and the standards the young gymnast sets for herself.
“Rheagan expects a tremendous amount of herself,” Breaux said. “She expects excellence out of herself, and she’s extremely disappointed in herself when she perceives that she didn’t do 100 percent. … What makes Rheagan a little different than everybody else on this team is she’s capable on all four events to go 9.95 or better.”
LSU may need an outstanding performance from Courville if it hopes to capture the Southeastern Conference championship this Saturday. The No. 6 Tigers will compete in the top bracket as the fourth-seed behind No. 1 Florida, No. 3 Alabama and No. 5 Georgia.
When the Tigers take the floor Saturday against some of the stiffest competition in the country, Courville will likely be buried in deep reflection a few steps away from the action, doing what’s best for her team.
“A goal of mine since I got here was to be an all-around [competitor],” Courville said. “To be able to do it in every single competition has been amazing, and I just know every time I’m excelling individually, I’m helping my team.”
