Sophomore all-arounder Rheagan Courville won a share of the national vault title as the No. 5 LSU gymnastics team tied for its second-highest finish in school history, scoring a 197.050 to finish in fifth place at the Super Six Finals in Los Angeles on Saturday night.
Courville earned a 9.9250 to tie Alabama’s junior all-arounder Diandra Milliner for the national vault championship in the individual competition Sunday afternoon. Courville also placed ninth on floor by registering a 9.8125.
Courville brought in First Team All-America honors for her performances on vault, floor and the all-around. The sophomore all-arounder was the national runner-up in the all-around with a 39.575, just .025 behind Florida’s freshman all-arounder Bridget Sloan.
“It was such an honor, especially to be with so many of my teammates,” Courville said. “It says so much about our program, how much depth we have and how accomplished we were this year. We were all so blessed to be there, but to be able to be on the podium was icing on top.”
No. 1 Florida won the national title with a 197.575 to unseat two-time defending champion No. 3 Alabama, which came in third. No. 2 Oklahoma came in second, and following the Tide were No. 6 UCLA, LSU and No. 4 Georgia.
The Tigers (25-11) advanced to the Super Six after placing second in Friday afternoon’s Semifinal I with a 197.325, which was the highest team score at an NCAA Championship meet in program history. LSU also set new highs for vault and bars at a championship meet with a 49.500 and a 49.475, respectively.
“Although we didn’t have any mistakes tonight, we didn’t compete with the same confidence,” said LSU coach D-D Breaux in a post-meet radio interview. “[Friday] night, it was all about that reckless abandon feeling. … We got here, and I think these kids were ready to compete well, and they gave it all they had.”
The meet marked LSU’s third appearance in the Super Six after back-to back appearances in 2008 and 2009, when the Tigers finished in fifth and sixth place, respectively.
The Tigers started the meet with a bye before earning a 49.200 on uneven bars. LSU tallied a 49.125 on balance beam to stand at 98.325 halfway through the competition.
After another bye, LSU put on a floor routine clinic, racking up a 49.550, its highest floor score in any national championship meet. The Tigers remained within reach but failed to close the gap as they ended the meet with a 49.175 on vault.
“A 197 is no score to sneeze at,” Breaux said. “We just showed a lack of experience at being here at a championship.”
Sophomore all-arounder Jessie Jordan picked up second team honors on floor and all-around, while fellow sophomore all-arounder Lloimincia Hall gained a second team accolade on floor. Additional first team recognition went to junior all-arounder Maliah Mathis for vault, junior all-arounder Sarie Morrison on vault and uneven bars and freshman all-arounder Randii Wyrick for uneven bars.
Morrison tied for eighth with a 9.8917 in the individual vault competition, while Mathis’ 9.8667 was good for 13th. Morrison also came in at seventh in the uneven bars competition with a 9.8250, and Wyrick checked in at 10th with a 9.800.
