The Southeastern Conference Championships had an unsatisfactory ending for the LSU gymnastics squad. After completing the greatest regular season in program history, the Tigers (15-5, 5-2 SEC) scored a substandard 197.325 and finished third behind national powerhouses Alabama and Florida.
But while the squad is working to forget last weekend’s disappointing outcome, LSU coach D-D Breaux found a silver lining in the way two of her gymnasts, freshmen Ashleigh Gnat and Sydney Ewing, performed in their first taste of postseason competition.
“I can’t say enough good things about Ashleigh Gnat and Sydney Ewing, two freshmen right there in our beam lineup [who] really supported the beam and did a great job for us,” Breaux said.
In the most intense environment Ewing and Gnat had ever performed in, they calmly held together the middle of LSU’s beam lineup with scores of 9.850 and 9.825, respectively. They kept their composure in the midst of more than 8,000 screaming fans and displayed the maturity of seasoned veterans, Breaux said.
“I singled them out after [SECs] and told them how complete I thought they handled themselves throughout the weekend,” Breaux said. “They were very efficient, and I don’t think either one made a mistake the whole weekend in how they conducted themselves.”
As the season progressed, both Gnat and Ewing transitioned from talented yet inexperienced freshmen to vital assets for the team’s success.
But the two Tiger freshmen have traveled different paths toward being heavy contributors for LSU this season.
While Gnat has been a regular in the Tigers’ rotation the entire season, Ewing struggled to maintain a spot in the beam lineup early in the year. Through the season’s first six meets, Ewing performed only three times.
But February’s Metroplex Challenge was a turning point for Ewing’s season. In the quad-meet that included No. 2 Oklahoma as an opponent, the Lafayette native scored a career-high tying 9.850 on the balance beam, and she’s remained a fixture in the lineup ever since.
“[Ewing] is in, without a doubt, the hardest event there is to manage, and she has stepped up and done a great job,” Breaux said.
In last weekend’s conference championships, Ewing coolly managed her emotions on beam and delivered the squad’s second-highest score. She said her beam performance was especially uplifting given the discouraging blunder she committed the week before.
“Getting that routine under my belt was really important for me because I fell [against Kentucky], so I needed to build my confidence back up and stay on the beam and hit a solid routine,” Ewing said.
Ewing has made a strong case to compete in other events as well. In an exhibition performance against North Carolina State, she scored a 9.925 on vault that would have won a share of the title, had it counted. Ewing followed that performance with a 9.875 on vault in LSU’s regular-season finale.
On the other hand, Gnat has been a consistent presence in the Tigers’ lineup during her entire freshman campaign. She has performed in multiple events each meet this season, claiming four individual titles in the process.
Gnat’s also been named SEC Freshman of the Week twice this season, most recently after her performance against Kentucky when she posted a 9.950 on beam for the second consecutive week. She’s the only freshman in the SEC with multiple scores of 9.950 on beam this season.
Gnat competed in Madison Square Garden and other large venues prior to joining LSU, but she said the intensity of the conference championships was unlike anything she’d ever experienced.
“It was a completely different environment, especially because the SEC is such a competitive region,” Gnat said. “I just tried to get up there and do what I do in practice every day.”
Gnat maintained her poise in front of the thousands in attendance and delivered a 9.850 on vault and 9.825 on beam. Her vault score helped LSU finish with a 49.525, which tied Alabama for the meet’s highest vault score.
The freshmen duo will continue to be called upon as the Tigers continue their march toward a national title. This may be a difficult burden for some freshmen, but Gnat doesn’t worry about the pressure — her only concern is contributing for her team.
“It’s not like you feel extra pressure just because you’re a freshman,” Gnat said. “We’re a part of this team and we have to contribute what we can. It’s expected.”