A score of 197.500 is quite the accomplishment in collegiate gymnastics. Only eight squads in the nation have reached that mark, and only five have done so on multiple occasions. No. 1 LSU (9-3, 4-2 Southeastern Conference) leads the nation in the category with six.
But the Tigers weren’t too thrilled with their latest 197.500, which came in their most recent victory against North Carolina State last Friday. Instead, junior Rheagan Courville, who claimed her sixth all-around title of the season against the Wolfpack, said the score was underwhelming for the team, but it perhaps proves how talented the squad is.
“I think coming out of it, if we can say a 197.500 is a mediocre meet for us, then we’re really on the right track,” Courville said. “That just goes to show everybody that if we can still get such a high score without our best performances, we have a lot more to come.”
LSU will look to refine any remaining blunders when it hosts SEC opponent Kentucky (9-9, 2-4 SEC) on Senior Night tonight in the PMAC.
The meet is the final contest of the regular season for the Tigers, who have scored at least a 197 in eight consecutive meets, tying the school record set in 2004.
With the SEC championships eight days away, senior specialist Sarie Morrison, who claimed her school-record 28th bars crown on Friday, expects to see a more enthusiastic and focused mindset from the entire squad against the Wildcats.
“With the postseason coming up, I think it’ll bring a whole new energy level,” Morrison said. “I think that as a team, the focus was a little bit off [against NC State]. All we need to do is just be us.”
If the Tigers look on what they’ve accomplished this season, they shouldn’t have trouble reclaiming their confidence and returning to form against Kentucky. LSU has scored a 197 nine times this season, a school record that’s tied for the most in the nation this season.
The program’s historic scoring has led to a No. 1 ranking all three weeks the regional qualifying scores (RQS) have been in effect.
But Friday is LSU’s final opportunity to build momentum before postseason begins March 22, so coach D-D Breaux decided it was best to amp up the intensity this week in practice.
“[We’re] going to try to put more pressure on them in practice and try to make it a little bit tougher to succeed, to do the assignment and be successful so that their minds get a little bit sharper,” Breaux said.
There’s also a strategic reason why LSU needs to have a quick bounce back tonight against the Wildcats. In the conference championships next week, the top four seeds will be based on the RQS rankings.
If the Tigers out-score or equal conference rival Florida tonight, they will maintain their grip on the No. 1 spot, which means they would start on vault and end on floor in the SEC championships. Vault and floor are the squad’s two best events, where they rank No. 1 and No. 3 in the nation, with an RQS of 49.545 and 49.490, respectively.
But if LSU has a repeat performance of last week and the Gators score big for the second consecutive meet, the Tigers could lose the top seed.
With so much to focus on, there are six Tiger gymnasts whose minds are bound to be racing with emotions. Though NCAA regionals will be held in the PMAC, this is the last home dual meet for the seniors on this year’s squad: Kaleigh Dickson, Casey Duvall, Lainie Fleming, Mckenzie Fox, Maliah Mathis and Morrison.
“I never really thought that it would be my turn to have senior night because it seemed so farfetched,” Morrison said. “It’s exciting to go out with a team like this on such strong terms. To have all the people who support us and the fans, I couldn’t ask for a better atmosphere to be in senior night.”
But this isn’t the end, Dickson said, because the team has had a bigger prize in mind this entire season.
“It’s not going to be over until NCAAs,” Dickson said. “There will definitely be a lot of emotions during the night, but we’re going to work on doing our best performances for the team, each one of us seniors.”