BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Four members of the LSU gymnastics squad competed in the NCAA Individual Event Finals for a shot at a national title, and one walked out of the BJCC Arena with the prize in hand. 
It should pair nicely with her other championship trophy.
In the final meet of the year, LSU junior all-arounder Rheagan Courville was named the NCAA Vault Co-National Champion for the second consecutive season after she recorded a 9.9750 in the individual finals Sunday. Arkansas senior Katherine Grable matched Courville’s score to also earn a share of the title.
“It was very gratifying to see Rheagan get the title because she’s vaulted really well all year long,” said LSU coach D-D Breaux. “This is an intense, hard meet to get in and win. But she just had more height and more distance, and I think the score was right on. Rheagan vaulted like a champion.”
Courville also won a share of the 2013 vault national title in Los Angeles, Calif., after she posted a 9.9250, but she said the thought of a potential repeat didn’t enter her mind.  
“I never focus on result-oriented things,” Courville said. “I’m always focused on exactly what I’m doing at that matter in time. Until I push off the board, I’m not worried about vault.”
Courville became the only gymnast in LSU history to secure multiple vault national crowns, and she’s also the first to win a national title in back-to-back seasons. Courville also competed on the uneven bars and placed fifth.
Freshmen Ashleigh Gnat performed on vault alongside Courville, but she failed to stick her landing, and the judges gave her a 9.8250. But Gnat said competing alongside Courville has taught her the mentality she needs in order to perform at the same championship level. 
“[Courville] has the mindset of a champion, and it’s cool to watch her perform because she’s so icy,” Gnat said. “I’d love to one day be able to put my mind where her’s is, and that’s what I’m going to be working on.”   
After the meet, Breaux said the experience Gnat gained from competing for an individual national title would pay dividends as the freshman heads into offseason preparation.
“Now that [Gnat] has this year behind her, I think she’ll come in next year and be even a greater force and a more stabilizing factor hopefully in every event for us,” Breaux said.
Fellow freshman Sydney Ewing was the lone Tiger gymnast who competed on the balance beam, and she secured a third-place finish with a score of 9.8875.
Despite a much more relaxed atmosphere than in the previous night’s team championship meet, Ewing acknowledged she still battled some nerves.
“I felt a different kind of nervous because there was no pressure to do well for anyone else but myself,” Ewing said. “I could hear them in the stands, but performing today just made me really appreciate how much I love my team being actually up there with me cheering me on.” 
The final LSU gymnast to perform in the individual event finals was sophomore Jessica Savona, who became a rock for the Tigers on floor toward the end of the year. Entering the NCAA Individual Events Finals, Savona had scored at least a 9.900 on floor in six of seven meets, and she ended her sophomore campaign by registering another 9.900. 
“I wanted to prove to the coaches, to my team and to myself that I wasn’t just a mediocre, hit-one-meet kind of gymnast,” Savona said. “It was my last routine of the year, and I just wanted to go out with a bang. All in all, I’m happy with how I did.” 
Breaux believed Savona’s slight miscues on her final tumbling pass may have kept her some serious title contention, but she said she was thrilled with how the soon-to-be upperclassmen caught fire toward the end of the Tigers’ season. 
“[Savona’s] been a real force on floor because she’s just a dynamic tumbler,” Breaux said. “I could not be happier with how she conducted herself.” 

Gallery • 1 Photos

Lauren Duhon

LSU junior all-around gymnast Lloimincia Hall celebrates with teammates Saturday, April 19, 2014 after placing third at the NCAA Super Six Finals in Birmingham, Ala. The Lady Tigers received a score of 197.600. Florida and Oklahoma tied for first place with a score of 198.175.