Taylor Balkom
LSU junior all-around Rheagan Courville celebrates after her beam routine Saturday, April 4, 2014, during the NCAA Gymnastics Regional in the PMAC. The Tigers won the meet with a school-record 198.325.
The No. 3 LSU gymnastics team set a program record and tied the highest team score in the nation this season with a 198.325 to earn a berth in the NCAA semifinals and a first-place finish at Saturday’s regional meet in the PMAC.
The Tigers (20-5, 5-2 Southeastern Conference) set school records with the highest score in a regional meet on all four events. LSU shattered its previous high score of 198.050 set against Missouri on Feb. 28.
No. 10 Stanford finished second with a 197.275, Iowa State placed third with a 196.350, Kent State came in fourth with a 195.125, No. 13 Auburn placed fifth with a 195.050 and Arizona came in last with a 194.825.
After a bye during the first rotation, the Tigers started with a bang on bars. Senior all-arounder Kaleigh Dickson and sophomore all-arounder Randii Wyrick led off with a pair of 9.900’s to propel LSU to a 49.425 team score.
LSU erased its beam struggles from the SEC championships two weeks ago by scoring a season-high 49.600 on the event in the third rotation. Junior all-arounder Rheagan Courville won the beam title with a 9.975, and freshman all-around Ashleigh Gnat tied her career-high with a 9.950 routine.
Junior all-arounder Jessie Jordan kicked off the Tigers’ floor lineup with a career-high tying 9.925 during the fifth rotation. The rest of the lineup followed suit, notching a 49.650 team score capped by junior all-arounder Lloimincia Hall’s perfect 10.
LSU moved to vault for the final rotation. Dickson led off but stopped a few feet down the mat with an apparent ankle injury. The judges gave her a 0.000 because it was too late to substitute another gymnast, but that didn’t matter.
The Tigers notched their highest vault score of the season with a 49.650. Courville, Gnat and senior all-arounder Sarie Morrison each earned a 9.950 to win the vault title as LSU closed the meet in dominant fashion.
Courville won the beam title as well as the all-around crown with a 39.725. Jordan’s 39.600 was good for second place in the all-around competition.
LSU and Stanford will compete in the NCAA semifinals on April 18 in Birmingham, Ala.