The LSU’s gymnastics team took the win against the Ohio State Buckeyes Friday night in its 2024 season opener.
LSU fell short last season, and were left battling multiple deficits. Heading into their first meet of this season, however, the Tigers showed no signs of that shaky past. They looked ready to compete.
“This team is as talented as I’ve ever coached, and we’re excited to start with a clean slate,” head coach Jay Clark said at a press conference on Thursday.
The Tigers brought back all of their routines from the 2023 Final Four squad, including big-name gymnasts such as Haleigh Bryant, Olympic qualifier Aleah Finnegan and Kiya Johnson. Johnson has been a critical addition to LSU’s roster, but ended the 2023 season early with an injury.
Heading into the season, the experience and talent on the Tigers’ roster had them sitting at No. 3 in the pre-season poll. Ohio State traveled to Baton Rouge ranked No. 14.
The Tigers started the meet on vault, where they finished with 49.375 points. Bryant was the high-scorer with a 9.950 as the anchor.
Also in the Tigers’ vault lineup was true freshman Amari Drayton, a member of the 2021 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Drayton scored a 9.925, finishing second on the leaderboard, behind Bryant.
The Tigers led 49.375 to Ohio State’s 49.125 after the first rotation.
LSU remained in the lead after its transition to the uneven bars. as they transitioned to the uneven bars. It scored another 49.375. The Buckeyes finished with a 49.300 on vault.
Johnson was first on the leaderboard with a 9.925 on bars.
The Tigers held a .325 lead over Ohio State after the second rotation.
However, when the Tigers stepped onto the balance beam, their weaknesses began to show.
Alexis Jeffrey started strong with a 9.775, but the momentum was quickly halted when Sierra Ballard obtained the first fall of the meet. Freshman Konnor McClain followed Ballard and though she attempted to pick up the energy, a fall of her own led to a score of 8.950.
The Tigers ended with a 48.700 on beam, compared to Ohio State’s 49.300 on floor. The Buckeyes took their first lead of the meet with 147.725. LSU trailed by .275 points.
The Buckeyes’ lead was short-lived, however, once Ohio State moved to its next event.
Ohio State’s Emma Pritchard and Alexis Hankins gave the Buckeyes solid scores on the beam, scoring 9.800 and 9.750 respectively. Its third routine, however, fell short. Jojo Warga took a hard fall and was unable to finish the routine.
Warga’s performance landed the Buckeyes a 7.800 on the scoreboard.
The Tigers ended victorious with a 196.975-196.775 win over the Buckeyes. Bryant was named the highest all-around scorer of the meet.
In their first meet of the season, the Tigers showed resilience and promise, acknowledging that a National Championship run is within their reach, but only if they are willing to work for it.
