Haleigh Bryant has been cemented among the greats of collegiate gymnastics following her magical performance last night. The Tigers took on West Virginia at home in the Pete Maravich Center and recorded a well-deserved win on the night, but it was star Bryant who stole the show.
Three perfect 10’s covered the scoresheet with everyone in attendance in awe at the history that was made in Baton Rouge. Bryant recorded her 10’s in vault, bars and floor, and convincingly finished with the all-around title. It was just another Friday for Bryant though, as she maintained her focus for the bigger picture.
“I definitely haven’t achieved all my goals this season, I know this team wants to go so many more places. It’s an honor to have accomplished what I did tonight, but we’re still going and I wanna do everything for this team, so we’re not done yet,” she said.
Bryant’s spot in the rafters for LSU should now be solidified, with the performance on Friday placing her with the most perfect 10’s in LSU history. Bryant also has become the first gymnast in LSU history to record three in one meet. She is the fifth gymnast to do so in the entire NCAA history.
“It’s truly an honor,” Bryant said in response to her breaking the record. “I have wanted to come to LSU since I watched the first LSU gymnastics meet on T.V. and breaking the record out there and tying for so many amazing things with so many amazing people out there is just truly an honor, and I would not want to be anywhere else.”
The rest of the meet went well for the Tigers, who won 198.025-196.450 over the Mountaineers. LSU started their night off on vault, with Elena Arenas scoring a 9.875 and Alyona Shchennikova scoring a 9.850. Chase Brock scored a 9.750 and Aleah Finnegan scored a 9.800 before Bryant rounded out vault with her first perfect 10.
The Tigers moved to bars next, with Alexis Jeffery scoring a 9.775 and Aleah Finnegan scoring a 9.925. Both Tori Tatum and Ashley Cowan scored a 9.900. Bryant closed with her second perfect 10, giving LSU the lead midway through the meet.
Arenas led off on beam 9.850, followed by Shchennikova and Bryant, who both scored a 9.875. Jeffery scored a 9.900, Sierra Ballard scored a 9.825 and Finnegan finished with a 9.975 to secure her 14th title this year.
The Tigers closed their night and their win on floor, with Ballard starting strong scoring a 9.925. Arenas and Finnegan both followed with 9.925’s of their own, and Shchennikova scored a 9.975. Bryant closed the meet with a perfect 10, her third on the night and the 10th of her career.
Bryant’s outstanding performance earned her a career high 39.875 overall score, matching the highest in LSU history, as well as the all-around title, her ninth of the season. Head coach Jay Clark couldn’t give her enough praise for her performance after the meet, saying it’s one of the most complete performances he’s ever seen.
“She’s an all timer. You’re witnessing absolute greatness, and I’m just glad she’s on our team. A lot of our kids have stepped up, but I believe so many have felt they could step up in large part due to the steadying force that Haleigh is,” he said.
The win against West Virginia ends LSU’s regular season and brings their record to 8-5. The Tigers will head to the SEC Championships ranked No. 6 in the country.
