The No. 3 LSU gymnastics team found itself in fourth place Saturday night at the midway point of the Southeastern Conference Championships at Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Georgia.
LSU gymnastics coach D-D Breaux said her gymnasts “smelled blood in the water” in the third rotation when first-place Florida suffered two falls and a 9.600 on beam. LSU answered with a 49.550 on floor, jumping to second place.
But a strong second-half surge by LSU wasn’t enough. Alabama outlasted the pack, winning its second consecutive SEC title with a 197.525. LSU (19-2, 13-1 SEC) finished in second place with a 197.450. Florida, Auburn, Georgia, Arkansas, Missouri and Kentucky finished third through eighth, respectively.
She wanted to bring home the SEC team title, but Breaux was happy with the way her team rallied in the second half.
“We’re just taking the positives,” said senior all-arounder Lloimincia Hall. “We are going to take that we beat the winner on three events. [We are] excited about that, but on that one event, we are focusing on improving. We can only move forward.”
LSU started on bars, where it showed a significant improvement from the season-low 48.700 team score it posted during LSU’s victory against Centenary and New Hampshire on March 13. Three LSU gymnasts scored a 9.875 or better, and none scored lower than a 9.850 for a 49.375 on the event.
But Hall said LSU dug a hole in the second rotation on beam, where it counted just three scores of 9.800 or better. Florida took a commanding lead with a 99.200 at the midway mark, while LSU dropped to fourth place.
“We started on bars and only had two people stick dismounts. That’s what hurt us right there,” Breaux said. “Then we went to beam and carried that shakiness. We weren’t aggressive on beam, we weren’t attacking it. We lacked self-confidence.”
LSU went to floor in the third rotation, where it has the No. 1 regional qualifying score in the nation, and posted a 49.550. Florida scored a 48.625 on beam, and Alabama tallied a season-high 49.500 on vault, jumping to first place. The Crimson Tide held a .350 lead against second-placed LSU heading into the last rotation.
LSU stepped up to the challenge on vault, where senior all-arounder Jessie Jordan tallied a 9.900 and freshman all-arounder Myia Hambrick followed with a vault title-winning and career-high 9.950. Senior all-arounder Rheagan Courville won a share of the vault title with a 9.950, anchoring LSU’s 49.550 vault lineup.
But it wasn’t enough to claim the lead. Alabama scored a 49.275 on bars, finishing ahead of LSU by .075 to win the SEC Championships.
Although LSU didn’t come away with the SEC championship, Courville said LSU’s comeback performances on floor and vault proved it has the talent to be in the winners’ circle at the Super Six Championships on April 18.
“It was a big statement, how strong we finished,” Courville said. “We obviously had some things we would like to change about our beam, but at the end of the day, there’s not much disappointment we can take away from this.
“We have a lot to look forward to at the end of the season,” she said. “We still have a national title we can take home.”
You can reach Jacob Hamilton on Twitter @jhamilton_TDR.