The No. 3 LSU gymnastics team seems to have things going its way in the preliminary stages of this season.
The Tigers (3-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) recently collected their first road win of the season by putting together another solid performance to defeat Kentucky and Arizona State.
Senior Jessie Jordan gathered her all-around second consecutive title, but she didn’t earn the win for the Tigers by herself. She had help from many, but Jordan praised the contribution of freshmen all-arounders Myia Hambrick and Erin Macadaeg.
“Erin and Myia have done an incredible job of coming in and working hard to improve,” Jordan said. “All of them are great additions to the team. They are all going to help push this team to the national championship.”
Macadaeg ended her club career by earning a spot on the Junior Olympics National Team and capturing beam and floor titles at the 2014 Level 10 Junior Olympics National Championships. Hambrick finished in the 2014 JONC as the national runner-up on beam. She also earned the floor title and second place on beam at the Junior Olympic Nationals in 2013.
“[The freshmen] are very competitive. They have a tremendous amount of desire,” said LSU coach D-D Breaux. “They want to get in the lineup and want to compete. Sometimes you get freshmen that kind of stand back and are a little bit afraid to get out there and are knocking at the door, but these kids are kicking the door. They want to get out there.”
Both Hambrick and Macadaeg turned in strong performances on vault and beam in the Tigers’ most recent meet against Kentucky and Arizona State.
Hambrick tied for first place on vault with score of 9.85 and added a score of 9.725 on beam. Macadaeg finished the day with a third-place finish on beam with a 9.85.
Having reliable freshmen in the lineup gives the Tigers an edge.
“We have a lot of depth on every event,” Jordan said. “That’s why six people go up, and the pressure isn’t as high as it would be if we are competing as an individual because one score can drop. We really practice on being able to count on our teammates and trust them with their routines, and that’s why we run inter-squads in here to practice that.”
Though the freshmen have only two meets under their belts, they are adjusting quickly to the pressure of college gymnastics.
“Myia and I bring something new to the team, even though we are not as experienced as everyone else,” Macadaeg said. “We are always learning and adapting to everything.”
You can reach Christian Boutwell on Twitter @CBoutwell_TDR.