As the lone senior on a team comprised mainly of freshmen and sophomores, gymnast Kristi Esposito calls herself the “grandma of the LSU gymnastics team.”
LSU tried its best Friday to make grandma proud in her final gymnastics meet in the PMAC. The Tigers defeated Washington, 196.550-195.175.
“It was exciting,” Esposito said. “It was sad in the beginning knowing it will be the last time I march out with my team with all of the cheers, but it was really fun.”
LSU’s vault team, which is ranked No. 4 in the country, began the meet strong with a 49.450 team score to give the Tigers an early lead against the Huskies.
Junior Ashleigh Clare-Kearney won her ninth vault title of the season with a 9.975 score.
In total, five of LSU’s six vault performers placed in the top six in the event. The team was led by Clare-Kearney and sophomore Susan Jackson, who scored 9.925.
Clare-Kearney won her second event title of the meet with a 9.950 for her bar routine. Esposito and sophomore Summer Hubbard tied for third place in the event with scores of 9.850.
Clare-Kearney said she made it a point of emphasis to begin the meet well after her Feb. 29 performance against Michigan State when she had two perfect scores.
“It felt good to have a new career high on bars and a 9.975 on vault,” Clare-Kearney said. “I know I can’t be perfect every night. I have to take the good with the bad.”
LSU struggled on beam in the third rotation and scored its third-lowest team score of the season with a 48.400.
Clare-Kearney and freshman Samantha Engle fell off the beam and forced the Tigers to count a 9.350 score.
Esposito and Jackson shared the event title with 9.825 scores.
Despite the duo winning the event, LSU coach D-D Breaux said the Tigers must overcome their beam woes to finish the season as one of the Southeastern Conference’s top teams.
“You can’t compete in this conference and [perform on the] beam [the way] we did [Friday],” Breaux said. “We have got to find six people who have ice water in their veins and six people who can stay on the beam.”
The Tigers held out the team’s best beam performer, freshman Nicole Lyons, because of an ankle injury. For the season, the Mountainpop, Pa., native averages 9.854 on beam.
Breaux said Lyons’ injury is not serious, and she and junior beam-specialist Lauren Klein’s return will boost LSU’s lineup before the postseason.
The Tigers finished the meet strong on floor with a 49.450 score.
Jackson won the event with a 9.975 score, and Clare-Kearney and Engle each scored more than 9.990.
Breaux said she expected a minor drop off Friday following mid-term week and two separate meets the past weekend.
“Competing last Sunday made it challenging for how we were going to prepare [Friday],” Breaux said. “I felt like maybe we didn’t prepare quite enough.”
—-Contact Casey Gisclair at [email protected]
Gymnastics: Vault catapults LSU to win
March 9, 2008