Gymnastics is a unique sport – teams have no control over how well or poorly their opponents perform on a given night.
National rankings are not determined by win-loss records. They are determined by cumulative performances throughout the season.
That being said, during each meet, teams are competing more against the rest of the country than their given opponent that night.
Despite the laid-back, head-to-head atmosphere each meet presents, adrenaline will be riding high Saturday when No. 5 LSU travels to take on three-time defending national champion No. 2 Georgia in the Stegeman Coliseum.
The Tigers enter Saturday’s meet following a 195.900-195.300 win against No. 8 Arkansas.
Despite the season-high score, junior Ashleigh Clare-Kearney said LSU is looking forward to testing themselves against one of the nation’s premier teams.
“We can’t score 195 and win,” Clare-Kearney said. “That’s why we’re coming into the gym this week and working really hard. With the motivation and determination we have, we can beat them.”
Clare-Kearney was named the Southeastern Conference Gymnast of the Week this week following a third consecutive all-around title.
The Manchester, Conn., native had an all-around score of 39.550, winning the vault and floor competitions outright while sharing the uneven bars and beam titles.
With the performance, Clare-Kearney is tied with Florida’s Melanie Sinclair as the nation’s No. 1 all-around gymnast.
Sophomore Susan Jackson also performed well against the Razorbacks, posting LSU’s second highest score in three of the four events.
Sophomore Yvette Triay scored 9.800 on bars against Arkansas. The Metarie native said having already beaten a top-10 opponent will give LSU confidence against the Gym Dogs.
“[The win] was good for us because we were able to come out on top,” Triay said. “It gives us confidence going into Georgia knowing that we can compete against good teams and do well.”
The Gym Dogs come into the meet following three consecutive road meets against top-5 opponents, including a 196.850-196.825 win against No. 1 Florida in Gainesville, Fla., this past Friday.
Junior Courtney Kupets led the Gym Dogs with a 39.650 all-around score against the Gators.
The 2004 Olympic silver medalist and United States Gymnastics Hall of Fame inductee is one of several Georgia gymnasts who have national team experience.
The Gym Dogs’ nemesis this season has been on the beam, committing two falls in two of the team’s three meets.
Georgia coach Suzanne Yoculan said her team is ready to compete at home after the team’s three-week road trip.
“We are so excited to finally be at home in front of our home crowd,” Yoculan said. “We started the year with the toughest competition in the country, and we have taken a lot from those situations that will do nothing but help us as the season progresses.”
LSU gymnastics coach D-D Breaux said breaking away from the traditional Friday meet this weekend will allow the Tigers to be better prepared to take on their conference foe.
“We’ll try to work harder, but we’re also able to take more rest in that process,” Breaux said. “At this point, working hard is virtuous, but resting smart is wise. We’re going to try to be both virtuous and wise.”
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Contact Casey Gisclair at [email protected]