The LSU gymnastics team made quick work of NC State Saturday night in the PMAC.The Tigers (12-2, 4-2) jumped out to .325 advantage after the first rotation and never looked back, cruising to a 197.150-195.725 victory against the Wolfpack (11-10, 4-2).In the first rotation of the night, senior Ashleigh Clare-Kearney highlighted her final home meet by posting a perfect 10 on the vault.The perfect score was the first for any Tiger on any apparatus this season and the fifth of Clare-Kearney’s career.”The 10 was definitely exciting,” Clare-Kearney said. “I’ve been waiting to stick my vault all year, trying and practicing and wondering when it was going to happen. So it was really a good feeling.”The Tigers as a team scored one point higher than they did last week against Arkansas. Last week the Tigers finished with a team score of 196.150. Saturday they scored a 197.150, marking just the second time this season LSU has scored above 197.”We didn’t have to count any falls,” said LSU gymnastics coach D-D Breaux.Junior Susan Jackson won the all-around title by posting a career high 39.700.Jackson also posted season highs on the uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise, scoring 9.925, 9.950, 9.925 respectively. Jackson finished the meet with four individual titles: the all around, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise.”[She] was rock solid tonight,” Breaux said of Jackson. “That was a national level performance. That will compete with anyone in the country.” Jackson still wasn’t completely satisfied with her score.”I felt good,” Jackson said. “I made some mistakes so it wasn’t really perfect. But I was happy with the end result, and I know that I can still do better.”Junior Summer Hubbard posted a season high 9.900 on the uneven bars.The meet marked the second annual Etta James memorial meet, aimed to raise breast cancer awareness through former LSU linebacker and current Dallas Cowboy Bradie James’ Foundation 56.The LSU Athletic Department said the goal for the meet was to sell 8,000 tickets and raise $50,000 for Foundation 56.The attendance for the meet was 6,170, falling short of the goal, but it was the second largest home attendance in school history.The Tigers helped raise $50,171, surpassing the expectations of all, including James.”Everybody give yourself a round of applause,” James said while speaking to the crowd following the meet. “I never thought we could raise this much money in just the second year.” The Tigers’ next meet will close out the regular season next Friday when they travel to Centenary.——Contact Rob Landry at [email protected]
Gymnastics: Tigers wow record crowd on senior night
March 8, 2009