During LSU’s trip to St. Charles, Missouri on Feb. 17, LSU coach D-D Breaux decided to make a special stop.
Breaux and the LSU gymnasts decided to visit the father of sophomore gymnast Sarah Finnegan, who has been battling pancreatitis since November of last year.
“It was D-D’s idea,” Finnegan said. “I talked to him before we left for the meet and I said, ‘Dad, are you sure you want the whole team?’ and he said, ‘Yeah, bring them all.’”
Finnegan’s father was able to attend the meet and watch her compete in the GymQuarters Mardi Gras Invitational.
The Missouri native posted a 9.825 on bars and 9.950 on beam in the meet.
“My dad told me after that it was totally worth it to see me compete, even though he was tired after,” Finnegan said.
Following LSU’s meet against Kentucky, Finnegan was also able to travel to Missouri to see her family.
“I actually went home to spend more time with my family,” Finnegan said. “Kentucky is about five hours from Missouri so my mom drove to watch, and I went home to Missouri after the meet.”
Finnegan said her dad’s condition is progressing and her mother regularly sends updates to LSU coaches.
Finnegan said she’s enjoyed the company of her father watching her compete in a sport that she was unsure about playing at first.
Originally, Finnegan was skeptical about becoming a collegiate gymnast, but now she is a key gymnast in LSU’s bar and beam line up.
Finnegan’s journey to LSU wasn’t as normal as most gymnasts’.
“I actually didn’t commit until my senior year of high school,” Finnegan said. “In the gymnastics recruiting process, normally you get recruited at a pretty young age like early high school. I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do.”
Finnegan was a member of the United States National Team for three years and competed in international competitions, also known as “assignments.”
“There are a lot of meets you have to qualify for to become an elite,” Finnegan said. “There are two aspects of elite: compulsory and optional. Once you are in elite, you have to qualify for the Secret Classic and once you compete there you then you have to qualify to the P&G Championships. From there, they decide the National Championship team.”
Finnegan described the elite level and collegiate level as vastly different though both have the same “drive” and “end goal.”
“You want to win in both, but in the college world, you are competing as a team,” Finnegan said. “In the elite world, it’s more individual goals.”
While competing with the US National Team, Finnegan became close friends with sophomore all-arounder Lexie Priessman, and the two were roommates in Italy at an international competition.
“We talk about this all the time,” Finnegan said. “She and I were actually first roommates in Italy in 2011. Now we’re roommates in college, and it’s so funny and cool.”
Finnegan is also roommates with junior all-around Myia Hambrick and sophomore all-arounder McKenna Kelley.
“McKenna cooks a lot,” Finnegan said. “She actually has her own cookbook.”
Finnegan is looking forward to another NCAA Semifinal and Super Six appearance, especially since it’s being held in her home state.
“It’s going to be really cool,” Finnegan said. “I know a lot of previous club teammates and friends and family are going to be there. I’ve actually competed in the arena where the NCAA championship will be held.”
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story misidentified Finnegan’s father’s illness as pancreatic cancer. The headline and story have since been corrected to identify the illness as pancreatitis. The Daily Reveille regrets this error.
Finnegan perseveres in gymnastic season as father battles pancreatitis
By Hannah McDuffie | @hannahmcduffie_
March 2, 2017
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