The LSU gymnastics team has already started putting the pieces together for the 2012 season.
The Tigers received a national letter of intent Wednesday from Rheagan Courville, a senior at University High School, who is ranked in the top 10 nationally among gymnasts her age. She is a balance beam specialist who also plans to compete in the all-around. Courville chose the Tigers over nearly the entire Southeastern Conference, including Alabama, Auburn, Florida and Georgia.
“My family has been Tiger fans ever since I can remember, and I couldn’t see choosing any other team,” Courville said.
But the gymnastics team was not the only LSU squad to pick up some new players Wednesday.
The women’s basketball team took great strides in brightening the future of its program as well, signing 6-foot-4-inch Krystal Forthan, the fifth-best recruiting prospect in the nation according to ESPN HoopGurlz.com. Forthan is a native of Portland, Ore., and will play forward for the Tigers.
“Anytime you sign a player the caliber of Krystal Forthan, you have to be excited,” LSU women’s basketball coach Van Chancellor said in a news release. “She has great size and can play inside or outside. She has the kind of athleticism that you need at this level and in the Southeastern Conference. She will be a difference maker for our team.”
The softball team signed five new players to its roster Wednesday.Rikki Alcaraz, Ayanna “AJ” Andrews, Kailey McCasland, Dylan Supak and Tammy Vermeulen agreed to spend their collegiate careers at LSU.
Alcaraz is a left-handed hitter who was the first freshman ever to start for her high school team. She was the Marist High School Offensive Player of the Year and was also honored with All-Conference and All-State mentions in Illinois.
Andrews was also All-State and was named the Suncoast League Most Valuable Player in Florida.
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Contact Rob Landry at [email protected]