After conquering the first away meet of the season by defeating the Georgia Gymdogs, this young Tiger team was back in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center to beat SEC West foe Auburn 196.575 to 196.275 in front of a home crowd of 11,227.
It was a special night in the PMAC as the Tigers helped raise awareness for Men and Women’s cancer, with each girl sporting a pink leotard and taking the time to honor someone they know who had been affected by cancer.
The Tigers led off on vault with big scores from junior Sarah Edwards, who tied her career high by earning a 9.950, along with claiming her first vault title. Senior Kennedi Edney and freshman Kiya Johnson aided in the Tigers success on vault by both scoring a 9.925.
The Tigers earned their top performance on the bar exercise of the season earning a 49.275. Edney continued to steal the show as she earned a 9.900. Edney received help from fellow senior Ruby Harrold who earned a 9.875.
The Tigers struggled to find its rhythm while on beam as they had two falls. Making up for the falls was once again, Edney and Johnson, both scoring a 9.900. Freshman Kai Rivers had a big night of helping her team out as she scored a 9.850 while on beam.
“It was just a lack of focus,” Breaux said. “We never see that in the gym. The kids didn’t know how to react. We’ll make some modifications in training while we’re waiting on Christina to be well enough to get back on beam.” Breaux said on the uncommon two falls on beam.
Closing out the meet on the floor exercise, everything seemed to come together for the Tigers as they clinched the victory with two more routines to go. Junior Reagan Campbell stuck her routine in the fourth spot earning a score of 9.900. Juniors Olivia Gunter and Sarah Edwards did the same as they scored a 9.850 and a 9.800. Flirting with perfection during her routine, Johnson anchored for the Tigers, earning a score of 9.975.
“It means so much to be put into those positions,” Johnson said, “to be trusted at the end.”
Freshman Kiya Johnson has now claimed her second all-around title for the Tigers in just three meets with a career high 39.600. Johnson also earned a new career high on the floor exercise scoring a 9.975.
“My teammates just kept coming up to me and saying, ‘You do you,’ ” Johnson said. “Focus and do what I do in the gym.” Johnson spoke on how helpful her teammates have been.
With this win, LSU moves on to 3-0 overall and 2-0 in the Southeastern Conference. The Tigers will head to Gainesville, Florida on Friday to take on the Florida Gators at the O’Connell Center at 6:30 p.m. The meet will be televised on ESPN2.
