It didn’t take long for LSU sophomore all-arounder Kennedi Edney to start making her mark on the gymnastics program. When the Tigers faced Georgia for their season opener in the PMAC last season, Edney was the only freshman competing in the vault rotation.
Despite the challenges of competing in a collegiate gymnastics meet for the first time, Edney delivered and won her first collegiate vault title with a score of a 9.95.
Edney continued to carry over her success on vault for the rest of the season, scoring 9.80s or higher in the event in every meet that season. She also started to make an impact for her team in the all-around, as she clinched the title in her first time competing in four events.
But under the bright lights of the NCAA Semifinals, Edney shined even brighter on vault, and she became the first freshman in school history to win a National Championship in the event.
For Edney, the levels of success that she had in the first part of her career did not come as a surprise to her.
“I was just trying to go in there and just compete how I’ve always been competing my whole life,” Edney said.
Now in her sophomore season, Edney continues to establish herself as one of the nation’s top all-arounders.
Edney is still one of the most consistent vault performers in the country and has scored 9.90s or higher in four of her last five meets. On floor, Edney set career highs in the event twice with scores of 9.975.
But there was a little bit of added pressure for Edney as she thought that she had to carry the entire team on her back. The stress that she carried from that negatively affected the way that she did her gymnastics.
Edney also fought through minor injuries for the beginning of the season, and she was limited to compete on bars for the season opener against Arkansas after injuring her ankle.
But as Edney started to regain her strength as an all-arounder, she also started building up her confidence, and that confidence showed even more in her routines.
Edney was able to stick her landings on her double Arabian passes on floor, and those sticks resulted in her career high scores.
“Ever since then, it’s been smooth sailing,” Edney said. “I’ve just gotten that stress relieved from me and just gone out there and done the gymnastics that my teammates know that I can do.”
Edney finds her inspiration to get better in the gym from senior all-arounder Myia Hambrick and junior all-arounder Sarah Finnegan. She models her leadership style after them and keeps up with their fast pace in practice.
“They’re great people and they push me to be better,” Edney said. “They help us come together and be a team.”
“She’s really energetic and just a great competitor,” Hambrick said. “She does her gymnastics every single time, and that’s something that I can look up to. Sometimes I have trouble letting myself do my gymnastics all the time, and that’s something that she never has trouble with.”
LSU coach D-D Breaux doesn’t see a comparison level in confidence between Edney’s first and second years with the team, but defines more experience as the stark difference between those two years.
“She’s done a great job,” Breaux said. “She’s consistent and very focused, and we’re very pleased with what she’s given us.”
If there are two lessons that Edney has learned during the first half of competing in collegiate gymnastics, it’s to work hard and not slack off.
“If I do something wrong, I try to focus on what I did and make it better,” Edney said. “I’m just alert on what I do and how I do it.”