Gymnastics head coach D-D Breaux has done a great job encouraging the team, leading them to be No. 1 in the SEC division and No. 3 nationally.

Coach D-D is not the only one encouraging the team from the sidelines.

LSU All-American Gymnast Mckenna Kelley ruptured her achilles prior to this gymnastics season and underwent surgery back in November.

“You take it day by day,” Kelley said. “These are things athletes face all the time, and I know a lot of gymnasts who have come back from this injury even stronger. So I am really looking forward to that.”

Since having time off from competing, Kelley can be spotted cheering and encouraging her teammates from the sidelines.

“I’ve been able to be in a different perspective,” Kelley said. “I can observe my team in a different way. I’ve been able to contribute emotionally and even take on a coaching role. It’s really cool to step back and see where I belong in this.”

Kelley will not be competing this gymnastics season. She looks forward to her full recovery in order to return next year.

“I am really looking forward to competing for my team, for this university and this crowd,” Kelley said. “This is why we do what we do, and this is why we do so well. It is because of what this school does for us.”

Kelley has learned a lot about herself after undergoing a season-ending injury. Because of her older sister, Kelley has decided to start making Vlogs on Youtube.

“I want to show people that athletes are more than just athletes,” Kelley said. “We are gymnasts and people too. In my situation too, my mom being who she is, a lot of the time I’m identified as my mom’s daughter or a gymnast. I want them to see the other side of things.”
The gymnastics team will travel to Columbia, Missouri for their next meet this friday at 7:30 p.m.
Kelley will return next season to compete with her teammates.