In front of the third-largest crowd in program history, the second-ranked LSU gymnastics team defeated No. 6 Kentucky 197.225-196.700.
Senior all-arounder Myia Hambrick* continues to be the top floor specialist in the nation as she scored her second-straight 9.975. Hambrick also set a new career high in the all-around with a score of 39.700.
Prior to her career high, Hambrick had three-straight all-around scores of 39.550.
“I don’t really know how I do it,” Hambrick said. “Competing in the PMAC gives you an extra boost that you can’t even explain to people. Every time I step on the floor and I see all of the fans and they’re so excited to be there, it gives me that extra boost.”
Hambrick sees the Kentucky win as a team win more than anything.
“The team’s energy tonight was really great,” she said. “I’m very proud of how regardless of a score or how our team went, everyone was backing you the whole time. I think that’s something we improved upon.”
Junior all-arounder Lexie Priessman returned to the floor lineup for the first time since February 2017 and scored a 9.875.
Knee injuries have kept Priessman from regularly competing on floor in her career. She has only competed on floor four times as a sophomore for an average of 9.685.
Priessman had scopes in her knee in the early part of the fall and around Christmas. While she took a good bit of time getting back into the floor lineup, all of the patience and extra work to get back in the lineup came up big in the end.
“It was so fun,” Priessman said of her return. “I went out there and I just did what I was capable of doing, and this whole week the whole team and coaches have been pushing me. So it was just the time of my life tonight.”
LSU coach D-D Breaux stressed the importance of the training staff working on soft landings and preparing gymnasts the right way.
“I think the entire team knows how much she wanted to be in that lineup,” Breaux said. “It’s a hard lineup to get into. It takes a lot of training and a lot of pounding in the gym, and we have not let her do a whole lot of that.”
Junior all-arounder Sarah Finnegan tied her season high with a 9.975 on bars. She added a 9.85 on vault, a 9.90 on beam and a 9.850 on floor for an all-around score of 39.575.
Freshman bars specialist Sami Durante also tied her career high with a 9.90 in the rotation.
“She hits her handstands and it was just a superlative performance,” Breaux said. “That’s a freshman whose performance is getting better and better each week, so I’m very, very proud.”
LSU’s next meet will be on the road against No. 23 Missouri next Friday at 7:30 p.m.
*Editor’s Note: Myia Hambrick is a former employee of The Daily Reveille
