A confident LSU gymnastics team strode out onto the PMAC floor on Friday when No. 14 LSU topped No. 8 Denver 196.625-193.750 in the first home meet of the season.
“The amount of work we did this week paid off,” said LSU head coach D-D Breaux. “It gave the kids confidence.”
The Tigers began with a solid vault rotation and moved on to bars where freshman all-arounder April Burkholder fell on a release move from the high bar to the low bar.
After Burkholder’s performance, Breaux had to decide whether to stick with her plan of putting in newcomer Katherine Hilton or to go with another more experienced gymnast.
She chose to stay with her original lineup and Hilton stepped up to the bars in her first ever collegiate competition and completed a near flawless routine that earned her a 9.925.
“I was thinking I had to do what I practiced and let God take care of the rest,” Hilton said.
Hilton’s performance stunned her head coach.
“Katherine’s performance blew me away,” Breaux said. “She didn’t have any experience.”
According to Breaux, Hilton was a student at LSU last year but did not make the team.
“Last year she came in [on her own] and trained at night,” Breaux said.
This year Hilton made the team but had not been placed in the lineup yet this season.
“It was absolutely incredible. I started crying when I finished,” Hilton said. “To prove I could do it was an awesome feeling.”
The victory was a team effort with the Tigers taking a number of individual titles.
Despite falls on the bars and the beam, Burkholder came away with a victory on the vault after scoring a 9.925.
She also tied for first on floor after performing a routine that earned her a 9.95.
Hilton, Lindsey Beddow, and Kelly Lea claimed victories for the Tigers on the bars. Hilton took first while Beddow finished second with a career high 9.90. Lea took third with a 9.875.
The beam was kind to the Tigers this week as the team came away without having to count a fall.
Denver, however, had no such luck as they were forced to count three falls.
On the beam, freshman Megan Durning took third with a 9.80 while sophomore team captain Lauren Companioni took first with a 9.825.
In the floor exercise, LSU delivered six solid routines. Sophomore Jade Jenkins took third place with a 9.90, while Burkholder took the victory.
Burkholder finished third in the all-around.
The Tigers stay home for their next competition against No. 7 Florida.
The meet is set for Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. in the PMAC. It will be televised by ESPN.