It was all about the underclassmen as the ninth-ranked LSU gymnastics team opened its season by claiming first place at the Bahamas Breeze Invitational against Maryland, Towson and Illinois Jan. 10, in Nassau, Bahamas.
“The team did a fabulous job,” said LSU head coach D-D Breaux. “I had some questions and reservations about this team, but they were answered [at the competition].”
The Tigers took the victory with outstanding performances by relative newcomers.
Sophomore Jade Jenkins, who primarily competed on the beam and floor exercise last season, shined in her first all-around performance, notching first place with a 39.175.
The all-around is the combination of an individual’s scores in each of the four events: vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise. In collegiate gymnastics, not every athlete competes on all four of the apparatuses.
Jenkins and freshman April Burkholder competed in all four events for the Tigers. Burkholder took third place in the all-around competition with a score of 38.700.
“April is awesome,” said LSU assistant coach Bob Moore. “Her presence added so much [to the competition].”
In the individual events, Jenkins took first on the vault with a 9.875, while freshman Terin Martinjak grabbed third place with a 9.825.
Helping the Tigers sweep the top three spots on the bars and beam were junior Lindsey Beddow, who took the bars title with a score of 9.825, followed by freshmen Kelly Lea, 9.775, and Rikki L’Heureux, 9.750.
Burkholder took first on beam with a 9.825, while Martinjak took second with a 9.800 and Jenkins took third with a 9.775.
On the floor exercise, Jenkins came out second after earning a 9.850.
“We made some mistakes, but they were rookie mistakes, and I expected some of that in the first meet,” said Breaux.
In the team competition, 25th-ranked Maryland finished second behind the Tigers, followed by Towson and Illinois. According to Moore, senior team captain Brooke Cazeaux did not compete in the first meet so the coaches could get a look at the underclassmen. She is expected to return to the uneven bar lineup. However, she most likely will not return to the floor exercise because of arthritis in her ankles. Last season, Cazeaux scored a near flawless 9.925 on the floor.
Cazeaux said it has been tough at times being the only senior.
“At the beginning, I put a lot of pressure on myself,” said Cazeaux, who feels there are some advantages to a young team. “Competing is a lot different. There’s no stress. It’s a lot of fun, and [the freshmen] adjusted so well.”
Junior All-American Kristin Uransky also did not compete in the season opener. She is still rehabilitating from a shoulder surgery she underwent in early fall and is expected to return to the lineup during this season.