A championship in 2024 has brought great young talent to Baton Rouge in 2025.
After competing against the Iowa State Cyclones two weeks ago and gathering in Oklahoma City for the annual Sprouts Market Collegiate Quad – where they placed second – last weekend, three out of the five freshmen on LSU’s gymnastics team have made their debut with the Tigers.
With instantly recognizable names on the team, like social media sensation and fifth-year senior Olivia Dunne and 2024 Paris Olympian senior Aleah Finnegan, the team has quite the reputation, especially after being named the 2024 NCAA national champions in gymnastics last spring.
So, what are the newcomers bringing to the team as freshmen?
As mentioned earlier, audiences have yet to see collegiate routines from two of LSU’s freshmen on the team, all-arounders Zoe Miller and Victoria Roberts.
Standing at 5’2 from Spring, Texas, Miller is a member of the World Champion Center and was a member of Team USA for the Olympics for three years before coming to LSU.
Competing in the 2023 Pan American Games and Winter Cup, Miller was named the uneven bars champion in both categories. However, she had to retire from elite gymnastics after suffering an injury to her shoulder in February 2024.
Having already committed to LSU for gymnastics, Miller received five anchors in her shoulder and began her recovery for the upcoming collegiate season. While she hasn’t been seen on the floor just yet, she has expressed her excitement to join the team this year on her Instagram by posting LSU media day photos.
Also, posting media day photos alongside her teammates is Roberts, who is a Louisiana native.
Roberts is from Belle Chase, Louisiana, but trained in Baton Rouge with Edge Gymnastics. Her skills have led her to qualify for the Junior Olympic Nationals and is four-time state champion.
In addition to those achievements, last year, she was named the floor champion during her level ten career at the Region Eight Championships.
These accomplishments give fans a sneak peek at what to expect from Roberts this season as she embarks on her journey with LSU gymnastics.
Audiences can direct their attention to the freshmen who have competed in the two events of this season. One is all-arounder Kailin Chio, a former member of the USA national gymnastics team.
As a member of Team USA, the Nevada native was named the 2021 American Classic champion on bars, vault, and all-around. Her skills on vault and bars continued to follow her as she participated in the 2023 Women’s Developmental Program National Championship, being named a champion in these rotations once more.
Known for receiving perfect vault scores in the past, Chio has proven her skills here at LSU, starting with her participation against Iowa State, where she received a 9.825 on vault.
In uneven bars for that same meet, Chio’s score tied with senior Aleah Finnegan, both girls scoring a 9.900.
Once again, Chio earned one of the highest scores on the balance beam that day, tying with Finnegan once more with a 9.925.
At the Collegiate Quad in Oklahoma City, she received the highest vault score for LSU, a 9.950, while also scoring one of the highest scores on the floor exercise, a 9.925. She trailed just behind sophomore all-around Amari Drayton, who scored a 9.950, and Finnegan, with a 9.975.
Another freshman who also participated on vault in the Collegiate Quad was all-around Kailya Lincoln, where she received a 9.825, the same score for the same rotation against Iowa State one week prior.
Serving as an alternate for the 2024 Paris Olympics, Lincoln’s talents have led her to join the Tigers this season, with her decorated career as a record of her achievements.
A four-year member of Team USA and five-time national champion on floor exercise, Lincoln’s training from WOGA Gymnastics has only helped her grow.
Also, as a member of the 2020 junior national team, Lincoln helped lead her team to gold. In 2023, she was a silver medalist in floor exercise with Team USA and became a Winter Cup floor exercise champion.
Her history as a gymnast and what she brought to LSU so far should have fans on the edge of their seats as they watch Lincoln take to the floor.
Finally, LSU received a commitment from freshman Lexi Zeiss in October 2022.
Since then, the Omaha, Nebraska, native has been a two-time member of the U.S. National Team and was named a 2022 World Champion.
She reached the elite gymnastics level a year prior, at the 2021 Winter Cup, where she was named the all-around champion.
In addition to earning several awards for dedication and character as an athlete during the 2022 Pan American Championships, Zeiss has already made her debut as an LSU Tiger, starting at the meet against Iowa State.
She received a 9.800 on uneven bars, and during the Sprouts Collegiate Quad, she participated in both vault and uneven bars.
On vault, she received a 9.850, and on bars a 9.825.
While there is room for Zeiss to grow this season, she will do it alongside her teammates, who Tiger fans hope will shape her and the other newcomers into the best versions they can be for LSU.
