SEC gymnastics stock watch: No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 2 LSU prepare for battle

By Ethan Stenger, Sports Editor

February 11, 2025

The LSU gymnastics floor team huddles up Saturday, April 20, 2024, during the NCAA Gymnastics Championship in the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Tx.

After a 342-day hiatus, SEC Gymnastics Stock Watch returns, and it returns at a perfect time.

Oklahoma and LSU, the nation’s No. 1 and 2 ranked teams will meet in a heavyweight SEC fight on Friday night at the PMAC.

So before the top two squads duke it out, let’s look around and see who’s rising and falling through six weeks of SEC gymnastics:

Rising

LSU proves it can win on the road

Before facing the top-ranked Sooners, the No. 3 Tigers first had to face No. 14 Alabama on the road, where LSU has had its fair share of struggles this season, losing in Fayetteville to No. 17 Arkansas just two weeks ago.

“We’ve been great at home,” Tigers head coach Jay Clark said. “We haven’t been great on the road.”

Clark’s crew got a second chance on the road last Friday against the Crimson Tide, and this time, they delivered.

LSU took home three of the four events at the meet: Kailin Chio was on vault with a 9.975 and again on beam with a 9.925, while Ashley Cowan and Konner McClain finished with a 9.900 on bars.

Chio claimed her second straight all-around title by scoring 39.650 of the Tigers’ points as LSU cruised past Alabama, 197.300-197.075. Over the past two weeks, Chio’s efforts have recently helped her land back-to-back SEC Freshman of the Week awards.

“It was a gutsy win. I’m proud of the effort and fight,” Clark said. “It wasn’t pretty in every spot, but they got it done. We have a great group of kids, and they fought their way through a crazy environment here tonight. We are certainly pleased we got the win; that’s big and helps us down the road.”

LSU is climbing in this week’s stock watch by showing their ability to perform in a harsh environment on the road.

Oklahoma rolls over Kentucky

After an early exit from last year’s semifinals, the Sooners have re-established themselves as the clear favorite to win it all in 2025.

Through Week 6, Oklahoma remains undefeated with the highest average in the country at 197.746 and a high score of 197.950, which they recorded at the Sprouts Farmer’s Market Collegiate Quad in Oklahoma City.

While they wouldn’t post a new high score on Friday against No. 8 Kentucky, they would continue their undefeated streak.

Faith Torrez’s 9.975 on vault and 9.950 on floor won her the all-around title with a 39.625, while Audrey Davis won the bars title with a 9.950.

The talent across the Sooners’ roster was just too much for the Wildcats to handle, propelling Oklahoma past Kentucky, 197.825-197.225.

The Sooners will look to remain unbeaten when they travel to Baton Rouge on Friday for a historic rematch with the Bayou Bengals, who they previously faced along with No. 4 Utah and No. 6 California at the Sprouts Farmer’s Collegiate Quad.

Falling

Florida flounders on beam

With a three-meet winning streak on the line, No. 2 Florida went into Fayetteville and won three of the four events at the meet, but it still wasn’t enough to get past No. 15 Arkansas on Friday.

The Gators led by .65 heading into the final rotation of the night, but it just wasn’t their night.

Florida finished with a season-low 48.175 on balance beam while the Razorbacks registered new season-bests on vault and bars as Arkansas upset the Gators.

Arkansas may not be ranked No. 15 for very much longer. The Razorbacks have now upset the No. 2 ranked team in the nation in back-to-back home meets, including twice in the past three weeks.

Until Florida, now ranked No. 3, can prove they can win inter-conference meets on the road, the SEC will remain unforgiving.

ESPN

Friday night’s highly-anticipated meet between No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 2 LSU is a huge opportunity for college gymnastics. A duel between the sport’s two best teams is always a spectacle, and this one will be no different.

“I hope we can pack 20,000 people in the building somehow,” Clark said. “It’s fantastic for college gymnastics.”

While the matchup itself is fantastic for college gymnastics, ESPN’s handling of the matchup has not been.

Since the start of last season, ESPN has had the final say in determining what time televised college gymnastics meets would start as part of their partnership with the NCAA to help the sport grow.

The problem? ESPN scheduled the meet to start at 8 p.m. locally, with the live telecast airing on ESPN2 instead of the main network or even ABC.

“I wish it wasn’t the 9 p.m. East Coast meet,” Clark said. “I prefer to have it a little more in prime time than that.”

The late start time and ESPN2 broadcast regulate NCAA gymnastics’ most meaningful moment to a late start time and secondary channel.

That doesn’t seem very helpful to college gymnastics at all, ESPN.

Either way, the building is destined to be packed to watch Oklahoma and LSU take the floor together.

“We certainly love it for our fans,” Clark said. “I love the fact that they’re going to get to come here Friday night and see, what is right now, the two best teams in the country.”

About the Contributor

Ethan Stenger, Sports Editor

Why did you join the Reveille? I worked at my student newspaper during my junior and senior years of high school, so it felt like a no-brainer. It was a smooth transition. What positions have you held at the Reveille? I was a sports reporter during my freshman year, covering soccer in the fall and the national champion gymnastics team in the spring. What's your favorite thing about working at the Reveille? The experiences that the Reveille has offered me have honestly changed my life. When I got to cover the SEC and national championships for gymnastics and Alabama-LSU on a Saturday night in Death Valley, there were moments when I just took a step back and thought, “Wow, Ethan, you can do this. This dream isn’t so far-fetched.” What's your favorite story that you've worked on so far? Last March, my mom walked into the living room while I watched a men’s college basketball game and said, “Wait, why do they play two halves instead of four quarters?” My dad had asked the same question days earlier, so I finally answered it. If you ask Google, my article is one of the first things that comes up. It’s pretty remarkable to think that people will be coming back to read my words for years to come. What do you hope to do after graduation? Inspire curiosity, spread compassion and change the world with art.