LSU Gymnastics went against Missouri, Oklahoma and Florida in a hard fought SEC Championship matchup. The Tigers brought just a little more, that pushed them forward in the competition and allowed them to end on top for the sixth time.
“We didn’t have to have that, what Jay called it, that home run moment,” All-Around Aleah Finnegan said.
“He gave us an analogy yesterday and it was ‘We just need base hits, we’re not looking for home runs’ and I honestly think that’s a great picture of how tonight went. We didn’t have a million home runs, but it was the base hits that got us where we wanted to be.”
Haleigh Bryants stunning vault routine is what landed the Tigers the SEC Trophy, even after having Florida in the lead after the third rotation.
“There’s always going to be butterflies, but I told myself I’ve been doing this vault since six, seven years old,” Bryant said. “So I kind of knew what to expect. I’ve been in this competition five years now, so I just wanted to go out there and do my normal gymnastics.”
Another star in all-around for the Tigers was freshman Kailin Chio. With a stunning routine in all four events, she made a name for herself very quickly. She didn’t let the noise get to her, even with it being her first ever SEC Championship, she still showcased her skills.
“I just really can’t put into words this team has worked so hard from the fall, we all came in today just with a strong mindset,” Chio said. “And we knew what we wanted to do and just showed that out tonight.”
One star that was not able to perform was All-Around, Livvy Dunne. Dunne is out with a broken kneecap, but she made it a point to cheer on her teammates from the sidelines. This isn’t her first time around the block, after last season’s National Championship win, but she was overjoyed for her team regardless.
“We treat every meet like it’s the most important and this one just feels a little bit better to get that ‘W’,” Dunne said. “This is pretty awesome right now.”
The Tigers will advance to the NCAA Tournament, which hasn’t been released for the schedule yet, but are in great shape to defend their crown.