LSU gymnastics opened up its season as the runner-up in the annual Sprouts Collegiate Quad against No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 4 UCLA and No. 5 Utah.
Named as the No. 2 team in the preseason rankings, the Tigers tied Oklahoma for first at the end of the fourth rotation, but an exciting tiebreaker gave the defending national champions the win.
Even then, the outstanding performance gave the Baton Rouge team a 0.500-point lead over UCLA and nearly a two-point lead over Utah. On top of that was an all-around win by sophomore Kailin Chio with a total score of 39.600.
Starting off rotation one on the floor exercise, senior transfer Emily Innes took the lead in the Tiger lineup and earned a 9.875. Freshman Nina Ballou followed, posting a strong score of 9.825.
A 9.775 from Denver transfer Madison Ulrich and a fall on a double-back pass by Amari Drayton only gave a low score of 9.025 to LSU’s total, placing them behind UCLA and Oklahoma.
Chio was next on the floor for the Tigers, seeming to pick up right where she left off from the previous season. She put up a score of 9.900 before anchor Kaliya Lincoln rounded out the rotation for LSU with a score of 9.850.
Headed to vault for rotation two with a composite score of 49.225, the Tigers were ahead of the Utes by 1.450 points, who suffered three falls on beam.
Taking the leadoff spot on vault for the Tigers was sophomore Lexi Zeiss, competing a one-and-a-half Yurchenko full for a starting event score of 9.850. Behind her was Ulrich, and a stuck landing made way for a score of 9.900.
Strong landings by Victoria Roberts and Courtney Blackson added scores of 9.850 and 9.825, but a second fall by Drayton earned another low score of 9.250 before Chio stepped up to the runway to close out the event.
Also competing a Yurchenko one and a half, the reigning NCAA vault champion posted a final score of 9.900, giving LSU an event total of 49.325 and moving them up to second place, just 0.225 points behind Oklahoma.
Taking on uneven bars for the third rotation, Zeiss led off once again for the Tigers. A slight step on the landing was forgiven as she started off the event with a strong 9.875.
Making her meet debut was senior Ashley Cowan, a senior who has been historically strong on the bars for the Tigers. A near stick earned her a score of 9.900, followed by another 9.900 from Ulrich.
At the same time, the Bruins seemed to excel on the floor exercise, a staple for the team, while Utah started to find its footing with three phenomenal vaults to open the rotation.
Taking the final three spots of the Baton Rouge bar lineup were Chio, Blackson and junior Konnor McClain.
An excellent release move by Chio helped earn a 9.850, followed by a 9.950 from Blackson with a perfect stick.
McClain, the 2025 WCGA uneven bars All-American, showed out for the Tigers with a final bars performance of 9.925 just as Utah earned the first and only perfect 10 of the night following Avery Neff’s outstanding vault.
As the Tigers moved into their final rotation, they narrowed the Sooners’ lead to 0.175 and prepared to take on the balance beam, an event that historically hasn’t been the strongest for LSU.
Junior Kylie Coen began with a solid performance, earning a 9.900 for the Tigers and giving them a one-point advantage over the Sooners.
Zeiss was next with a 9.850 due to a possible missed connection during the routine. Lincoln and Ulrich filled in the middle of LSU’s beam lineup, adding a pair of 9.825s to the team’s total.
Needing outstanding routines to secure the lead, the Tigers looked towards Chio and McClain to close out the last rotation.
Leaning into the pressure was a beautiful routine by Chio, who earned 9.950 after a stuck landing, taking the individual all-around lead from Olympian Jordan Chiles.
As LSU watched McClain take the last performance, a technically flawed routine earned a harsh score of 9.650, putting the Tigers’ event total at 49.350 and a meet total of 197.500 to tie the Sooners.
To find a winner, scores were recalculated by adding dropped routines back to the total, squeaking out an Oklahoma win by 1.425 points.
Despite the disappointment for the Tigers, the close finish sets high expectations for the start of the season and gives LSU high hopes for its next meet against the Georgia Bulldogs on Friday, Jan. 16, in Athens.
