The No. 4 LSU gymnastics team will be fighting for more than a victory against No. 5 Alabama when the teams compete in the sixth annual Etta James Memorial Meet tonight in the PMAC.
The Tigers (9-3, 5-2 Southeastern Conference), in conjunction with former LSU linebacker Bradie James’ Foundation 56, are using the annual Pink Meet as an opportunity to fundraise and increase breast cancer awareness.
James, who plays for the Houston Texans, established Foundation 56 in 2007, six years after breast cancer took the life of his mother. The foundation raises money to provide resources and assistance to breast cancer patients and survivors.
“We all have causes that are near and dear to us,” James said. “… It takes a little work, but that’s what it’s about. You want to give back as much as you can. This is not only a way to give back to [LSU] and be an ambassador and representative of the school, but to help people.”
The LSU gymnastics team hosted a Pink Meet a few years prior to partnering with Foundation 56, but coach D-D Breaux said those meets were monetarily ineffective and only fostered awareness. She approached James about joining forces to raise money for the cause, which James said surprised him.
Though tonight’s spotlight will be on philanthropy, Senior Night and Alumni Night, the Tigers are still tasked with defeating the two-time defending national champion Crimson Tide (5-2-1, 4-2-1 SEC). LSU did not fare well against Alabama when the two first squared off Jan. 18, as the Tigers recorded their lowest team score of the season in a 196.575 – 195.525 loss.
The main inconsistency for LSU is on balance beam, where the Tigers have faltered as of late. LSU ranks 18th in the nation on beam compared with its No. 1 ranking on floor, No. 2 position on vault and No. 6 ranking on uneven bars.
A poor performance on beam cost the Tigers a victory at Auburn two weeks ago, as LSU let a 0.350 lead slip away on the final rotation. Sophomore all-arounder Rheagan Courville, whose all-around 39.480 regional qualifying score places her at No. 4 in the country, said the team has been working to rid itself of nerves in meet situations.
“Obviously [beam] is a nerve-wracking event, and it’s probably always going to be,” Courville said. “But we just have to learn to control it. … We have a great anchor and a great start, and all the people in between have been doing their job most of the time. It just needs to come together.”
The Tigers may need that solid beam performance to come together against Alabama, as LSU tallied a 48.650 – its lowest beam score of the season – in its previous loss to the Tide.
Junior all-arounder Sarie Morrison, whose persistent ankle injuries have been a cause for concern for Breaux, was held out of the vault competition in LSU’s 197.050 – 196.825 victory against No. 7 Georgia last week.
“Our vaulting team this year has the most depth that we’ve ever had since I’ve been on the team,” Morrison said. “I’m very confident in every person, and I know they’re all going to hit [their routines], and potentially most of them are going to stick their landings.”
The rationale behind keeping Morrison from vaulting was to preserve her ankles for the Alabama meet, and Breaux said she expects Morrison to be in the vault lineup on Friday night.
Courville dismissed the idea that the Tigers had peaked early and said her team is in a perfect position to improve.
“We’re in a great place, and I think we’ve really progressed through the season,” Courville said. “It’s just kind of our time to break out, and this can really be an opportunity for us to just have a great meet and beat them. They are beatable, and it would be great to beat the two-time defending
national champions.”
