When Sarie Morrison prepares to vault or leap onto the uneven bars, her focus is as tight as the screws in her left foot.
After six surgeries, the latest of which required screws to be placed in Morrison’s ankle, the LSU junior all-arounder finds herself competing with some of the top talent in the nation. Morrison recently earned the first perfect 10 of her career on vault, and she stands as the sixth-best bars performer in the nation with a 9.890 regional qualifying score.
But Morrison will not have the chance to show off her dominance on vault in road meets this season, as LSU coach D-D Breaux has decided to allow Morrison to compete on vault only during home meets and the postseason.
“We want [Morrison] at 100 percent for postseason,” Breaux said. “Her history has shown that her ankles cannot take the rigors of hard landings every single meet. … We just decided that we would rest her as much and as often as we could and focus on keeping her healthy and keeping her fit.”
Despite Breaux’s reluctance to allow her to vault, Morrison anchors an LSU squad ranked second in the nation on vault with a 49.390 regional qualifying score. Morrison has also won 10 individual titles this season, seven on bars and three on vault.
Morrison received the Southeastern Conference Specialist of the Week Award for her efforts against Arkansas two weeks ago, where she recorded her perfect 10 on vault and dominated uneven bars with a 9.90.
Morrison’s success on vault comes half a year after doctors advised her to give up the event and stick to bars.
“It was a hard decision, and I knew that I wanted to do vault again,” Morrison said. “If my body wasn’t able to hold up this year, obviously I wouldn’t have done it. But it’s holding up right now, so I’m really happy.”
Morrison said the choice to withhold her from vaulting on the road was a mutual one based on discussion between her and the coaching staff.
“They just want to be cautious because they want me in the lineup for the postseason,” Morrison said. “… I trust them, and it is a good idea to take me out for the away meets because we have a lot of depth on vault this year. There are a lot of people who can fill in that are still really good.”
Breaux said Morrison usually practices vault only one day a week, but retains her muscle memory through vaulting and landing drills. Breaux referred to vault as the event most demanding on Morrison, saying nearly every part of the vaulting process holds the potential for re-injury.
“That’s the hard landing,” Breaux said. “The sprint, the board and the landing – all three of those are things that really tax [Morrison’s] ankles.”
Morrison still competes on uneven bars every week, helping elevate LSU to a No. 8 national ranking in the event. Morrison said she still favors her right foot when she lands, but she agreed with Breaux that vault presented a greater chance for injury.
The toughness Morrison exhibits in her constant battle with injuries can be best summed up by her performance at last year’s NCAA championships. She earned a Second Team All-American honor on uneven bars with a 9.875, all while competing on a broken foot that would soon be held together by a mass of metal.
“At nationals, I remember dying in pain and thinking I needed to do this because it might be the last time I ever get to vault again,” Morrison said. “If my foot’s broken or not, I’m going to do this and get it done.”
