They’ve talked about it since last season’s finish, and now the time has arrived.
Saturday marks the beginning of postseason action for the No. 2 LSU gymnastics squad
(10-3, 5-2 Southeastern Conference). The Tigers will compete against Florida, Alabama and Georgia in Session Two of the SEC Championships in
Birmingham, Ala.
After three consecutive home meets against teams that finished the regular season outside the top 25, LSU will square off against three of the nation’s top six teams that have combined to win eight of the past nine national
championships.
“It’s good that we’re being put on that top echelon,” said junior all-arounder Rheagan Courville. “We deserve to be put in that category because we’ve put so much work into this season. Now it’s time to pull everything out and prove to everyone why we’ve been at the top.”
The Tigers will need to put together their most complete performance if they hope to come away victorious. As the No. 2 seed, LSU’s first two events will be the uneven bars and the balance beam, areas where the squad has struggled at times this season.
But if they can keep the scores close, LSU coach D-D Breaux believes the Tigers could walk away with the SEC title because they will end the night with their strongest two events, floor and vault.
“In order to be in this meet, we have to do really well on the first two events because when we get to [floor and vault], I think we’re probably the best team in there on those,” Breaux said. “We figure we won’t be in first after the first two events, but we have to be in striking distance heading to our best events.”
Ending on their strongest events means the Tigers will have a chance to make a strong, lasting impression on the judges. But LSU’s competitors are equally talented, and the Tigers will need to be in top form if they hope to begin the postseason with an
SEC title.
Florida
Florida (9-1, 6-1 SEC) is the defending SEC and NCAA champion and will enter the weekend as the No. 1 seed. After a loss to Alabama on Feb. 28, the Gators responded with two impressive outings, scoring more than a 198.000 against both West Virginia and Missouri to steal the No. 1 spot from LSU in the regular season’s final regional qualifying score (RQS) rankings.
Florida defeated the Tigers 198.125-197.625 in the season’s only matchup between the two squads.
The Gators are led by the one-two-punch of sophomore Bridget Sloan and junior Kytra Hunter, two of the top 10
all-arounders in the nation. Sloan, who tied Courville for the
all-around title in last season’s SEC Championships, is ranked No. 1, and Hunter is
ranked No. 8.
Sloan and Hunter are tied for No. 1 in the individual vault rankings, both with an RQS of 9.945. Sloan also leads the nation on the balance beam, and
Hunter’s 9.970 on the floor exercise ranks No. 2 nationally.
As a team, the Gators’ strength is their beam lineup, which ranks No. 1 in the nation. They are also No. 2 on the floor exercise and uneven bars.
Alabama
Alabama (10-3, 6-1 SEC) will be the No. 3 seed in Session Two, but the Crimson Tide is perhaps the hottest team heading into the conference championships. In its final two meets, the squad posted a 198.250 and 197.925, their highest scores of the season.
Following a loss at the PMAC against LSU on Jan. 31, Alabama has won five consecutive duel meets, including a 197.675-197.400 victory to hand Florida its only loss of the season.
Alabama also has one advantage over the other three teams: home crowd. Tuscaloosa is less than 60 miles from Birmingham. Given the program’s rich history in gymnastics, which includes six national championships, Alabama is expected to have the most fans in attendance.
Senior Kim Jacob is
Alabama’s only gymnast ranked among the nation’s top 25 all-arounders, but the squad has a well-balanced lineup. As a team, the Crimson Tide ranks No. 3 on the balance beam, No. 4 on vault and No. 6 on the floor exercise.
Georgia
Georgia (6-5, 4-2 SEC) will compete as the No. 4 seed in Session Two. The Gym Dogs have had a good season, though not to the level of the other three squads. They have scored below a 197.000 five times this season, while LSU, Florida and Alabama have combined for only four such scores.
Georgia had a rough start to the season, losing its first two meets against Oklahoma and Stanford, both on the road. But the Gym Dogs bounced back when they returned to Stegeman Coliseum, defeating LSU 197.175-196.875. It was the only time this season the Tigers failed to reach a 197.000.
Georgia’s strength is on the uneven bars, where the squad ranks No. 1 in the nation. On bars, the Gym Dogs are led by junior Chelsea Davis and senior Lindsey Cheek. Davis is tied for No. 1 in the nation on bars with an RQS of 9.940, and Cheek is No. 3 at 9.935.
Sophomore Brittany Rogers is Georgia’s most complete performer. She ranks No. 9 nationally in the all-around.
“Now it’s time to pull everything out and prove to everyone why we’ve been at the top.”