Haleigh Bryant notched two perfect 10s as No. 3 LSU dominated the Podium Challenge at the Raising Cane’s River Center on Friday night.
LSU was forced to travel downtown Baton Rouge to clash with No. 14 Auburn, George Washington, and Texas Woman’s University.
“Going downtown is a great opportunity for us,” Tigers head coach Jay Clark said. “It gives a different perspective for both our athletes and our fans.”
In their previous matchup this season, Aleah Finnegan led her squad with her first perfect 10 of the season on a flawless floor routine that gave LSU the 198.300-197.10 win over Auburn on Feb. 16.
Everyone in LSU’s rotation scored a 9.90 or better, including a perfect 10 from Bryant.
With freshman superstar Konnor McClain out sick, the Tigers needed to find contributors elsewhere on their roster. Alexis Jeffrey stepped in and led LSU off on uneven bars with a 9.90.
Savannah Schoenherr made her highly anticipated return to the Tigers’ starting rotation, and she did it with a bang. Schoenherr kicked the night off with a 9.950 on vault and parlayed that with a 9.925 to help contribute to LSU’s early lead halfway through.
“Her presence is very steadying and very calm,” Clark said. “You know what you’re get with Sav.”
With the third rotation came the balance beam, which has a lengthy track record of giving the Tigers problems in the past.
But as the season has gone on, LSU has finally been able to hit its stride on the event lately, posting a season-high 49.725 against Auburn only a couple of weeks ago.
The Tigers had four gymnasts post a 9.90 or better on beam, with Bryant leading the charge once again with a near-perfect 9.950.
On the fourth and final rotation LSU took to the floor looking to end the night with an exclamation point, and they did just that.
Olivia Dunne led off with a 9.90, while KJ Johnson scored a 9.950. Bryant and Kiya Johnson both capped the meet off with 9.975s respectively. With that final score, Bryant finished the night with a new career-high all-around score (39.925). It’s officially the best individual performance we’ve seen from any gymnast in 2024.
The final tally-up saw LSU standing alone at the top (198.425). Auburn finished in second (197.050), followed by George Washington in third (195.10), and Texas Women’s (194.725).
“The thing that pleases me the most is the completeness of the performance,” Clark said.
LSU has its final meet in the PMAC against North Carolina on Friday, March 15, before going to New Orleans for the SEC Championship.
