No one would deny that LSU gymnastics had a less than admirable start this year. The team lost its first three meets of the season and star gymnast Kiya Johnson to an injury.
But just three months later, the Tigers are now headed to the NCAA Championships to face some of the top gymnastics programs in the nation.
“I’m just so proud of their spirit and who they are as people,” said head coach Jay Clark. “They do it for each other.”
Using the same grit and determination they’ve exercised all year, LSU clinched a second-place victory in a tiebreaker with Michigan. Normally, regional competition features four teams and advances the two highest-scoring teams. However, while No. 14 Denver shockingly took the top spot, both LSU and Michigan came in second with an exact score of 197.750.
To determine whether the Tigers or Wolverines would advance out of Denver, both teams’ sixth score from each rotation would be used. That meant that every performance would count.
The purple and gold didn’t have a single fall within any of their routines, which is pretty remarkable. The team came out on top by more than a point to punch their tickets to the Championship.
“The beat goes on,” said Clark after the meet. “We weren’t perfect, but this team just continues to fight and do enough to keep it going.”
Despite barely clinching the victory, the purple and gold recorded their second-highest regional score in the program’s history. Haleigh Bryant posted the highest score on bars and floor than any other gymnast at the Denver Final.
LSU kicked off the night with its signature event, vault. Elenas Arenas started the rotation off hot with a 9.90, her second-highest score this season. Chase Brock tacked on another 9.900 while both sophomores Aleah Finnegan and KJ Johnson added 9.850s. Haleigh Bryant gave a 9.875 to bring their total to 49.375 on the event.
The lineup on bars set a new regional record score for the program at 49.525. Newcomer Alexis Jeffrey led with a career-high 9.950. Ashley Cowan and Finnegan both posted 9.850s. Tori Tatum continued to show her worth to the team as she performed a 9.90 routine. In the anchor spot, Bryant recorded a regional program score of 9.975.
The Tigers refused to lose momentum as they headed into the third rotation. Arenas and Alyona Shchennikova started the event with a 9.850 and 9.875 respectively. Jeffrey added another 9.850 while Sierra Ballard followed with a 9.80. The squad finished up strong with 9.90 and 9.950 routines from Finnegan and Bryant. On floor, Ballard set the tempo with a 9.850.
Sophomores Brock and Finnegan matched the score in the following routines. Schennikova posted a 9.90. The junior hasn’t scored below 9.90 since late January. Bryant closed out the meet for the Tigers with a 9.950.
The Tigers won’t return to the floor until the NCAA Semifinals on Thursday, April 13. The team will face No. 2 Florida, No. 7 California and No. 14 Denver for a chance to compete in the championship round. The meet will be streamed live from the Dickies Arena at 2 p.m. on ESPN2.
