The No. 3 LSU gymnastics extended its winning streak to six meets in a row, coming in first place in a tri meet against Centenary College and New Hampshire at the Gold Dome in Shreveport, Louisiana, on Friday night.
LSU (13-2, 7-0 Southeastern Conference) scored its lowest team score since the second meet of the season but still defeated New Hampshire, 197.275-193.975, and Centenary, 197.275-192.175.
“I’m glad they did it here and not next week at [the SEC Championships],” said LSU gymnastics coach D-D Breaux.
Centenary freshman all-arounder Ashley White won the all-around title with a 38.700, while LSU didn’t compete any all-arounders.
Breaux held senior all-arounder Rheagan Courville out of the competition to rest for the SEC Championships next weekend, and the Tigers felt the ill effects of her absence in the first rotation.
“We put a lot of kids in events that they haven’t been in all season long in an effort to rest some kids that we felt like needed to get off their feet,” Breaux said. “
The Tigers started the meet on bars, on which they scored the lowest total of the season at 48.700. They had to count Ashleigh Gnat’s 9.400 after freshman all-arounder Myia Hambrick fell in the anchor spot.
LSU accounted for just three scores of 9.800 or better but managed to edge out Centenary (48.350) and New Hampshire (47.950) after the first rotation.
“It was a really attention-getter,” Breaux said. “They went to beam, focused and quit digging a hole.”
LSU senior all-arounder Jessie Jordan said the Tigers got back in their groove on beam. Hambrick tallied a 9.850 and Gnat tied her career-high of 9.950. Jordan followed Gnat with a 9.950 of her own in the anchor spot.
With a sizeable lead at the midway point, LSU didn’t hold back. The Tigers scored their two highest event totals in the final two rotations, starting on floor.
LSU gymnasts accounted for three scores of 9.900 or better, tallying a 49.575 on the event. Sophomore all-arounder Sydney Ewing posted a career-high 9.900, and Jordan scored a 9.925. Senior all-arounder Lloiminicia Hall anchored the event with the seventh perfect score of her career.
LSU continued building its lead in the last rotation with five scores of 9.900 or better on vault for a 49.625.
Freshman all-arounder Erin Macadaeg vaulted for just the third time this season, scoring a career-high 9.925. Ewing and senior all-arounder Scarlett Williams tied their career-bests, and junior all-arounder Jessica Savona shattered her career-high with a 9.950. Meanwhile, Hambrick continued her tear on the event with her third score of 9.900 or better of the season.
“It was a good distraction for [Macadaeg] to be able to focus on another event besides beam,” Breaux said. “The distraction of kids that weren’t usually an event, for us to be able to put them in that event, was probably a very good thing for them.”
LSU will be back in action at the SEC Championships on March 21 at Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Georgia.
Breaux said Courville should be at full strength for the meet and the rest of the gymnasts will have to build on their strong performances on floor and vault.
“Everyone is very prepared right now for the postseason,” Jordan said. “There was a lot of change in the lineup today, and people that don’t always go in stepped up to the plate and performed extremely well, including the freshmen. They are ready for the postseason.”