FORT WORTH, Texas — “What does this senior class mean to you?” senior all-arounder Lexie Priessman was asked after LSU’s second place finish at the NCAA Championship meet.
“Literally everything,” Priessman responded as tears fell down her face. “These girls have been my roommates since freshman year, and we’ve been through everything together whether it was being hurt, sickness, family, Gracie passing away. No matter what it was, we stuck together.
“We weren’t finished until McKenna landed that last pass. I’m literally forever grateful for them and…”
“You can’t do this to us,” fellow senior Sarah Finnegan cut Priessman off as she began to shed some tears of her own.
“I love them and they’ll be my best friends forever,” Priessman finished.
Priessman and Finnegan, as well as fellow seniors McKenna Kelley and Julianna Cannamela ended their LSU gymnastics careers Saturday night as one of the most dominant classes in program history.
They totaled three National Runner-Up titles and three Southeastern Conference titles in their four years. The group finished in second place as freshman in 2016 in the exact same arena, the Fort Worth Convention Center.
“I can’t say enough wonderful things about Sarah Finnegan, Lexie Priessman, McKenna Kelley and Julianna Cannamela,” coach D-D Breaux said. “They have led this team with pride and passion since they hit campus, and I’m so proud.”
Finnegan opened the meet with a 9.9125 on vault for the Tigers and McKenna Kelley closed it by anchoring on floor to secure LSU’s second place finish with a 9.95.
Kelley was in tears the moment she landed her last tumbling pass that likely ended her LSU career.
Breaux spent the entire season talking about the leadership that this group brings to the gym week after week, and how they never lost sight of the ultimate goal, despite some early struggles.
LSU lost its first meet in five years against Auburn in the regular season and fans and media alike were worried about what was to come of the ever-consistent Tiger gymnastics team.
Breaux wasn’t worried because of who was on her team. They ended up where they always thought they would — competing for a national championship.
“I think this senior team — they drove that SEC Championship, they drove it last year and every year they have accomplished more and more,” Breaux said. “But it’s not just the championships, it’s the pride and the passion that they represent LSU. They’re always, always doing it for LSU. They’re at the top of our pyramid and this team has no regrets.”
And Finnegan will go down as one of the greatest — perhaps the greatest from Breaux’s point of view — to wear an LSU leotard. She may even be one of the best LSU athletes in any sport.
Breaux said it will take a “superior athlete” to come in and do what Finnegan has been able to do both in and out of the gym.
In her final performance as a Tiger, the reigning bars national champion, SEC Gymnast of the Year and AAI Award winner finished first in the all-around with a 39.7625 with a 9.9125 on vault and 9.95s on bars, beam and floor.
Breaux said the humility of Finnegan shines above her talents. She was always more worried about the team than her individual accolades.
“Yesterday [winning the individual award] was cool, but tonight was definitely the cherry on top,” Finnegan said. “I couldn’t have asked to end this season better, with this group of girls.
“They’re so special to me and we’ve had an amazing season. We had lows, we had highs, we broke records, we got accolades — we did everything together and I’m just so proud of the growth that this team has shown.”
“Being a part of something special makes you special,” Rachel Berry said in the pilot episode of the Emmy Award-winning show “Glee.”
This senior class knew they were a part of something special at LSU. Breaux has always emphasized the “pride and tradition of the LSU Tigers” throughout her 42 years of coaching.
This senior class became a model of that pride and tradition.
“We’re always taught to lead by example and keep up the culture that we’re created for our LSU program,” Finnegan said. “We’ve told [the underclassmen] to continue the traditions and continue the pride and passion that we have for this school.
“At the end of the day, it didn’t matter what place that you had because you knew that your team was there for you. You knew that you were surrounded by a bunch of girls that loved you with their whole heart and cared for you. I hope that they carry that on because it is something special.”
After the meet was over, when all was said and done, like Breaux said, nobody had any regrets.
“I told [the seniors] how much I loved them and just the incredible price that they have paid and what they have done to elevate LSU gymnastics and how well they represent what I think is a great university,” Breaux said.
Kelley said her only goal for the weekend was to enjoy being on the floor one last time with her team.
Kelley has joked in the past that she doesn’t think it’s normal for teams to love each other as much as this year’s Tigers do, and she wasn’t worried about anything but having fun with them.
“I could not be more proud of this team,” Kelley said. “I know I can’t do it without my team. I know that this sport is a once in a lifetime type of thing and it teaches you things that you can’t just learn in life.
“I’m so thankful for this sport and these girls. To know that our university took 16 girls from the nation and hand picked us and brought us together because they thought we were something special. Just the tradition and pride that we bring — it’s remarkable.”