Junior all-arounder Sarah Finnegan and the LSU gymnastics team return to her home state of Missouri for the third time this season as they try to capture their second straight Southeastern Conference Tournament championship.
While it’s her third homecoming of the season, the novelty still hasn’t worn off for Finnegan, who enjoys any opportunity to see her family and friends from home.
“I grew up in St. Louis,” Finnegan said. “I love the city and the area. I don’t [ever get less excited.] St. Louis is home for me.”
“I know a lot of people in the area so I think the crowd’s going to be awesome. I think that there’s going to be just as many LSU fans coming. I’m really excited to bring the energy and what’s to come.”
LSU gymnastics fans traditionally travel well, and the same can be expected in St. Louis this weekend.
Even if a large number of fans turn out, the team is more focused on what they can control, like landings and execution, rather than the environment surrounding them at the SEC Championship.
The Tigers used their last regular season win against Arizona as a “springboard” into the postseason, Finnegan said. LSU is confident going into the SEC Tournament, especially as it comes off a second-straight undefeated SEC regular season.
LSU coach D-D Breaux acknowledges the confidence it brings to the team knowing that they have beaten every team in the arena, but that doesn’t mean they won’t come just as strong as always.
“We never want to get in a place of complacency,” Finnegan said. “We always know that things do happen. You’re never going to have a perfect meet. We really want to get in that position that we know our gymnastics, we know that consistency wins and just get in there.”
Consistency has defined Finnegan as she reached new heights in her gymnastics career during her junior season.
While she entered the season an eight-time All-American, two-time All-SEC and the first NCAA bars champion in school history, Finnegan has shattered the already high expectations surrounding her.
As the fourth-ranked all-arounder in the country, she breaks the top 10 in bars, beam and floor and sits at No. 1 on bars.
Finnegan’s season reached its peak when she achieved her first career perfect 10 on floor against Texas Woman’s. Just two weeks later, she achieved 10s on bars and beam in the same meet against Arizona.
Finnegan describes herself and all gymnasts as their own personal critics.
Though she wasn’t short on excitement, Finnegan recognizes when her routines aren’t as perfect as she strives for them to be.
“I think gymnastics is a sport of perfection,” Finnegan said. “I don’t think that we would ever see ourselves or a routine as perfect. I think, especially since you know yourself, you know that you do this routine every single day in the gym.”
Finnegan works every day in the gym to improve her outcome during competition, but in the latter part of the season, she has taken on a new leadership role on the team.
It’s not the loud, assertive leadership of former LSU gymnast Ashleigh Gnat and her senior class — Breaux claims it is still just as charismatic and contagious to the rest of the team.
“Myia Hambrick is kind of a quiet leader and Sarah Finnegan has begun to speak out more and more but they mostly lead by example,” Breaux said. “It’s not so much banging on their chest and ‘do what I tell you to do, but leading by example and ‘Follow me, walk with me.’ It’s been a great outcome.”
Breaux instills that type of competitive atmosphere in the entire team.
That outcome, Finnegan hopes, will lead to an SEC Championship this weekend and a national championship later this season.
“The pride and the passion that D-D has for our school is contagious,” Finnegan said. “I have so much pride for this school and I’m so proud to be a part of LSU. Just her carrying that upon herself and us looking up to her like that, we can feel it. We want this just as much as she does.”