After a breakout freshman season in 2017 with All-Southeastern Conference and All-Freshman honors, LSU all-arounder Ruby Harrold has struggled to kick off 2018 in the same fashion.
Harrold put all that behind her in LSU’s 198.175-194.200 win over Texas Woman’s as she put up career high scores of 9.90 on floor and 9.95 on bars. She also scored a 9.85 on vault during the meet.
This is only the second time in Harrold collegiate career that she has competed in three events in one meet. She had only competed on floor four times before today.
“Being able to do three events today and helping the team have this kind of success and consistency is a real star in her crown,” LSU coach D-D Breaux said.
Harrold gives credit to her teammates and her coaches for being there for her as she struggled through the first half of the season.
She was happy to return that favor.
“Yes, I’ve been struggling with some things but like the whole team together has just helped me personally through it,” Harrold said. “Today in particular, to be able to give something back to them and say thank you for helping me get through that has been a great honor.”
The former Great Britain Olympian scored a 9.875 in the season opener on bars but has fallen twice on the event since then. A fall on both floor and vault has also kept Harrold sidelined on those events until LSU traveled to Missouri for the Gym Quarters Invitational on Friday.
At Gym Quarters, Harrold scored 9.825 and 9.775 on vault and bars before coming into the PMAC against Texas Women’s and putting up much needed scores.
“It’s just been great today and Friday just to be back out there and doing the gymnastics that I know I can do, “ Harrold said.
Breaux praised Harrold’s perseverance as she worked hard throughout the season to get back into form.
“She has struggled, and it hasn’t been easy,” D-D Breaux said. “She goes in the gym every week and just really, really works hard. We tried to go back to basics and do drill work. I call it ‘pulling them through the knot hole.’”
What made this day even more special for Harrold was the team’s ability to hit their stride this weekend, starting at Gym Quarters and going into this Sunday.
Harrold career night also made program history for the Tigers.
LSU posted back-to-back scores of 198-plus for the first time in program history with the highest score in the nation at 198.175. LSU’s 49.725 on bars was also a school record and the fifth-highest score in NCAA gymnastics history.
“Just the momentum of the team, especially coming off Friday’s win really helped, just everybody,” Harrold said. “To produce such a good score on Friday and bring that in today when we had so much confidence. Not that we’re not confident normally, but so much more coming off the back of Friday.”
