It was a Friday night filled with heights, lights and season highs as No. 2 LSU gymnastics faced off against No. 3 Alabama.
With it being a top-five matchup and alumni night, there was a lot for Tiger fans to look forward to as they lit up the PMAC during LSU’s 197.975-197.600 victory over the Crimson Tide.
“We showed a lot of guts but couldn’t really capture any real sustained momentum,” head coach Jay Clark said. “But we never let things get away from us either, so it was just kind of a grind.”
After a rather shaky vault performance with a 49.450 — marking the third-highest score on the event this season — LSU flipped onto the uneven bars, where one of its gymnasts saw a new season-high score.
All-around senior Ashley Cowan stuck a 9.925, adding to the 9.900 and 9.975, respectively, vaulted by junior Konnor McClain and standout all-around sophomore Kailin Chio in the first rotation.
From there, the 9.900s were stacked on top of each other as Madison Ulrich landed her regular 9.900 on the uneven bars, as McClain followed suit with an anchoring 9.900.
As LSU led the halfway point of the meet, 98.850-98.675, it saw yet another shaky performance at the start of its balance beam lineup.
While all-around freshman Lexi Zeiss delivered her signature double-wolf turn routine, the gymnast landed with a season low 9.800, followed by Amari Drayton’s 9.175.
Drayton’s low score was prompted by her falling off the balance beam routine, and as she took comfort in the arms of her teammates, McClain delivered yet another personal record for the night, sticking a 9.975.
“I just put my head down in the gym and have worked so hard,” McClain said. “So finally, to do what I’ve been doing in practice has just meant so much to me.”
To anchor the event, it was time for the 2025 SEC Freshman of the Year to take over. As Chio mounted the balance beam, fans went still at the chance to witness the two-time perfect score-earning routine.
Following the Tigers’ lower scores of the night, Chio knew she had to deliver for her teammates, and as she stuck the landing, fans went wild for their favorite gymnast.
Combined with the crowd’s energy and the sophomore’s performance, the PMAC glowed with purple and gold lights as Chio secured yet another perfect 10.
This score marked her fifth career ten and third 10 of the event this season. Chio’s routine proved she is nothing if not consistent, having earned two 10s last weekend against No. 1 Oklahoma.
LSU wrapped up the third rotation with another third-highest score on the event, just as it did on vault, with a 49.525. From there, it flipped onto the floor, where the 9.900s just kept coming.
Innes, all-around freshman Nina Ballou and junior Kylie Coen each secured a 9.900. In the fourth spot, Drayton came back with nothing but confidence on the floor, earning a 9.925.
“It is hard to come back from a fall, but I think she just wiped it away, and she does that floor routine so well,” McClain said. “She just didn’t let that ruin her confidence, and she did bring that confidence over to the floor. She performed the heck out of that floor routine.”
It was Chio’s time to shine once again, with one set of judges awarding her a perfect 10, the other deemed Chio’s routine worthy of a 9.950, which evened out for a 9.975 final score.
Closing the event for the second time in her career, Zeiss finished LSU on the floor with yet another 9.900, closing LSU’s floor lineup with a 49.600.
While both Chio and Zeiss were competing for the all-around title against Alabama’s Gabby Galdieux, Chio secured the all-around title with a 39.800.
“I think the identity of this team is that they’re fighters,” Clark said. “It doesn’t get any easier as we go, and we’ve just got to make sure that we maintain that mindset.”
As LSU secured the win tonight, it has very little time to celebrate as it rolls on down to the Raising Cane’s River Center for the Podium Challenge on Sunday at 3 p.m.
