2/28/2021
LSU Sports Information
By: Grant Kauvar


   HOUSTON – After the No. 1 LSU Beach Volleyball team picked up two wins on Friday, the Tigers
closed out their opening weekend of competition at the Houston Baptist Tournament with two more wins over ULM and HBU to sweep through their opening weekend.
   "Overall this weekend was a great success," said Coach Russell Brock who secured his 100th career victory in the Tigers' victory over ULM. "It was clear that we got better every time we were in the sand and that's really all you can ask for. I'm proud of the way we played and how hard we worked"

   LSU's pairs on the main five courts did not change from Friday to Saturday and every court aside from Court 2 won all four matches throughout the two day event.
   "I thought our young players took advantage of their opportunity to get some early action," said Brock. "I'm excited to see how they continue to grow. Our veterans were really good. Clearly there was some rust after a year away, but they played really well. I'm impressed with how fit we are and how we responded to two days of match play."
   The Tigers are back home at LSU Beach Volleyball Stadium next week where they have never lost a match. LSU will host the Tiger Beach Challenge and welcome Florida Atlantic, Florida State, Georgia State and Houston Baptist. The first three of those teams were all ranked in the preseason poll, including Florida State who was No. 3, meaning there could be a meeting of two top-three teams next weekend in Baton Rouge.
   "I can't wait to get back to work on Monday," said Brock. "We have a big weekend at home coming up."

   LSU Beach Volleyball Stadium is closed to the general public this spring due to its limited capacity. Fans must be on a preapproved pass list in order to enter matches. Cox Sports Television will air all of LSU's matches next weekend.
   LSU opened the day with a 4-1 win over ULM. Kahlee York and Olivia Ordonez were dominant
once again on Court 5, 21-8 and 21-10. Ellie Shank and Jess Lansman also showed how capable they can be as a pair on Court 4, dominating 21-10 and 21-8.
   Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss made easy work on Court 1, 21-12 and 21-8, clinching the match for LSU. Both Courts 2 and 3 needed third sets to decide.
Reilly Allred and Claire Coppola won a close first set, 21-18, but feel 21-15 in the second set. ULM picked up their only court as Allred and Coppola dropped the third set, 15-10. Ashlyn Rasnick-Pope and Toni Rodriguez dropped the first set on Court 3, 21-18. They responded though, winning the next two sets, 21-18 and 15-8, as LSU defeated ULM, 4-1.
   Closing out the weekend, the Tigers played maybe their cleanest match of the weekend in the rematch against HBU as LSU did not drop a set. Shank and Lansman got the Tigers rolling on Court 4, 21-14 and 21-10. York and Ordonez also kept rolling right along on Court 5, 21-15 and 21-14.
   Once again Kloth and Nuss clinched it for the Tigers on Court 1, 21-14 and 21-11. Rasnick-Pope
and Rodriguez finished their perfect weekend on Court 3, 21-16 and 21-17. Allred and Coppola rebounded to finish off the LSU sweep, 21-10 and 21-17.

No. 1 LSU 4, ULM 1
1. Kristen Nuss/Taryn Kloth (LSU) def. Blazek, Julia/Brooks, Audrey (ULM) 21-12, 21-8
2. McKay, Katie/Demmer, Anna (ULM) def. Reilly Allred/Claire Coppola (LSU) 21-18, 15-21, 15-10
3. Ashlyn Rasnick-Pope/Toni Rodriguez (LSU) def. Elder, Abigail/Gallant, Kayla (ULM) 18-21, 21-18, 15-8
4. Ellie Shank/Jess Lansman (LSU) def. Bufkin, Abbey/Moreland, Elizabeth (ULM) 21-10, 21-8
5. Kahlee York/Olivia Ordonez (LSU) def. Hoven, Brooke/Nowak, Kaitlyn (ULM) 21-8, 21-10
Ext. Lara Boos/Grace Seits (LSU) def. Reynolds, Avery/Ponthieux, Holland (ULM) 21-13, 21-13

No. 1 LSU 5, HBU 0
1. Taryn Kloth/Kristen Nuss (LSU) def. Harris, Lindsay/Bryan, Kylie (HBU) 21-14, 21-11
2. Claire Coppola/Reilly Allred (LSU) def. Butters, Maddie/Miller, Brennan (HBU) 21-10, 21-17
3. Toni Rodriguez/Ashlyn Rasnick-Pope (LSU) def. Huggins, Lauren/Stanfill, Allison (HBU) 21-16, 21-18
4. Ellie Shank/Jess Lansman (LSU) def. Bennett, Natalie/Alper, Mary (HBU) 21-14, 21-10
5. Olivia Ordonez/Kahlee York (LSU) def. Patillo, Megan/Kleymeyer, Kristen (HBU) 21-15, 21-14
Ext. Grace Seits/Melia Lindner (LSU) def. Griffith, Kylann/Kenney, Victoria (HBU) 21-10, 21-11

2/26/2021
LSU Sports Information
By: Grant Kauvar



   HOUSTON – The No. 1 LSU Beach Volleyball team began its 2021 season Saturday at the Houston
Baptist Tournament with two victories over HBU and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, extending its win-streak to 13 matches dating back to last season.
  "Today was a good day," said head coach Russell Brock. "It was great to be back in the sand. I'm really proud of how we played and particularly our ability to get better on every court in every set."
  The Tigers will play two more on Saturday, starting with New Orleans at 8 a.m. before finishing the tournament with another match against HBU at 2:30 p.m. LSU will host the Tiger Beach Challenge next weekend.
  "I'm looking forward to tomorrow," said Brock. "I think everyone is really embracing the chance to finally be competing again."
   LSU began the day with a 4-1 win over tournament host HBU. Olivia Ordonez and Kahlee York teamed up on Court 5 to get the Tigers started with a win in dominant fashion. York and Ordonez won their first match of the new season, 21-8 and 21-13. On Court 4, Jess Lansman and Ellie Shank also won in straight sets, 21-17 and 21-13. Shank, a freshman, earned her first career victory.
   Kristen Nuss teamed up on Court 1 with Taryn Kloth and together they clinched the match for LSU with a straight-set win, 21-11 and 21-9. Toni Rodriguez and Ashlyn Rasnick-Pope followed suite on Court 3, 21-11 and 21-14. Claire Coppola and Reilly Allred could not finish off the sweep  though, falling on Court 2, 21-17 and 21-18.
   After an hour break, LSU was back in the sand, this time to face TAMUCC that ended in a sweep by the Tigers. LSU kept its pairs the same for the match and just like against HBU, Ordonez and York started strong on Court 5. Even the set scores were the same for them on their second match of the day, 21-8 and 21-13. Lansman and Shank fell in a close first set on Court 4, 21-19. They responded nicely though, taking the second set, 21-15. In the deciding set, the senior/freshman combo put LSU up 2-0 with a 15-11 set victory.
   Coppola and Allred bounced back in match number 2, 21-19 and 21-15, as Allred earned her first victory at LSU and LSU clinched the match. Rodriguez and Rasnick-Pope soon followed with a 21-11 and 21-12 victory on Court 3. Kloth and Nuss finished up the sweep on Court 1, 21-10 and 21-13.


No. 1 LSU def. HBU, 4-1
5 Olivia Ordonez/Kahlee York (LSU) def. Alper, Mary/Kleymeyer, Kristen (HBU) 21-8, 21-13
4 Jess Lansman/Ellie Shank (LSU) def. Stanfill, Allison/Huggins, Lauren (HBU) 21-17, 21-13
1 Taryn Kloth/Kristen Nuss (LSU) def. Harris, Lindsay/Bryan, Kylie (HBU) 21-11, 21-9
3 Toni Rodriguez/Ashlyn Rasnick-Pope (LSU) def. Patillo, Megan/Bennett, Natalie (HBU) 21-11, 21-14
2 Butters, Maddie/Miller, Brennan (HBU) def. Claire Coppola/Reilly Allred (LSU) 21-17, 21-18
Ext. Grace Seits/Lara Boos (LSU) def. Kenney, Victoria/Griffith, Kylann (HBU) 21-7, 21-10


No. 1 LSU def. TAMUCC, 5-0
5 Olivia Ordonez/Kahlee York (LSU) def. Aurora Carnes/Migle Mazurkeviciute (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi) 21-8, 21-13
4 Jess Lansman/Ellie Shank (LSU) def. Demi McInnis/Emily Ramirez (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi) 19-21, 21-15, 15-11
2 Claire Coppola/Reilly Allred (LSU) def. Giuliana Corrales/Micaela Mirabal (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi) 21-19, 21-15
3 Toni Rodriguez/Ashlyn Rasnick-Pope (LSU) def. Kylie Kvam/Brooke Adkisson (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi) 21-11, 21-12
1 Taryn Kloth/Kristen Nuss (LSU) def. Mary Dodge/Taylor Horsfall (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi) 21-10, 21-13
Ext. Melia Lindner/Lara Boos (LSU) def. Hannah Smyers/Jenna Jones (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi) 21-19, 27-25

2/26/2021
LSU Sports Information
By: Brandon Berrio


   
   LEXINGTON, Ky..– No. 2 LSU (4-3, 3-3 SEC) scored a 49.625 on vault but ultimately fell to No. 11 Kentucky, 196.800-197.100, on Friday night inside Memorial Coliseum.
 
“We are all disappointed, “This is not who we are nor who we want to be. There were some really great all routines but we cannot continue to give away a tenth here or tenth there. After bars, I think they really answered the bell on vault. Ultimately, we weren’t clean enough today and have to get back in the gym and get on track.”
 
After a fall on the opening routine of vault, the Tigers lit up five in a row to earn the second-highest score in the country and fourth highest in school history on vault.
 
Individually, LSU gymnasts put up some of their top performances this season. Sophomores Alyona Shchennikova and Kiya Johnson took the vault title. Shchennikova captured added beam and freshman Haleigh Bryant earned the win on floor.
 
The Tigers were unable to start strong and earned a 49.025 on bars. Bryant led the squad with a 9.85. Johnson, Shchennikova and Sami Durante all earned a 9.80. Olivia Dunne also contributed with a 9.775.
 
LSU fought back and lit up vault with one of its best rotations of the season. Shchennikova stuck her Yurchenko 1 ½ and earned a career high 9.95. Freshman Elena Arenas followed with a stuck Yurchenko Full for a 9.925 and career high. Edwards earned a 9.875 in the fourth spot and Johnson followed with a 9.95. Bryant anchored the event with a 9.925.
 
The floor lineup extended the squad’s lead to 147.975-147.800 in the third rotation. Desiderio matched her season high with a 9.90 in the second spot. Freshman Sierra Ballard bounced back with a 9.85. In the fifth and sixth spot, Edwards scored a 9.90 and Bryant earned a 9.95. LSU also used a 9.725 from Arenas.
 
Miscues on beam ultimately cost the squad the meet with a 48.285. Shchennikova’s beam win with a career high 9.925 highlighted the rotation. LSU also used a 9.875 from Desiderio and Johnson along with a 9.80 from Dean. A 9.350 from Campbell was also counted.
 
LSU returns home to take on Missouri in the regular season finale at 7:15 p.m. CT Friday in the PMAC. The meet will be streamed live on SEC Network+ through WatchESPN.com and the app.
 

2/26/2021
LSU Sports Information
By: Brandon Berrio


   LEXINGTON, Ky. – The second-ranked LSU gymnastics team (4-2, 3-2 SEC) travels to face No. 14 Kentucky (4-3, 3-2 SEC) at 6 p.m. CT Friday inside Memorial Coliseum.
 
The meet will be televised live on SEC Network with John Roethlisberger and Alicia Sacramone Quinn on the call.
 
“I think this team is hungry and ready to get back and prove that they learned from last week,” head coach Jay Clark said. “We had a good meet last week but there were a lot of tenths left out on the floor. It is really important to go out and go 24-for-24 and continue progressing as a team overall and keep everything in perspective.”
 
LSU Against the Wildcats
LSU is 81-6 overall against Kentucky. The Tigers have a record of 16-7 inside Memorial Coliseum in Lexington and have won 18 of their last 19 against the Wildcats, a run that dates back to the 2011 season. LSU lost to Kentucky in its last trip in 2019, a 196.025-197.150 defeat. Lexington is one of the most difficult places to compete as the Tigers have only posted one score of 197 or higher, a 197.475 in 2017.
 
Tigers in the Rankings
The LSU Gymnastics team remained at No. 2 in week six of the Road To Nationals rankings with an average score of 197.325. The Tigers own four 197-plus team scores in 2021 and rank in the top five nationally on all four events. The beam and floor lineups rank second, bars is third in the nation and vault is fourth.
 
Freshman Haleigh Bryant is one of the top all-around gymnasts in the nation. She ranks ninth in the all-around and fifth on vault. Seniors Bridget Dean and Sami Durante continue to provide outstanding routines and rank 10th on beam and fourth on bars respectively.
 
Bryant Adds Another SEC Weekly Honor Following Alabama
Haleigh Bryant has been named the SEC Freshman of the Week following her 39.600 all-around performance at Alabama. The North Carolina native matched her career high in the all-around and anchored floor with a 9.95. Bryant also scored a 9.90 on vault and a 9.875 on bars and beam. It marked the fifth honor for Bryant by the league office. She was named the best freshman in the league in weeks one, three and five. She also was named the top gymnast after the Tigers’ road meet against Arkansas.
 
Last Time Out
The Tigers hit 24-for-24 but could not gain control of landings and fell to No. 6 Alabama, 197.325-197.725 in Tuscaloosa. LSU put up consistent scores of 49.375 on bars and beam, 49.325 on vault and 49.250 on floor. Freshman Haleigh Bryant led the squad with a 39.600 in the all-around to finish second. Sarah Edwards and Bryant provided crucial performances on floor with a score of 9.90 and 9.95 in the fifth and sixth spots.
 

2/24/2021
LSU Sports Information
By: Haylee Knight



   BATON ROUGE – LSU women's golfer Carla Tejedo Mulet has been named the SEC Women's Golf Co-Freshman of the Week and Latanna Stone has been named Newcomer of the Week for play ending on February 23.  
 
   Tejedo Mulet finished tied for tenth place out of 77 players at the ICON Invitational in Humble, Texas with a 4-under 212. It was her second Top-10 finish of the season. She went 69-71-72 over the 54 holes.  
 
   In first round action, the rookie from Castellon de Plana, Spain, shot a 3-under 69, her first time shooting under 70 as a collegiate athlete at LSU. Tejedo Mulet was the only LSU golfer in the tournament to shoot par or under in all three rounds. She was one of nine players in the field to complete the feat.  
 
   For the tournament, Tejedo Mulet was one of 18 players to finish under par. The ICON Invitational was her second tournament of the season where she finished under par and her lowest 54-hole mark of the season.  
 
  Latanna Stone, a sophomore from Riverview, Florida, finished tied for fifth place out of 77 golfers at the ICON Invitational with an 8-under 208. A 208 for a 54-hole tournament ranks in the Top-10 in LSU history and was one stroke off her career low of 207 shot last week at the Moon Golf Invitational. Stone went 75-69-64 over the 54 holes.  
 
   In the final round action, Stone shot a school record-tying 8-under 64 on Tuesday, the lowest single round by a Tiger matching Megan McChrystal’s score in the fourth round of the 2010 NCAA Championship. Stone’s 8-under 64 was the lowest single round score of the tournament.  
 
   For the tournament, Stone joined her teammate Carla Tejedo Mulet as one of 18 players to finish under par. The ICON Invitational was Stone’s third Top-5 finish of the season.   
 
  Newcomer of the Week recognizes players who were true or redshirt freshmen last season who had their seasons cut short due to COVID and any transfers new to teams in the 2020-21 season. 
 
   LSU returns to action on March 1-March 3 for the Gamecock Intercollegiate in Columbia, South Carolina.  

2/24/2021
LSU Sports Information
By: Tanner Craft


   COLUMBIA, MO. - LSU swimmer Brooks Curry brought home the bronze medal in the 50-Yard Freestyle on the second night of the 2021 SEC Championships. The Tigers will be back in action tomorrow as prelims will begin at 10 a.m. CT from inside the Mizzou Aquatic Center in Columbia, Missouri. 

​IN THE POOL
To begin the night, Emil Hassling improved his third best 200-Yard IM time in school history with a time of 1:45.37 to finish in 19th place in the 'C' Final.
"Emil showed some real composure tonight in his first SEC Final and swam a career best time because of it," said LSU head swim coach Dave Geyer.
Later in the evening, Jack Jannasch finished in 24th place in the 'C' Final of the 50-Yard Freestyle. In the 'A' Final, Curry touched the wall in 19.16 to finish in a tie for third place. This marks Curry's third podium finish at the SEC Championships in his career.
"Brooks had a tight race and was just a little off in his 50 tonight," said Coach Geyer. "At the same time, anytime you have an athlete get a medal at this meet is a good night."
To finish the night, the 200-Yard Freestyle team of Curry, Jannasch, Spencer Adrian, and Michael Petro finished in ninth place with a time of 1:18.98.
"I wish our relay could have swam to our potential to build some momentum for tomorrow," said Geyer. "There are some great opportunities ahead of us but we have to be on in the morning."
SWIM ORDER OF EVENTS
Thursday, February 25
400 IM
100 Fly
200 Free
100 Breast
100 Back
400 Medley Relay (Finals Only)
Friday, February 26
1650 Free (Finals Only)
200 Back
100 Free
200 Breast
200 Fly
400 Free Relay (Finals Only)
LIVE STATS/VIDEO
Stats: http://lsul.su/3unaywq
Video: https://lsul.su/2ZKz24K
MORE INFORMATION
For more information and updates on LSU Swimming and Diving please visit LSUsports.net, 'like' us on Facebook at LSU Swimming and Diving or follow us on Twitter and Instagram @LSUSwimDive.

2/24/2021
LSU Sports Information
By: William Franques


​   BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU Tiger Tracks, a program highlighting various aspects of the university and its athletics department, can be seen at 7 p.m. CT Wednesday on Cox Sports Television.
 
Replays of the show will air on Wednesday at 10:30 p.m. CT, on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. CT and on Friday at 1:30 p.m. CT.
 
The show, hosted by Jordy Hultberg and Bill Franques, is a weekly 30-minute production featuring interviews with LSU administrators, coaches and student-athletes, along with a look at some of the events and scholarly activity on campus.
 
Tiger Tracks begins with an interview by LSU digital media reporter Cody Worsham with coach Paul Mainieri, who is the career wins leader among active NCAA Division I baseball coaches.
 
Tiger Tracks correspondent Paul Boron provides a profile on soccer forward Molly Thompson, a junior from Houma, La., who scored the game-winning goal in LSU’s victory over Southern Miss last Friday.
 
The show also features a look at LSU’s most recent graduation ceremony, which was held outdoors in Tiger Stadium.
 

2/23/2021
LSU Sports Information
By: Haylee Knight



   HUMBLE, Texas – The No. 3 LSU women's golf team has finished in second place after the completion of the Icon Invitational on Tuesday at the Golf Club of Houston. The Tigers finished with a three-round score of 19-under 845, the fourth best team score in school history. LSU had three players finish in the top-10 of the tournament with Latanna Stone tied for fifth, Ingrid Lindblad seventh, and Carla Tejedo Mulet tied for tenth.
   The Tigers fell to No. 1 Baylor, who shot a 12-under par in the final round, to finish the 54-hole event at 24-under 840.


   LSU carded a 7-under 281 in the final round, which ranks in the Top-25 finishes in school history. Stone finished very strong with an 8-under 64, tying the school record for the lowest round in school history, a personal career low finish at LSU.
  "Of course, we wanted to win today but very proud of this group. Back-to-back runner up finishes in two strong events is a great way to start the spring and keeps us motivated to keep working hard," said LSU head coach Garrett Runion. "Ingrid and Latanna had two of the most impressive rounds in LSU history with Ingrid's 65 the first round and Latanna's 64 today, really proud of them. Can't say I am that surprised as they have been consistently working hard for a long time now and been playing really good golf. We have a short break to get home, regroup and get ready for another challenging tournament next week."
   Stone started on No. 2 and carded eight bridies within the round. Her three-round score of 208 is her
second lowest tournament score this season. This is her third top-5 finish of the season. 
   Lindblad shot a 1-over 73 in the final round, recording two birdies. Lindblad's three-round score of 209 is her lowest of the season. She has finished in the top-10 in each tournament played this season.
   Tejedo Mulet shot even par and pitched five birdies within the final round. Tejedo Mulet earned her second top-10 finish of the season.
   Kendall Griffin shot 1-over 73 on the day. Griffin started on No. 4 and quickly birdied No. 7, followed by 12 consecutive pars. She finished tied for 26th place individually.
   Presley Baggett shot even par. Baggett was even for 12 of the 18 holes and birdied two more.
   Alden Wallace finished 2-over 74 shooting four birdies within the round. Kiana Oshiro shot a 7-over 79.
   The Tigers have a quick turnaround as they travel to Columbia, South Carolina for the
​Gamecock Intercollegiate, which kicks off March 1-3, at the Columbia Golf Course.

1/19/2021
LSU Sports Information
 By: Brandon Barrio



   TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The second-ranked LSU Gymnastics team scored a 197.325 in the loss to No. 6 Alabama on Friday night inside Coleman Coliseum.
 
LSU moved to 4-2 on the year, while Alabama improved to 5-1 with a team score of 197.725.
 
Freshman Haleigh Bryant led the squad with a 39.600 in the all-around to match her career high.
 
“Credit to Alabama for bringing it tonight,” head coach Jay Clark said. “We couldn’t put it all together tonight so now it’s time to get back in the gym and fight. We cannot sulk over what happen tonight and have to work before we go to Kentucky for another tough meet.”
 
LSU’s bars lineup put the squad in a solid position after one rotation with a 49.375. Johnson opened with a 9.875 and freshmen Olivia Dunne and Bryant scored a 9.85 and 9.875 respectively. Alyona Shchennikova led the way for the squad with a 9.90 in the fifth spot and Sami Durante anchored with a 9.875.
 
The Tigers trailed Alabama, 98.700-98.775 at the halfway point of the meet after a 49.325 on vault. Durante started the lineup with a 9.85 and Elena Arenas scored a 9.825. Johnson provided a 9.85 in the fifth spot. Sarah Edwards and Bryant also each earned a 9.90.
 
The Tigers struggled to find their landings on floor but Edwards delivered a 9.90 and Bryant anchored with a 9.95 to get the squad to a 49.250. LSU also used a 9.825 from Dean and Arenas as well as a 9.85 from Shchennikova.
 
The beam lineup put up five 9.875s to end the night and give the squad a 49.375. The lineup of Desiderio, Bryant, Dean, Johnson and Shchennikova provided the consistent ending.
 
LSU returns to the road to face Kentucky at 6 p.m. on Friday Feb. 26 in Lexington. The meet will be live from Memorial Coliseum on SEC Network.
 

Photos By: Brittney Achord

2/10/2021
LSU Sports Information
​By: Brandon Berrio


                                LSU’s Finnegan Named to USA Gymnastics Board of Directors
 
   INDIANAPOLIS – Former LSU standout and U.S. National Team member Sarah Finnegan has been named to USA Gymnastics Board of Directors as the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics athlete director.
 
“It is an honor to be elected to USAG’s Board of Directors. I am looking forward to serving in this position to ensure the safety of athletes and to promote their overall well-being. I will be representing the athlete community at all levels of decision-making and will make certain their voices are heard.”
 
To qualify for the position, the athlete must have represented the U.S. in an Olympic, Pan American Games or World Championships either within the last 10 years or over the course of their competitive careers, respectively.
 
Finnegan was an international elite competitor at Great American Gymnastics Express (GAGE). She served as an alternate for the U.S. Gymnastics Olympic team, known as the “Fierce Five,” that won gold at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
 
“Sarah Finnegan possess a wealth of experiences that run the gamut as an athlete in our sport,” LSU Gymnastics head coach Jay Clark said. “She has experienced the highest of highs as well as some of the lows. Her depth of thought and genuine character as a human being make her perfect to serve as an athlete rep on this board. I know without a shadow of a doubt her mind will always rest with the welfare of the athlete first.”
 
While at LSU, Finnegan established herself as one of the greatest gymnasts in school history and one of the best student-athletes to ever wear the Purple and Gold. She was a two-time NCAA bars champion and finished her career with 23 All-America honors.
 
Finnegan was named the winner of the 2019 AAI Award, which goes to the top senior gymnast in the nation. She was also the only two-time Honda Award finalist in school history and only two-time SEC Gymnast of the Year in league history.
 
The Missouri native graduated in May 2019 with her bachelor’s degree in kinesiology. She was LSU’s nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award and currently pursuing her master’s degree in occupational therapy. 

2/10/2021
LSU Sports Information
By: Brando Berrio


                                 SEC Adjusts Site of 2021 Gymnastics Championships
 

​   BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - The Southeastern Conference announced Tuesday it is adjusting the site of the 2021 SEC Gymnastics Championship from New Orleans to Huntsville due to the ongoing impact of COVID-19.
 
The 2021 SEC Gymnastics Championship will be held March 20 at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama.  The event was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was last held in New Orleans in 2019 before a crowd of 10,505.
 
“We enjoyed an electric environment with an SEC-record crowd in New Orleans’ Smoothie King Center when it hosted this event in 2019 and we look forward to returning there when we can provide our student-athletes a similar experience in the future,” said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey.  “A geographically central location is appropriate in the current COVID-19 environment.  We appreciate the support from the Huntsville community and the Von Braun Center to provide an excellent venue for this year’s Championship.”
 
Huntsville is hosting the SEC Championship for the first time.  For 20 years beginning with the inaugural event in 1981, SEC campuses hosted the Conference championship until it moved to a neutral site in 2001. It has since been held in seven different locations.
 
“We are honored to step up and host the SEC Gymnastics Championship in Huntsville,” said Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle.  “We promise participants will find a high-caliber venue and a welcoming community, and we look forward to seeing this outstanding competition in the Rocket City.”
 

2/10/2021
LSU Sports Information
By: William Franques


                                       LSU TIGER TRACKS THIS WEEK ON CST
 

   BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU Tiger Tracks, a program highlighting various aspects of the university and its athletics department, can be seen at 9:30 p.m. CT Wednesday on Cox Sports Television. A replay of the show will air on Friday at 7:30 a.m. CT.
 
The show, hosted by Jordy Hultberg and Bill Franques, is a weekly 30-minute production featuring interviews with LSU administrators, coaches and student-athletes, along with a look at some of the events and scholarly activity on campus.
 
Tiger Tracks begins with a report by correspondent Paul Boron on the hiring of the new defensive coaches for LSU Football – defensive coordinator Daronte Jones, linebackers coach Blake Baker and defensive line coach Andre Carter.
 
Boron later provides a profile on women’s basketball guard Tiara Young, a product of Walker (La.) High School, who has emerged as one of the Tigers’ top players.
 
The show also features an update on baseball preseason workouts, and Tiger Tracks concludes with a look at LSU’s student success help desk.
 

2/6/2021
By: Brittney Achord
Da Boot Sports!

AUBURN, AL - It was all about setting season highs and career highs last night in Auburn for this LSU Tiger Gymnastics team. With a final score of 197.550 to 197.075, the No. 2 ranked LSU Tigers improved to 4-0 overall and 3-0 in the SEC for this 2021 season.

In a post meet interview, Head Coach Jay Clark stated, “I’m proud of the fight. They are continuing to grow. We still have not put a complete one together, but we are getting close. You can tell their confidence is growing. You can tell they know they’ve got what it takes, and we just keep moving on to the next one.”

The Tigers showed their depth with several new faces on each event, showing how strong this team can be. Post meet, Sami Durante commented, “We have a lot of people that can do a lot of great things.”

 A new face to the all-around was Alyona Shchennikova and what a night she had! With season and career highs on three of the four events, Shchennikova finished 2nd in the all-around with a 39.525 behind Haleigh Bryant’s incredible 39.550.

Post meet, Coach Jay Clark recapped Alyona's performance for the night stating, “I’m just really proud of Alyona Shchennikova. The growth she has shown since meet one, and from last year doing one event, and now throwing in at the last minute going in for Kiya right before touch and hitting that beam set for us the way that she did. She’s shown so much growth and I’m just really proud of her being able to get in four events and be the presence that she is becoming for us.” Speaking with Alyona, she praised her teammates for helping give her the confidence needed event to event. “I literally cannot do it without them. When they say this is a team, that is what it is. This team is something else.” - Alyona Shchennikova.

LSU Bar Team Make a Powerful Statement to Start the Night Off
The Tigers got things started with not only a season high bar score, but the second best bar score in the nation, scoring a 49.475.  When you hit six out of six routines, dropping a 9.825, it is a great night.  Kiya Johnson got this Tiger team roaring with her powerful punch of a routine and her 9.90 bar score.  Chase Brock would continue the momentum with a solid routine, scoring a  season and career high 9.875.  Olivia Dunne brought poise and grace, as well as another season and career high 9.925.  The all-around duo, Haleigh Bryant and Alyona Shchennikova, would give two dynamic routines with matching scores of 9.825. It was Sami Durante once again who stole the night on bars with her mesmerizing routine that would score a 9.95.

Over on the vault the Auburn Tigers would put up a 49.150 giving the LSU Tigers the lead going into rotation two.

Three Career Highs Brought Victory on Vault for the Tigers
Chase Brock got vault started with an impressive yurchenko-full scoring a 9.800. Back in the vault lineup since January 15 against Arkansas, Kiya Johnson brought a 9.70 to the Tiger vault score.  Alyona Shchennikova, Elena Arenas, and Haleigh Bryant amplified the night with matching scores of 9.90.  Not only would this be season and career highs for Shchennikova and Arenas, a matching career high for Bryant, but also in a four-way tie, gave them three of the four titles on vault for the night.  The LSU vault team finished with a 49.200 pushing their lead to 98.675 over Auburn’s 98.600.

A Night of Season and Career Highs Continued onto the Floor
The LSU floor lineup matched their season high of 49.450.  The LSU Tigers continued on their march to victory, hitting six of the six floor routines. We would get to see new faces to the floor lineup tonight and they showed up and showed out, proving their place in this lineup.  Bridget Dean opened on floor with a mighty routine that would score a 9.80.  Reagan Campell brought another season high for the Tigers with elegance and control, scoring a 9.90 . Alyona Shchennikova kept her light shining with a stunning routine, adding another season and career high to her night scoring a 9.925 for the Tigers.  Two new faces in the Tiger floor lineup would bring more energy to an already fully charged Tiger team.  Sierra Ballard would light up the floor with her collegiate debut scoring a 9.825. Elena Arenas stepped into her collegiate debut with confidence and dominated her floor routine scoring a 9.875 for the Tigers floor team. All eyes were on Haleigh Bryant and her new addition to her second pass we have been hearing so much about.  She handled it flawlessly!  Bryant’s 9.925 floor score would keep LSU ahead of Auburn 148.125 to 147.875.

The Beam Team Secured Victory With Another Season High
What better way to end the night that has been filled with season highs, career highs, and new faces than with a season best beam score of 49.425.  This Tiger beam team hit another six of six routines, dropping an impressive 9.85 score from Sami Durante.  Christina Desiderio would open for the Tigers on beam with a season high 9.90. Haleigh Bryant commanded the beam and the all-around, matching her career high score and Desiderio’s 9.90. Bridge Dean brought a captivating beam routine that would add a 9.875 to the Tiger beam score. Alyona Shchennikova proved the capability and depth this Tiger team has.  Shchennikova is the Cinderella of the night and as the clock struck midnight, Shchennikova put up another career high 9.875 with an enchanting beam routine that would also clinch her second place all-around spot. Anchoring for the Tigers, Reagan Campbell matched Schennikova and Dean’s scores of 9.875 with an exquisite routine.  

The Tigers ended this magical night with a season high 197.550.  They were able to come into the Auburn Arena, dominate each event, hit six of six routines on three of the four events, prove the depth they have on each event, and set season and career highs along the way. What a way to win on the road.  

Next up, the No. 2 ranked LSU Tigers go head-to-head with No. 1 ranked Florida back in the PMAC on Friday, February 12. The meet kicks off at 6:15 CT and will be televised on the SEC Network.