Da Boot Sports
4/15/2023
LSU Sports Communications
By: Alyssa Leal


   ORT WORTH, Texas – The LSU gymnastics team concluded the 2023 season with a team score of 197.525 in the NCAA Championship Final to finish fourth nationally, Saturday afternoon at Dickies Arena. 

Oklahoma won the NCAA Championship with a team score of 197.3875. Florida finished second (197.2375) and Utah finished third (197.9375). 

Junior Haleigh Bryant led the Tigers with a 39.725 all-around score, which marks the best for an LSU gymnast at an NCAA Championship in school history. 

Overall, four LSU gymnasts made their debut at this NCAA Championship and the program will bring back nearly all 24 routines, including more with the potential for seniors Alyona Shchennikova, Kiya Johnson and Cammy Hall for a fifth and final season. 

The squad opened the national championship with a 49.3125 on bars. Alexis Jeffrey and Ashley Cowan scored a 9.8375 and 9.825. Tori Tatum matched her NCAA Championship best with a 9.875. Aleah Finnegan followed with a 9.825 and Alyona Shchennikova earned a 9.80. Bryant anchored the event with a 9.95 to match the highest on the event at the NCAA Championship in school history. 

In the second rotation, LSU scored a 49.2375 and rebounded after a shaky opening routine. Shchennikova scored a 9.8125 to set the next four performers. Jeffrey and Ballard each followed with a 9.825. Bryant built on the rotation with a 9.85 and Finnegan anchored with a 9.925. 

The Tigers put up six strong floor routines heading into the final half of the meet for a 49.450. Sierra Ballard opened with a 9.8125 and Shchennikova scored a 9.85 in the second spot. Arenas earned a 9.9125 and Chase Brock matched her career high with a 9.925. Two of the top floor performers in the country, Finnegan and Bryant, ended the third rotation with a 9.925 and 9.9375 respectively. 

LSU punctuated the climb of the 2023 season with an outstanding 49.525 on vault. The score tied the highest at a championship final and second best at an NCAA Championship for the program. Arenas led off the squad with a 9.90 and Shchennikova scored a 9.925. Finnegan scored a 9.8625 and was sandwiched between 9.8875s from Brock and Bryce Wilson. Bryant ended the night with a 9.9875, which tied for the highest at an NCAA Championship in LSU history. 
​

Da Boot Sports
4/13/2023
LSU Sports Communications
By: Alyssa Leal


   FORT WORTH, Texas – Through one of the most improbable journeys, the LSU Gymnastics program has once again punched its ticket to the NCAA Championship after finishing in the top spot at NCAA Semifinal I, Thursday afternoon at Dickies Arena.

The Tigers finished on top in the afternoon semifinal with a team score of 197.475 to advance to Saturday’s championship. Fellow SEC counterpart Florida (197.400) also advanced out of the first semifinal session. California finished third with a score of 196.9125 and Denver finished fourth with 196.500 in the prelims.

“I am just so proud of this team. They are such a special group. I just wanted to enjoy the ride and take it as far as we possibly could,” said head coach Jay Clark. “We’ve been riding the wave and going where it takes us. The adversity of this team has been spoken about so much and you saw the fight in them today. At the end of the meet, I just told them how in awe I am of them. I want them to enjoy these moments.”

LSU has now advanced to the NCAA team final nine times in school history. This marks the second time since the Four on the Floor format began in 2019 that LSU has advanced to the championship and first time under head coach Jay Clark.

The squad will compete for the program’s first NCAA Championship at 3 p.m. CT on Saturday, April 15, at Dickies Arena. The meet, which will air live on ABC, will feature LSU, Florida and the top two finishers from Semifinal II featuring Oklahoma, Utah, UCLA and Kentucky. The Tigers’ rotation will be determined following the evening semifinal and will be based on the teams’ NQS.

Junior Haleigh Bryant sits in the top spot in the all-around standings after a 39.6875. Her score is the second highest at NCAA Championships and the best in a semifinal in school history.

“We’ve had so much adversity, but Jay always says that if we want to honor someone, then do it with your actions,” said Bryant. “We just want to do our best gymnastics for those people that can’t contribute right now.”

Sophomore Aleah Finnegan is also in a favorable spot to take home an NCAA individual championship after a 9.9625 on floor in her NCAA Championships debut. She is tied with Florida’s Leanne Wong in first place. The NCAA championships will be determined by the performer with the top score in all four events and the all-around following the second semifinal on Thursday night.

The Tigers started the semifinal competition off on beam and scored a 49.275 to sit in third following the first rotation. Elena Arenas led off with a 9.7375 and Alyona Shchennikova scored a 9.775 in the second spot. Alexis Jeffrey and Sierra Ballard both posted strong scores with a 9.8375 and 9.8125 respectively. Haleigh Bryant scored a 9.9375 and Finnegan anchored with a 9.9125.

LSU climbed its way to second at the halfway point with a 49.475, which tied for the third-highest prelim score on the event in school history. Ballard set the tone for the squad with a 9.80 and Shchennikova scored a 9.8875 in the second routine. Sophomore KJ Johnson, who was a last-minute confirmation for the floor lineup, gave the Tigers a crucial performance and scored a 9.875. Finnegan earned her 9.9625 in the fifth spot and Bryant anchored with a 9.95.

In the third rotation, LSU held its own after scoring a 49.250 on vault. Arenas opened the event with a 9.825 and Shchennikova scored a 9.8375 on her Yurcehnko ½. Finnegan scored a 9.85 and freshman Bryce Wilson made her debut by scoring a 9.85. Bryant anchored the event with a 9.8625. The Tigers stayed in second following both Cal and Denver counting a fall and sat just .100 behind Florida with their score of 148.000.

LSU needed five hit routines to advance to the national championship and Jay Clark’s bars lineup delivered six-for six hit routines. Freshman Ashley Cowan and sophomore Tori Tatum made their NCAA debuts and delivered with their scores of 9.875. Finnegan scored a 9.925 and Shchennikova secured the squad’s spot in the championship with a 9.8625. Bryant anchored the bars lineup and the meet for the Tigers with a 9.9375, which pushed the squad to first overall.

The 49.475 bars score tied for the second highest on the event at the NCAA Championships in school history and secured the Tigers trip to the championship.


LSU and Florida now await the conclusion of Semifinal II to determine the two remaining teams in the final four and the championship rotation.
​

Da Boot Sports
4/2/2023
LSU Sports Communications
By: Alyssa Leal


   DENVER, Colo. – The sixth-ranked LSU Gymnastics team booked their ticket to the 2023 NCAA Championships after advancing out of the NCAA Denver Regional Final with their final score of 197.750 in Magness Arena.

No. 14 Denver took the regional title while LSU and Michigan finished the meet tied at second. In order to determine who would advance, the sixth score from each rotation was used to break the tie between the Tigers and the Wolverines. After including all six scores from both teams, the Tigers came out on top with a score of 237.050-235.725.

The squad notched the program's 32nd appearance at the NCAA Championships.

"The beat goes on. We weren't perfect, but this team just continues to fight and do enough to keep it going," said head coach Jay Clark. "I'm just so proud of them and their spirt and who they are as people. They do it for each other. This is a special group, and it makes it that much sweeter that we got through it in the fashion that we did against some very good teams."

LSU started off hot on vault with a score of 49.375 in the first rotation. Elena Arenas led off with a strong 9.900 to set the tone. Alyona Shchennikova scored a 9.825 in the second spot. Chase Brock posted another 9.900 and Aleah Finnegan followed with a 9.850. In her first appearance back in the lineup since the Florida meet, KJ Johnson earned a 9.850. Haleigh Bryant anchored with a 9.875.

The bars squad set a new LSU regional record score and a season high score of 49.525 in the second rotation. Alexis Jeffrey recorded a career high 9.950 in the leadoff spot. Ashley Cowan posted a 9.850 in her first postseason routine as a Tiger. Tori Tatum continued to show out for the squad as she recorded a 9.900 and Finnegan recorded 9.850. Shchennikova scored a 9.825 before Bryant anchored and recorded a regional program high score with her 9.975 at the Denver Regional Final.

In the third rotation, Arenas led off the beam squad with her 9.850 and Shchennikova followed with a scored 9.875. Jeffrey added another 9.850 in the third spot and Sierra Ballard followed with a 9.800. Bryant and Finnegan finished the rotation with scores of a 9.900 and a 9.950, respectively. The Tigers posted its fifth-highest score at a regional with their score of 49.425 on the day.

In the final rotation on the floor, Ballard started things off with a 9.850. Shchennikova put up a 9.900 and Brock followed with a 9.850. Arenas recorded a 9.875 and Finnegan added a 9.850. Bryant anchored with a 9.950 to keep LSU in position to advance. The Tigers finished with a 49.425 on floor to close out competition in Magness Arena.  

LSU recorded the second highest regional score in school history with their final score of 197.750 to defeat No. 11 Oregon State and No. 3 Michigan in the tiebreaker and advance out of the Denver regional.

Bryant finished as the top performer on bars and floor in the regional final with her scores on the day. 

The Tigers are one of eight teams headed to Fort Worth to compete in the NCAA Semifinals on Thursday, April 13, where they will face No. 2 Florida, No. 7 California and No. 14 Denver in Dickies Arena.
​

Da Boot Sports
4/1/2023
LSU Sports Communications
By: Alyssa Leal


   DENVER, Colo. – The sixth ranked LSU gymnastics team advanced to the Denver Regional Final on Sunday, April 2, after posting a score of 197.375 in the first session of second round competition on Friday afternoon.

The Tigers finished tied at the top with No. 11 Oregon State with their final score on the day and defeated Georgia and Nebraska to advance to the round of 16.  

“We did just enough. It wasn’t pretty in all places, but we did enough, and that’s what matters,” said head coach Jay Clark. “That’s always the priority of this whole weekend. Whether you win, whether you’re second or whether you tie as long as you move on. This team has been through so much adversity, and they’ve been galvanized by it and come together as a group. So many kids stepped in, stood up and did the job. They’ve been fighters all year long and I’m proud of that.” 

Elena Arenas led things off on beam for the Tigers in Magness Arena with her score of 9.825. Alyona Shchennikova followed with a 9.800 in the second spot. Alexis Jeffrey posted a 9.900 and Sierra Ballard added a 9.850. Haleigh Bryant tied for third highest beam score at a regional with her 9.950 routine to elevate the beam squad to the tie for the program’s sixth highest score on the event with a 49.325.

In the second rotation, Ballard led off with a 9.875 to start things off on floor. Shchennikova followed with another 9.875 and Chase Brock matched her career high on floor with her 9.925. Arenas posted a strong 9.900 routine and Bryant closed with a team-high 9.950 as the floor squad tied for second highest score at regionals with a 49.525.

The Tigers led at the halfway point in Magness Arena with a score of 98.850 followed by Oregon State’s 98.800, Georgia’s 98.600 and Nebraska’s 97.625. 

On vault, Arenas led off with a 9.850 followed by Schennikova, who also posted a 9.850. Brock scored a 9.800 in the third spot and Aleah Finnegan came back strong and tallied the third 9.850 of the rotation. Wilson added a 9.825 before Bryant posted a 9.875 to close the third rotation with a vault score of 49.250.

The Tigers wrapped up the meet on bars, where Jeffrey led off with a 9.900. Finnegan and Shchennikova both added scores of 9.850 before Bryant anchored with a 9.925. The bars squad finished with a 49.275 to clinch the top spot and advance to the next round.

Bryant finished as the top performer in the meet with her all-around score of 39.700, which ties for the third highest score at a regional in program history. 

The junior also took the titles on bars and beam with her scores of 9.950 and 9.925 on the events. 

Her three titles on Friday afternoon moved her total to 29 titles this year with 10 on the all-around, nine on vault, four on bars, four on beam and two on floor.

LSU is one step closer to making their 32nd appearance in the NCAA Championships as they will compete for the program's 14th regional title on Sunday, April 2, at 6 p.m. CT in Magness Arena. 

The Denver Regional Championship will feature No. 6 LSU, No. 11 Oregon State, and the top two finishers in the second session of the second round, which includes No. 3 Michigan, No. 14 Denver, Minnesota and Arizona.

Da Boot Sports
3/18/2023
LSU Sports Communications
By: Alyssa Leal


   DULUTH, Ga. – The No. 6 LSU Gymnastics team finished third at the 2023 SEC Championships with a score of 197.800 on Saturday night in Gas South Arena. 

LSU competed in Session II alongside top-seeded Florida, third seed Kentucky and fourth seed Alabama and recorded the program's third highest overall score at the conference championships with their score on the night.


The Tigers improved their NQS to 197.840 after their performance at the SEC Championships. Selections for the NCAA postseason will take place on Monday, March 20, at 11 a.m. CT on NCAA.com.


"We're always disappointed when we know we left things on the floor, but the other part of that is that they continued to show their fight and their grit. Our score was consistent with what've done all year," said head coach Jay Clark. "Given the circumstances, I am just proud of their continued fight. Now, we move onto regionals."


LSU started off on bars, where Alexis Jeffrey led off with a solid 9.850 routine. Olivia Dunne followed with a season high of 9.850. Tori Tatum scored her fourth 9.900 this season to match her career high. Aleah Finnegan added another 9.850 in the fourth spot and Haleigh Bryant anchored with a 9.875 to round out the team's score of 49.325. 


The Tigers then moved to beam, where Shchennikova and Jeffrey each scored a 9.875. Sierra Ballard scored a 9.850 in the third spot and Bryant followed with a 9.825. Finnegan anchored with her 9.925 performance to close the second rotation with a score of 49.350 and notch the squad's sixth-highest score on the event at the conference meet. 


Florida led the meet at the halfway point with a score of 99.075, while Alabama followed with a 98.925, Kentucky with a 98.725 and LSU with a 98.675.


LSU showed out in the third rotation on the floor. Ballard led off with a strong 9.900 to set the tone and Shchennikova followed with another 9.900. Chase Brock matched her career high and posted a 9.925, which she has recorded three times this season. Finnegan and Bryant were nearly perfect and earned 9.950's in the fifth and sixth spots to boost the Tigers floor score of 49.625. The score tied for the highest score on the event at the SEC Championships.


In the final rotation, Arenas started things off with her 9.900 on vault and Shchennikova followed with a 9.875. Finnegan earned a 9.900 in the third spot, while Bryce Wilson scored a career 9.925 in her first postseason routine as a Tiger. Bryant anchored the vault squad with a 9.900 to close with a score of 49.500 and post the program's sixth-highest score in the meet. 


The Gators took the win in the evening session with their final score of 198.425, followed by Alabama's 197.925, LSU's 197.800 and Kentucky's 197.675.


The Tigers finished third in the SEC Championships in the squad's competition against all seven teams in the conference. After a full day of competition, Florida finished on top to win the title against Alabama, LSU, Kentucky, Auburn, Missouri, Arkansas and Georgia. 


Bryant and Finnegan finished as two of the top floor performers in the conference as they tied for second on floor with their scores of 9.950, respectively. The two finished amongst the top-1o SEC performers in the competition as Finnegan placed fourth in the all-around with her score of 39.625 and Bryant placed seventh with her score of 39.550. 


Four Tigers placed amongst the top-10 performers in the competition on vault. Wilson tied for fifth after her team-high performance while Arenas, Finnegan and Bryant tied for seventh. Finnegan also placed sixth on beam.


Tatum finished eighth on bars with her team-high 9.900 routine and Brock finished sixth on floor after matching her career high on the event. Ballard and Shchennikova also placed tenth on floor with their scores of 9.900.
​

Da Boot Sports
3/10/2023
LSU Sports Communications
By: Alyssa Leal


   BATON ROUGE – The No. 6 LSU Gymnastics team (8-5, 5-3 SEC) defeated West Virginia (11-8, 1-2 BIG 12) with a score of 198.025-196.450 on Friday night to close the regular season in the PMAC.

It was a historical night for junior Haleigh Bryant, who recorded three 10’s and made program history. She became the only LSU gymnast to record three perfect scores in a single meet and only the fifth gymnast in NCAA Gymnastics to do so.

Bryant now owns 10 career perfect scores to place her to the top for most in program history. In the Tigers competition against West Virginia, she recorded her first career perfect scores on bars and floor and seventh on vault to move her total to 10.

“Tonight was a great night. We’ll enjoy this tonight and celebrate our seniors, and then it’s on to the SEC Championship next weekend,” said head coach Jay Clark. “I’m really pleased that this team has fought their way to be in the position that they are as the number two seed at SEC’s. That’s a tremendous accomplishment in all of the adversity that they’ve faced this season. There’s no quit in them.”

Junior Elena Arenas led the Tigers off on vault with her score of 9.875 and senior Alyona Shchennikova followed with 9.850. Junior Chase Brock earned a 9.750 while sophomore Aleah Finnegan followed with a 9.800. Bryant anchored with her eighth perfect score of her career on vault to close out the first rotation. The Tigers took the early lead after the first rotation with a score of 49.300. 

On bars, sophomore Alexis Jeffrey earned a 9.775 in the leadoff and sophomore Tori Tatum matched her season-high with a 9.900. Finnegan also matched her career high with a 9.925 in the fourth spot. Freshman Ashley Cowan earned a career high 9.900 in her PMAC debut and third appearance on bars this season. Bryant earned her second 10.00 on the night in the anchor spot to record her first perfect score on bars. It was the first perfect score on the event for a Tiger since 2019. 

LSU closed the second rotation with a 49.500 and the Tigers led at the halfway point, 98.800-98.100. 

Arenas led off the third rotation with a 9.850 and Shchennikova followed with a 9.875. Jeffrey posted a 9.900 in the third spot. Sierra Ballard scored a 9.825 and Bryant added a 9.875 before Finnegan closed with a strong 9.975 routine to take the win. The Tigers posted a 49.475 on beam and had the 148.275-147.450 lead going into the final rotation.

In the final floor rotation at home, Ballard led off for the Tigers and matched her career high 9.925. Shchennikova and Arenas both posted career highs with their scores of 9.975 and 9.925. Finnegan added another 9.925 in the fifth spot. Bryant recorded her third 10.00 of the night and first on floor to move her career total to 10, setting a new LSU record. 

LSU closed out the regular season victorious over West Virginia with a final score of 198.025-196.450. 

In the final home meet of the regular season, Bryant took the win with her career high all-around score of 39.875 to match April Burkholder for the highest all-around score in program history.

With her wins on vault, bars, floor and the all-around, Bryant now has 26 titles on the year: nine on vault, three on bars, three on beam, two on floor and nine all-around. The junior moved her career total to 56.

Finnegan took the beam title with her score of 9.975 on the night to earn her 14th title this year and sixth on beam.
​​

Da Boot Sports
3/3/2023
LSU Sports Communications
By: Alyssa Leal


   BATON ROUGE – The No. 6 LSU Gymnastics team finished on top in the Podium Challenge as they took down No.7 California, No. 23 Washington and George Washington with a score of 197.700 on the road in the Raising Cane’s River Center. 

“This is a team that continues to step up. I’m just proud of them and their resilience,” said Head Coach Jay Clark. “I’ve been doing this for 33 years and I don’t know if I’ve seen a year that has had as much adversity as this one. They just continue to believe and continue to fight, and they're doing it for each other and for LSU.”

Junior Haleigh Bryant won the all-around for the eighth time this season with her score of 39.650 on the night. She now owns 16 all-around titles in her career to tie her at sixth for career-best in LSU history. 

LSU began the meet on vault, where junior Elena Arenas led the squad off with a huge 9.900 routine. Senior Alyona Shchennikova followed with a 9.850. Junior Chase Brock matched her career high and hit a 9.975 in the third spot. Freshman Bryce Wilson made her second career appearance on vault and scored a 9.850 before junior Haleigh Bryant anchored with a 9.975. The Tigers earned a 49.550 in the first rotation.

Sophomore Alexis Jeffrey led off the bars squad with a 9.900 and junior Olivia Dunne followed with a 9.825. Sophomore Tori Tatum posted a 9.875 while freshman Ashley Cowan made her second collegiate appearance and posted a 9.850. Shchennikova scored a 9.800 in the fifth spot and Bryant anchored with a 9.900. LSU scored a 49.350 in the second rotation.

The Tigers were tied with California at the halfway point with a score of 98.900, followed by Washington’s 98.625 and George Washington’s 98.300.

On beam, Arenas started things off with a 9.825 followed by a 9.725 from Shchennikova. In her second career appearance on beam, Jeffrey scored a 9.850. Junior Sierra Ballard recorded a strong 9.900 and Bryant added a 9.850 in the fifth spot. In her return to the beam lineup, freshman Bryce Wilson anchored with a career high 9.850.

Ballard led off with a 9.850 routine on floor to begin the final rotation in the River Center. Shchennikova earned a 9.900 in the second spot followed by Brock, who continued her night with a 9.925 to match her career high. Arenas scored a 9.875 and Jeffrey scored a 9.750 before Bryant anchored with her Bryant anchored with her 9.975 to close out the competition with a floor score of 49.525.

The Tigers battled their way through adversity to come out victorious in the quad meet with California, Washington and George Washington. LSU finished with a 197.700 on the night, followed by California’s 197.675, Washington’s 196.000 and George Washington’s 195.125. 

Bryant earned her eighth all-around and vault titles with her scores of 9.975 on vault and 39.650 in the all-around to move her total to 22 titles this year She now owns 52 titles in her career to tie her at tenth in program history for most individual titles.

Brock recorded her first win after also taking the vault title in the quad meet. Her scores of 9.975 on vault and 9.925 on floor marked back-to-back meets that the junior recorded career high scores.

​The Tigers return home for senior night and the final regular season competition of the season next Friday, March 10, against West Virginia at 7 p.m. CT on SEC Network Plus.

Da Boot Sports
2/25/2023
LSU Sports Communications
By: Alyssa Leal


   TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The No. 8 LSU Gymnastics team defeated No. 9 Alabama with a season high road score of 197.975-197.925 on Friday night.

It was a career night for LSU as the team posted a season high road score of 197.975 to take down Alabama.

The Tigers have won their fourth competition against the Crimson Tide in the team's last five meetings inside Coleman Coliseum. 

“It was a great meet and road score for us tonight. This team is full of fighters,” said head coach Jay Clark. “We started out rough, but we didn’t let it phase us. They caught fire on vault and it sent us to floor with a lot of confidence. They never let up. It was a total team effort. No matter how much this team gets set back, they continue to fight and show what they’re made of. We weren't perfect, but it was a gutsy performance.”

Junior Haleigh Bryant and sophomore Aleah Finnegan both recorded perfect scores to lead the Tigers to victory. The last time two gymnasts earned a perfect score in the same meet was in 2022, when Kiya Johnson and Haleigh Bryant both earned 10’s in the Tigers win over Auburn. It was the first time since 2019 two 10’s were recorded on the road.

Finnegan’s 10 on floor marked her fourth straight in as many meets, making her the only LSU gymnast to record such an accomplishment. The sophomore now owns two career perfect scores on floor and four in her career. Bryant moved her career total to seven on vault. 

LSU started the meet off on bars, scoring a 49.175 for the event. Sophomore Alexis Jeffrey led off with a 9.800 followed by junior Olivia Dunne who made her first appearance of the year for the Tigers, scoring a 9.825. Sophomore Tori Tatum earned a 9.875 in the third spot and senior Alyona Shchennikova added a 9.750. Bryant anchored with a team-high 9.925 to send the team to the second rotation.

Elena Arenas hit a huge 9.925 routine to lead off on vault and earn a season high. Chase Brock scored a career high 9.975 in the third spot and freshman Bryce Wilson followed with a 9.875 in her first career appearance in the event. Finnegan added a 9.900 before Bryant anchored with her perfect ten, which was the seventh of her career. The Tigers put up a 49.675 on vault to tie for the second highest score in program history overall and on the road.

LSU led at the halfway point with a score of 98.850-98.650.

On floor, junior Sierra Ballard led off with a 9.850 followed by Jeffrey, who made her first appearance in the lineup for the Tigers and scored a 9.750. Brock continued her career night and earned a career high with her 9.925 performance. In the fifth spot, Finnegan had another perfect routine to mark her second on floor for the year and take the win. Bryant anchored with a 9.975 as the Tigers earned a 49.575 in the third rotation. 

In the final rotation, Arenas continued to show poise for the Tigers and led off with a 9.850. In her first career appearance on beam, Jeffrey scored a 9.900. Junior Sierra Ballard recorded a career high score of a 9.925 and Bryant added a 9.900. Finnegan closed the night out with a 9.975 to help the Tigers match their season high beam score of 49.550.

Despite injury setbacks, the squad continued to climb as LSU battled for the win in Tuscaloosa.

​Bryant's performance earned her the all-around title on the night with her career high score of 39.800. After earning two titles against the Crimson Tide, she now owns 20 titles on the year; two on bars, three on beam, one on floor and seven on vault and the all-around.

The Tigers next competition will be on Friday, March 3, as they take on California, Washington and George Washington for a podium meet in the Raising Cane’s River Center at 6 p.m. CT.

Da Boot Sports
2/18/2023
By: Terrill J. Weil


   BATON ROUGE, LA - It was an electric night in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Friday as a crowd of 12,000 plus witnessed LSU's strongest performance of the season. 

   Florida faulted early in the bars and the Lady Tigers took advantage of the mistakes as they defeated the #2 ranked Gators, 198.100 - 197.975 

   LSU finally put an entire meet together with strong showings in all four events. The performance showed the nation how talented this group of young ladies are, as they competed at the highest level, a level that everyone has been waiting to see since the season began. 

   In the opening vault event LSU was lead by Haleigh Bryant's 9.975 and Aleah Finnegan's 9.950, while
the Gators were having struggles on the bars. 

   Next, the Lady Tigers took to the bars in dominating fashion with six outstanding scores to keep them ahead of the #2 ranked team in the country at the halfway point. 
   Bryant again led LSU with a 9.950 while Elena Arenas, Alexis Jeffrey and Tori Tatum scored a solid 9.900 each. Alyona Shchennikova and Finnegan each finished with 9.850

   The beam is where LSU has had most of their struggles so far this season, but ended up performing with grace and focus, scoring their best overall score of the season in the event. 
   Aleah Finnegan was perfect in her routine, scoring a 10.00, followed by Bryant's 9.925 and Kai River's 9.900,..
KJ Johnson landed a nice 9.875 while Shchennikova scored a 9.850 and Arenas recorded a 9.825

   LSU put an exclamation point on their victory with their typical strong showing on the floor. KJ Johnson led the way with a 9.950 that should have been a 10.00, followed by Bryant's outstanding 9.925,.. Shchennikova  finished with a 9.925 while Finnegan landed a 9.900, Sierra Ballard's 9.875 and Arenas with a 9.825

   With the win the 8th ranked Tigers are now 3-5 overall and 3-3 in SEC action. 

   Next up LSU will travel to Tuscaloosa to take on Alabama, Friday, Feb. 24 at 7:00pm CT. 

Photos Below By: Jonathan Mailhes

Da Boot Sports
2/11/2023
By: Terrill J. Weil


   AUBURN, AL - The LSU gymnastics team dropped another contest, this time on the road at Auburn on Friday night, 197.750 -197.500 ...

   The Tigers now sit at 2-5 overall, 2-3 in the SEC and remain winless on the road, 0-4. 

   “Overall, I thought it was a very good meet. We stayed aggressive and stayed true to our message,” said head coach Jay Clark. “We’ll continue to keep climbing and keep getting better. This score will help us tremendously once NQS begins and will set us up to move up as we get closer to postseason.”

   The talented Lady Tigers once again showed fight as they displayed a strong performance except for a hick-up here and there in each event that cost them the win.

   There were several positives on the night.  On vault Aleah Finnegan scored a 10.000 while 
Alyona Shchennikova posted a 9.925 and Haleigh Bryant registered a 9.900 ...

   Bryant scored a 9.950 to lead the Bayou Ben-Gals on bars.

   On beam, Finnegan scored an impressive 9.950 while Kai Rivers and Haleigh Bryant each posted a 9.900 ...

   Finnegan also lead the Tigers on the floor, as her routine landed a 9.975 while Shchennikova posted a strong 9.925 ...

   Aleah Finnegan had an incredible night finishing with a new career all-time high of 39.800 (10.000 vault,.. 9.875 bars,.. 9.950 beam,.. 9.975 floor)

   It's not going to get any easier for LSU as next they will host No. 2 Florida on Friday, Feb. 17 at 8:00pm before traveling to Tuscaloosa to take on the 11th ranked Crimson Tide. 

​ 

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Da Boot Sports
​2/4/2023
LSU Sports Communications
By: Alyssa Leal


   BATON ROUGE - The No. 9 LSU Gymnastics team defeated No. 17 Georgia with a season high score of 197.700-196.925 in front of an electric crowd on Friday night in the PMAC.


“I’m really proud of this team. We continue to see their theme of their fight and it has become the team’s identity,” said head coach Jay Clark. “We put together one of our best floor rotations, minus one mistake that we’ve seen all year. I thought vault was outstanding from start to finish. Bars was a little less than where we have been in previous meets, but nonetheless still effective, and beam we continue to fight. We’ll feel good about this tonight and then get back to work on Sunday as we head into a big Auburn environment next week.”

“It was a great night. It was our highest score of the year and I’m impressed with the fans coming out again after the week that it’s been in the PMAC. We are so appreciative of them and the students for being so consistent this year. It’s been tremendous and that lifts us in ways that you can’t measure.”

A crowd of 12,099 fans showed out to watch the Tigers defeat the Bulldogs for the sixth-straight time in the PMAC. Sophomore Aleah Finnegan recorded her first career perfect 10 on floor to boost the Tigers to a season high floor score of 49.675 and help LSU secure the win..

LSU started off strong on vault, scoring a 49.475. Finnegan earned a 9.900 and junior Chase Broke put up a career high 9.95 to help the Tigers get off to a strong start after the first rotation. Sophomore KJ Johnson recorded a 9.875 and junior Haleigh Bryant anchored with a 9.975 of her own to take the title.

On bars, sophomore Alexis Jeffrey led off with a 9.900. Finnegan scored a 9.850 in the fourth spot while senior Alyona Shchennikova followed with a 9.875. Bryant anchored with a 9.900 to close the second rotation with a score of 49.300 and propel the squad into the third rotation. Jeffrey and Bryant, along with Georgia’s Haley De Jong, won the event with performances.

The Tigers lead the Bulldogs at the halfway point 98.775-98.300. 

In the third rotation, Schennikova continued to bring the competition as she scored a 9.850. Bryant and Finnegan both recorded 9.900’s on beam to take the co-title as LSU scored a 49.250 for the third rotation. 

LSU finished strong to secure the win in the final rotation. Both Shchennikova and Bryant scored a 9.925, while KJ Johnson matched her career high with her 9.950 routine. Finnegan earned her first career perfect score in the fifth spot to take the win. It was a season high performance from the floor squad. 

Bryant finished the night with her sixth all-around title in six meets as she finished the night with a 39.700.

Finnegan’s 10 marks the first in her career and third title on floor this season. The sophomore finished the night with a career high all-around score of 39.650.

Shchennikova’s all-around score of 39.400 also recorded a season high for her. 

The Tigers will be back in action on Friday, February 10, as they travel to take on Auburn for a 7:30 p.m. CT tilt on the SEC Network.

Photos Below By: Michael Bacigalupi

Photos Below By: Jonathan Mailhes

Da Boot Sports
1/28/2023
By: Terrill J. Weil


   BATON ROUGE, LA - LSU traveled to Fayetteville hoping to build on their first win of the season last week against Missouri in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, but the Lady Tigers dropped another close one, falling to the Arkansas Razorbacks, 197.475 - 197.250  

   The Tigers held a slight lead after the first three rotations, but faltered on the beam allowing the
​Lady Hogs to escape with the victory. 

   Haleigh Bryant recorded her fifth straight all around title, finishing the night with 39.575

   “We’re continuing to get better. We hit 24 routines, but we allowed the environment to get to us at the end,” said head coach Jay Clark. “It’s a decent road score that improves our average, but it was short of what we wanted to accomplish today. Now we have to get back in the gym and get better.”

   Really Jay Clark? You inherited a gymnastics program loaded with talent and in each of your first three seasons the program has declined each year under your leadership. 

   Clark is known as a great recruiter but may simply not be head coach material, as he fizzled out in
similar fashion after his first season as the Georgia Bulldogs head coach. 

   This group of incredibly talented young ladies are now sitting at 1-4 due to a coaching staff's inability to coach up their mental toughness. This has lead to costly concentration mistakes. Mistakes that are costing them wins.

   Since the great Dee Dee Breaux stepped down after the 2020 season, you can see the mental part of
the ladies performances slip, especially on the vault and beam. 

   The 2021 team had a great season and the beginning of the Jay Clark era looked promising.
The squad dropped three regular season meets that season, but finished in 2nd place at the SEC Championships meet. They would go on to finish 2nd at the Utah Regional advancing to Forth Worth, where the Tigers would place 4th in the semifinals

   In 2022 the team dropped three meets during a roller coaster ride type regular season before struggling in the postseason, finishing with a disappointing 5th place in the SEC Championships meet. The struggles continued into the NCAA Raleigh, NC Regional where they would place 3rd ending their season.

   Now, with a roster oozing with talent, the Tigers are sitting at 1-4. 

   One of LSU's strongest events, the vault, has sputtered, especially in 2022 since Clark's decision to
force longtime LSU assistant coach Bob Moore into retirement, replacing the legendary vault coach with Garrett Griffeth. Though, we have witnessed improvement in that area in 2023.  

   Also since Clark has taken over the program the beam event has struggled, as several
​"lack of focus" performances have cost the Tigers on several occasions. 

​   Are we witnessing the LSU gymnastics program steadily fall from elite status? 

   If so, when will Scott Woodward decide to step in and stop the slide?

   If the Lady Tigers lose two or three more meets this season and fall short of or in postseason play, will
Jay Clark be forced to make staff changes at season's end or will he be forced to resign so the program can move in another direction? Only time will tell.....
 

Da Boot Sports
1/21/2023
LSU Sports Communications
By: Alyssa Leal


   BATON ROUGE – The ninth-ranked LSU Gymnastics picked up its first win of the season against No. 12 Missouri in the PMAC on Friday night with a 197.150-196.525 victory.

"Overall, I'm pleased. There was a lot of good that happened out there tonight. We got a win, but we have to be able to handle prosperity. When you start a meet out and you're almost at a 99.000, you have to be able to put the hammer down, and I think that's the lesson to come away with from tonight," said head coach Jay Clark.

"I love this bunch. They're gritty, and you've seen that over and over. They don't quit and they understand that when a mistake happens, what happens next is the most important thing. I'm proud of who they are and I'm proud of their fight, but they also know we have to get better if we want to be the team we want to be."

The Tigers started off hot on vault, scoring a season high 49.475 on the event highlighted by a perfect score from junior Haleigh Bryant in the anchor spot. Junior Elena Arenas led off with a strong 9.825 followed by senior  Alyona Shchennikova who earned a 9.875. Junior Chase Brock scored a season high 9.850 in the third spot as well as sophomore KJ Johnson who scored a 9.900. Sophomore Aleah Finnegan added another 9.850 before Bryant anchored with a 10 to take the title.


The perfect 10 marked Bryant’s first of the season and sixth in her career.


In the second rotation, sophomore Alexis Jeffrey led off with a career-high 9.925 to set the tone and earn her first title on the event. Arenas followed with a 9.850 in the second spot. Sophomore Tori Tatum had a career night in her second ever routine and earned a 9.900. Finnegan added another 9.850 in the fourth spot and Bryant anchored with a 9.900.


LSU finished the second rotation with a 49.425 and held on to the lead as the squad transitioned to beam.


The home Tigers were able to bounce back after a rough start on beam as Finnegan anchored with a 9.950 to take the title for the night. It was a career high performance from the sophomore. Bryant stayed composed and added a strong routine in the fifth spot with her 9.900.


LSU led Missouri 147.850-147.575 going into the final rotation in the PMAC.


In the floor leadoff spot, junior Sierra Ballard brought the energy with her 9.850 performance. Shchennikova followed with a strong 9.875 routine. KJ Johnson recorded a season high a 9.925 on floor and Bryant scored a 9.950 to finish off the night in fashion.


Bryant earned her fourth-straight all-around title against Missouri, as she matched her career high with a 39.750. 
The junior also took the titles on vault and floor, moving her individual title total to 11 this season.


Finnegan's title on beam moved her total to three on the year.


The Tigers will be back in action on Friday, January 27, as the team hits the road to face Arkansas at 8 p.m. CT on the SEC Network.

Photos Below By: Michael Bacigalupi

Da Boot Sports
​1/16/2023
By: Terrill J. Weil


   BATON ROUGE, LA - The LSU gymnastics team took to the floor in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center for the first time in 2023 looking for their first victory of the season after a disappointing 0-2 start, but the defending national champions and top ranked Oklahoma Sooners had other plans as the squeaked past the Tigers, 197.600-197.450,.. 

   "Well, you never like to lose, but I'll tell you this. The kids showed tremendous fight and heart today. We went against the best team in the country and the defending national champions and showed a lot of guts," said head coach Jay Clark. "I'm just proud of their fight. After the emotion that surrounded Friday night with Kiya getting hurt, they picked themselves up, got on message, and competed fearlessly."

​   The 197.450 was the Tigers highest score of the season as they kept pace with the Sooners all meet long, but a key mental miscue late in competition killed any chance of an upset as Chase Brock fell to the mat on her final landing attempt on her floor routine, drawing a 9.150 score. 

   LSU started strong in the opening rotation on vault. After Elena Arenas opened with a 9.775,
Alyona Shchennikova recorded a 9.875,... Chase Brock scored a 9.800,... KJ Johnson landed a 9.875,... Aleah Finnegan recorded a 9.850 and then, cha-ching! Haleigh Bryant posted a 9.925,...

   The bars were the Tigers best rotation event of the day with six impressive performances. Alexis Jeffrey led off the rotation with a 9.800, followed by Arenas with a 9.875,... Tori Tatum recorded a strong 9.875,... Finnegan scored a super 9.925,... Shehennikova landed a 9.875 and, cha-ching! Bryant rang up a 9.900,...

   On the beam LSU was good enough to keep pace with the Sooners. Kai Rivers lead off with a 9.800 while Sierra Ballad recorded a solid 9.875,... KJ Jackson landed a 9.750,... Arena scored a very nice 9.875,... followed by, cha-ching! Bryant ringing up a 9.950 that I felt should have been a 10,... Finnegan finished off the beam rotation with a 9.775,...

   The floor routines have recently been a strength for LSU and on this day four of the Lady Tigers flirted with a perfect 10. Ballard lead off with a fantastic routine, scoring a 9.900,... Shehennikova followed with an outstanding 9.925,... Brock recorded a 9.125,... Johnson danced to a 9.775,... then Finnegan and Bryant both finished with incredible routines. Finnegan with a 9.950 and Bryant with a 9.900,...

   Haleigh Bryant impressively took the all around title on the day with a season high 39.675,... She has won the all around title in all three meets so far this season.

   With the loss the Tigers are now 0-3 as they head into SEC play. 

   Next up LSU will host Missouri this Friday, Jan. 20 at 6:00pm CST in the PMAC.

Photos By: Michael Bacigalupi

Photos Below By: Jonathan Mailhes

*John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior)

Da Boot Sports
​1/14/2023
LSU Sports Communications
By: Alyssa Leal


   LEXINGTON, KY. – No. 10 LSU Gymnastics fell in its SEC opener against No. 12 Kentucky on Friday night with a score of 196.575-197.125 in Rupp Arena.


"Tough night losing Kiya and Bryce, but we have to keep moving forward and keep fighting," said head coach Jay Clark. "I'm proud of the leadership and fight we had to the finish, but now we have got to have some people step up."


LSU started off with a solid first rotation, scoring a 49.475 on bars. Senior Kiya Johnson led the squad off in Lexington, earning a 9.90 to set the tone. Sophomores Alexis Jeffrey and Aleah Finnegan both recorded new career highs with scores of a 9.90. In the anchor spot, junior Haleigh Bryant matched her career high with a 9.95 and took the individual title on the event for the night.


As the Tigers began their second rotation on vault, junior Elena Arenas led off with a score of a 9.80. Both Kiya Johnson and sophomore KJ Johnson posed strong routines to earn a 9.875. Bryant recorded a team-high 9.90 to round out the vault lineup.


The Tigers earned a score of 49.200 on vault and held on to the lead at the halfway point by a score of 98.675-98.625.


On floor, junior Sierra Ballard led off with a 9.85. Senior Alyona Shchennikova and KJ Johnson both added a 9.85 in the second and third spots. LSU finished with a 48.825 in the third rotation after Kiya Johnson suffered an injury in the sixth spot.


In the final rotation in Lexington, Kai Rivers started the beam squad off with a 9.85. After freshman Bryce Wilson suffered an injury in the second spot, the rest of the lineup continued their routines and battled through adversity. Bryant and Arenas had career nights on the event. Bryant matched her career high with a 9.95, while Arenas recorded a new career high, scoring a 9.925 after anchoring in place of her injured teammate.


LSU finished with a 49.075 in the final rotation and fell to the Wildcats with a final score of 196.575-197.125.


Haleigh Bryant earned a 39.575 on the night to take the all-around title on the night.The junior also took the title on bars and balance beam, alongside Kentucky's Raena Worley.


The Tigers will be back in action on Monday, January 16, for their home opener as they host No. 1 Oklahoma in the PMAC at 2 p.m. CT on ESPN2.