Da Boot Sports
1/26/2024
LSU Sports Communications
ByL Alyssa Leal


   COLUMBIA, MO — The No. 3 LSU Gymnastics team fell on the road to No. 9 Missouri by a score of 197.325-197.225 on Friday night in the Hearnes Center.

“We are obviously disappointed with that result. We still had a chance to win going into the last routine,” said head coach Jay Clark. “The good news is that it’s a regular season meet, but the bad news is that it’s a missed opportunity. If we’re going to be the team that I think we are, then we can’t have this drop in execution on the road. We’re going to go home and get better.”

LSU had a solid start on bars as Alexis Jeffrey led off with a 9.875 followed by Ashley Cowan, who matched her career high and posted a 9.90. Kiya Johnson kept it rolling with her 9.85 in the third spot. Savannah Schoenherr and Haleigh Bryant finished the rotation strong with their scores of 9.85 and 9.925, respectively. 

Bryant’s performance earned her the victory on bars, moving her total to 10 on the event and 66 in her career. The win ties her at seventh all-time in the school records with Jeanie Beadle for most individual titles. 

LSU scored a 49.400 in the first event of the night while Missouri started with a 49.425 on vault.

The visiting Tigers moved on to vault, where KJ Johnson posted a leadoff score of 9.875. Schoenherr and Bryant both recorded 9.90’s for the Tigers while Kiya Johnson added a 9.850. It was a 49.325 for LSU in the second rotation of the night. 

Missouri held onto the lead at the halfway point in the Hearnes Center by a score of 98.825-98.725.

Sierra Ballard opened with a 9.775 on floor for LSU. The freshmen duo of Konnor McClain and Amari Drayton showed out for the Tigers as they both earned a 9.875. Kiya Johnson closed out the event with a 9.90 and the Tigers finished with a 49.150 on floor. 

LSU took their first lead in the third rotation as the battle of the Tigers continued into the final rotation of the night. It was a 147.875-147.725 LSU lead heading into beam.

Ballard set the tone for the Tigers in the final rotation with her 9.85 in the leadoff spot. Kiya Johnson and Bryant added scores of 9.90 and 9.85 for the Tigers. After falling in her first routine of the night on bars, McClain went unphased and recorded a perfect 10 on beam for the first of her career and helped LSU to a 49.350 finish on beam.

McClain’s 10 on beam earned her the victory on the night. She now owns two titles through four meets of her freshman campaign. Her other title came after she recorded a perfect score on bars two weeks ago.

LSU fell short on the night and Missouri came out on top of the dual meet in Columbia. Johnson finished as the top all-around performer on the night with a score of 39.500. The title moves her career total to 43 in the Purple & Gold.

The Tigers are back in action on Friday, February 2 as they host Arkansas at 7:30 p.m. CT in the PMAC. The competition will be streamed on SEC Network +.

Da Boot Sports
1/19/2024
LSU Sports Communications
By: Alyssa Leal


   BATON ROUGE — The No. 8 LSU Gymnastics team defeated No. 6 Kentucky in their SEC opener after earning the highest score in the country on Friday night inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. 

The Tigers posted a 198.125 over the Wildcats, marking the highest score by any team in the country through three meets and the highest score by any SEC team so far this year. The victory also marked Jay Clark’s 50th win since being named head coach of the Fighting Tigers.

“We needed that. It’s good to know that we have options. We told the team all along that we wanted to be able to mix things up and to be able to get some different looks to see what really looks the best in the end,” said head coach Jay Clark. “Overall, we're just proud of them, Kentucky is a great team a lot of credit goes to them. This is a tough place for people to compete. They're very clean, they don't miss a lot. They pushed us. I’m just proud that the team stayed where they needed to mentally as we went through.”

The Tigers started the meet on vault, earning a season-high 49.525 in the first rotation. KJ Johnson led off with a 9.850,  followed by a 9.875 from freshman Amari Drayton. Savannah Schoenherr scored a season-high 9.925 while Kiya Johnson scored a 9.900. Haleigh Bryant anchored with a nearly-perfect 9.975 to take the title on the night.

LSU rotated to bars, where Schoenherr continued to have herself a night and scored another 9.925. Johnson had a 9.850 while freshman Konnor McClain followed with a 9.875. Bryant, the all-time 10 leader in school history, added another perfect score to her resumé as she anchored with a perfect routine for the Tigers. The 10 marked Bryant’s second on bars and 11th in her career.

The Tigers closed the second rotation with a 49.450 on bars and had the lead over the Wildcats at the halfway point, 98.975-98.850.

The LSU beam lineup put up six solid routines. Sophomore Annie Beard made her second appearance in the lineup and marked a new career high with her 9.875 performance. McClain added a 9.800 for the Tigers in the third spot. Sierra Ballard, Johnson and Bryant all scored a 9.900 and Aleah Finnegan closed with a 9.850.

The Tigers came back strong in a season high 49.425 performance on beam after struggling with falls the previous two meets. LSU held onto a 148.400-148.325 lead heading into the fourth and final rotation in the PMAC.

LSU showed out on floor as the squad ended the night with the highest floor score in the nation this year and the third-highest score in school history. The rotation was highlighted by Kiya Johnson’s perfect 10 in the anchor spot for her fifth career perfect score on the event and eighth overall. Ballard continued to be one of the best floor leadoffs in the nation as she started with a 9.875 while McClain followed with a 9.925 in her debut on the event. Drayton posted a 9.90 for the Tigers in only her second floor routine. KJ Johnson and Bryant both added 9.95’s before Johnson closed with a perfect routine that capped off the night in fashion. . 

“We got a lot of great contributions from some new people. Konnor (McClain) got going on three events for the first time tonight. Kiya (Johnson) really put a meet together in all four events and got comfortable again,” said Clark.

In front of 12,331 fans in the PMAC, the Tigers broke the 198 mark with the help of two perfect scores from Bryant and Johnson and season high scores across three events. 

Bryant finished the night with a 39.825, securing the all-around title as well as the wins on vault and bars. Her three titles on the night moved her total to 65, with 25 on vault, nine on bars and 21 all-around. 

Kiya Johnson had a season-high performance against the Wildcats, taking home the win on floor and finishing the night with a 39.650 in the all-around. Her floor title moved her career total to 16 on the event and 42 overall. 

LSU will travel to take on Missouri in the Hearnes Center next week on Friday, January 26 at 7:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
​

Photos Below 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)

​*John 3;16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Da Boot Sports
1/13/2024
LSU Sports Communications
By: Alyssa Leal


   WEST VALLEY CITY, UTAH – The No. 5 LSU Gymnastics team finished second in the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad Meet with their score of 197.150 on Saturday afternoon in the Maverik Center.

The Tigers broke the 197.000 mark on the national stage in only their second meet of the year and first road meet. LSU topped No. 2 Utah (196.975) and No. 12 UCLA (197.100) on the day, falling only to No. 1 Oklahoma who won the meet with their score of 197.900.

The LSU bars squad boosted the team to a second-place finish in the quad meet with their score of 49.650 in the last rotation. The score was the highest recorded on the road and matched the program’s third highest bars score in school history.  

“I’m just proud of the way we fought back and finished second to beat two very strong teams,” said head coach Jay Clark. “We learned how to fight our way out of holes, but we have to stop digging them in the first place. That’s where we just need to get tougher. Our team knows the expectation and we have to be able to handle success as well as we handle adversity.”

LSU started the competition off on beam as junior Alexis Jeffrey leadoff with a 9.775. Freshman Annie Beard made her debut in the lineup, but suffered a fall to score a 9.225. Senior Sierra Ballard went unphased in the third spot and posted a 9.775 while Bryant followed with a 9.900. Fifth-year senior Kiya Johnson recorded a 9.375 before junior Aleah Finnegan anchored with a 9.925 to help the Tigers close the first rotation with a 48.750.

Finnegan’s score on beam tied for third place on the day while Bryant tied for sixth on the event.

Following Olympic style rotation, LSU moved on to floor for the second rotation in the Maverik Center. Ballard held down the leadoff spot with a 9.825. Senior Olivia Dunne followed with a 9.850 in the second spot. KJ Johnson and Finnegan led the second rotation for the Tigers as both posted season-high floor scores with a 9.925 and a 9.975, respectively. Bryant scored a 9.900 to set up Kiya Johnson in the anchor spot, who earned a 9.875 in her first floor appearance since returning from injury.

LSU posted a 49.525 on floor, sitting in the third overall spot going into the second half of the meet. Finnegan’s floor performance earned her the win on the event, while KJ Johnson’s score shared for the second highest floor score on the day. Bryant and Kiya Johnson finished as two of the top-10 gymnasts on floor in the meet.

On vault, KJ Johnson started off strong for the Tigers with her score of a 9.925. Freshman Amari Drayton earned a 9.825 in the second spot, followed by Finnegan with a 9.800. Savannah Schoenherr scored a 9.700 and Kiya Johnson contributed a 9.775 with her yurchenko double. Bryant anchored with a 9.900 to close out the vault squad with a 49.225.

KJ Johnson’s season high score earned her a share of third place on the event as well as Bryant, who tied for sixth place.

The Tigers last rotation in the Maverik Center saw six stuck routines and was led off by Jeffrey, who matched her season high with a 9.900. Junior Tori Tatum entered the lineup for the first time this year and earned a 9.850 in the second spot. Kiya Johnson contributed a 9.950 for the Tigers to match her career high and set up freshman Konnor McClain, who recorded her first career perfect 10.00 in only her second bars routine in college gymnastics. Schoenherr followed with a 9.875 and Bryant anchored with a strong 9.900 routine. 

After entering the rotation fourth in the standings, LSU fought until the end to defeat the Utes and the Bruins. Jeffrey, Johnson, Bryant and Schoenherr all earned a spot in the top-10 bars performers on the night while McClain took home her first title.

McClain’s perfect score on bars was the seventh 10.00 on the event in school history, with Sarah Finnegan being the last Tiger to do so on the road in 2019. 

The Tigers are back in action on Friday, January 19 as they welcome Kentucky for their SEC opener in the PMAC at 8:00 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
​

​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)

​*John 3;16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Da Boot Sports
1/5/2024
LSU Sports Communications
By: LSU Staff


   BATON ROUGE – The No. 3 LSU Gymnastics team defeated No. 14 Ohio State by a score of 196.975-196.775 on Friday night in the PMAC to start off the new year. 
The Tigers welcomed 12,023 fans to the PMAC for opening night of the season, marking the second largest crowd for a home opener. The last time LSU opened the season with a win against a ranked opponent was in 2021, when the squad took down No. 15 Arkansas.

“All in all, I’m happy with the start. It was solid. We went against a very good team tonight who had nothing to lose walking in here and we had to fight our way out of a jam and I’m proud of the way we fought. That has become a hallmark of our team,” said head coach Jay Clark.

“It was good to get back in there for the first time. We let them know how we need to go about correcting some things and we will go back to the gym to get better. I thought we looked tight in spots and the environment climbed over us, which is something we love.”

The night was highlighted by senior Haleigh Bryant, who took home vault and all-around titles on the night and freshman Amari Drayton, who had an impressive debut on vault and floor in her first competition as a Tiger.


LSU opened the first meet of the new season on vault as junior KJ Johnson led off with a 9.825. Drayton followed with an impressive 9.925 in her first collegiate routine. Junior Aleah Finnegan posted a strong routine in the third spot with a 9.875 while newcomer Savannah Schoenherr followed with a 9.625. In her return to the PMAC, fifth-year senior Kiya Johnson scored a 9.80 before Bryant closed the first rotation with a 9.950 to help LSU finish with a 49.375 in the first rotation. 

After leading off on bars in 14 meets for the Tigers in 2023, junior Alexis Jeffrey picked up right where she left and put up a solid 9.90 to start the second rotation. Sophomore Ashley Cowan scored a 9.800 in spot two while Kiya Johnson hit her routine and scored a 9.925. The lineup saw fresh faces in Konnor McClain and Schoenherr who had solid performances with their scores of 9.825 and 9.850, respectively. Bryant anchored the bars squad with a score of 9.875.

Johnson took home the bars title in her first competition back to move her total to 41 career titles and her fourth on the event. 

The Tigers posted another 49.375 in the second rotation and led the Buckeyes by a score of 98.750-98.425 at the halfway point in the PMAC.

Jeffrey once again led off for the Tigers in the third rotation, this time on beam. The junior scored a 9.775. Senior Sierra Ballard and McClain suffered back-to-back falls during their routines, but Bryant stayed composed and scored a 9.925 to boost the Tigers. Kiya Johnson posted a 9.850 in the fifth spot before Finnegan took it home and closed out the rotation strong with a 9.950.

Finnegan’s performance on beam earned her the win on the night, moving her career total to 16 and eighth on beam. 

LSU moved into the last rotation trailing Ohio State 147.725-147.450.

On floor, Ballard got the momentum going and led off with a strong 9.90 routine. Senior Olivia Dunne made her first floor appearance since 2022 and scored a 9.875. KJ Johnson followed with a solid routine in the third spot that scored a 9.850. Finnegan earned a 9.90 followed by a 9.925 performance from Bryant. Drayton continued her impressive night as she closed out the Tiger’s first meet of the year with a 9.925.

The floor squad posted a 49.525 in the last rotation to help lift the Tiger’s over the Buckeyes and secure the first win of the year. 

Bryant was able to secure the all-around title for the meet with her score of 39.675. The senior now owns 62 wins, which ties her with Ashleigh Gnat and Jennifer Woods at eighth for most career titles in school history. 

The Tigers are back in action on Saturday, January 13 as they take the stage at the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad Meet in West Valley City, Utah at 3 p.m. CT on ABC.

Photos Below 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)

​*John 3;16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.