 Photo By: LSUsports.net 3/25/2021 LSU Sports Information By: Brandon Berrio BATON ROUGE – LSU gymnasts Haleigh Bryant, Sami Durante, Kiya Johnson and Alyona Shchennikova combined to earn seven Women’s College Gymnastics Association (WCGA) Regular Season All-America honors, the association announced Thursday. A gymnast earns All-America honors if they finish in the top-16 of the final NQS individual event rankings. LSU’s seven All-America honors were the second most in the SEC. Overall, LSU gymnasts have combined to earn 79 All-America honors in the regular season since the association begin this honor in 2013. LSU has now combined to earn 274 regular season and meet honors in program history. Bryant led the group with three All-America honors on vault, floor and all-around. In her debut season, Bryant finished third on vault, fourth on floor and ninth in the all-around in the nation. The top freshman in the country, Bryant won the SEC vault title and was named the top freshman in the SEC. Johnson added two more All-America honors to push her total to five. The sophomore from Dallas, Texas, finished as the No. 1 performer on floor and 12th overall on vault. She was named the SEC Specialist of the Year and captured the SEC floor title with a perfect score, the fifth of her career and third this season. Shchennikova earned her first All-America honor after finishing 12th nationally on vault. This was the first time the sophomore competed vault for the Tigers and she scored a 9.90 or high four times, including a career high 9.95 at Kentucky. Shchennikova was named an All-SEC performer on vault after scoring a 9.925 at the championship meet. Durante rounds out the group honored with All-America honors. The Tigers’ anchor performer on bars, Durante scored a 9.90 or higher seven times this season. She finished 11th in the country with an NQS of 9.925 and scored a career high of 9.95 twice in 2021. The LSU team begins NCAA postseason competition at the Salt Lake City Regional April 2-3. Competition will be streamed live on ESPN3.com and the WatchESPN app. The Tigers will fight for a spot in the NCAA Championships April 16-17 in Fort Worth, Texas. The squad must finish in the top two on both days to advance to the NCAA Championships. Fans can follow the Tigers on the team’s social media channels: @LSUgym on Instagram and Twitter, www.Facebook.com/lsugym and at YouTube.com/lsusports. Vault Status Place Name University NQS All America 1(t) Evy Schoepfer Oklahoma 9.963 All America 1(t) Anastasia Webb Oklahoma 9.963 All America 3(t) Ona Loper Minnesota 9.956 All America 3(t) Haleigh Bryant LSU 9.956 All America 5(t) Sierra Brooks Michigan 9.95 All America 5(t) Lexy Ramler Minnesota 9.95 All America 7(t) Trinity Thomas Florida 9.944 All America 7(t) Abby Heiskell Michigan 9.944 Second Team All-America 9 Kennedy Hambrick Arkansas 9.938 Second Team All-America 10(t) Alexia Burch Utah 9.931 Second Team All-America 10(t) Adnerys De Jesus Iowa State 9.931 Second Team All-America 12(t) Madi Dagen Oregon State 9.925 Second Team All-America 12(t) Alyona Shchennikova LSU 9.925 Second Team All-America 12(t) Luisa Blanco Alabama 9.925 Second Team All-America 12(t) Maddie Quarles Minnesota 9.925 Second Team All-America 12(t) Naomi Morrison Michigan 9.925 Second Team All-America 12(t) Lynnzee Brown Denver 9.925 Second Team All-America 12(t) Savannah Schoenherr Florida 9.925 Second Team All-America 12(t) Natalie Wojcik Michigan 9.925 Second Team All-America 12(t) Kiya Johnson LSU 9.925 Uneven Bars Status Place Name University NQS All America 1 Trinity Thomas Florida 9.975 All America 2 Lynnzee Brown Denver 9.969 All America 3 Lexy Ramler Minnesota 9.963 All America 4(t) Emily Muhlenhaupt Boise State 9.95 All America 4(t) Audrey Davis Oklahoma 9.95 All America 6(t) Margzetta Frazier UCLA 9.944 All America 6(t) Natalie Wojcik Michigan 9.944 All America 8 Luisa Blanco Alabama 9.938 Second Team All-America 9(t) Nina Schank California 9.931 Second Team All-America 9(t) Makarri Doggette Alabama 9.931 Second Team All-America 11(t) Maggie O'Hara Arkansas 9.925 Second Team All-America 11(t) Andi Li California 9.925 Second Team All-America 11(t) Katherine Levasseur Oklahoma 9.925 Second Team All-America 11(t) Maile O'Keefe Utah 9.925 Second Team All-America 11(t) Megan Skaggs Florida 9.925 Second Team All-America 11(t) Sami Durante LSU 9.925 Balance Beam Status Place Name University NQS All America 1(t) Lexy Ramler Minnesota 9.975 All America 1(t) Maile O'Keefe Utah 9.975 All America 3 Anastasia Webb Oklahoma 9.969 All America 4(t) Natalie Wojcik Michigan 9.956 All America 4(t) Ellie Lazzari Florida 9.956 All America 6(t) Leah Clapper Florida 9.95 All America 6(t) Abby Paulson Utah 9.95 All America 6(t) Elizabeth Culton North Carolina 9.95 All America 6(t) Luisa Blanco Alabama 9.95 Second Team All-America 10(t) Trinity Thomas Florida 9.944 Second Team All-America 10(t) Adeline Kenlin Iowa 9.944 Second Team All-America 10(t) Alexis Vasquez Denver 9.944 Second Team All-America 13(t) Karrie Thomas Oklahoma 9.938 Second Team All-America 13(t) Kennedy Hambrick Arkansas 9.938 Second Team All-America 13(t) Sienna Schreiber Missouri 9.938 Second Team All-America 13(t) Mary Korlin-Downs Minnesota 9.938 Second Team All-America 13(t) Cristal Isa Utah 9.938 Second Team All-America 13(t) Alyssa Baumann Florida 9.938 Floor Exercise Status Place Name University NQS All America 1 Kiya Johnson LSU 9.988 All America 2 Trinity Thomas Florida 9.975 All America 3 Lynnzee Brown Denver 9.969 All America 4(t) Mya Hooten Minnesota 9.956 All America 4(t) Derrian Gobourne Auburn 9.956 All America 4(t) Lexi Graber Alabama 9.956 All America 4(t) Haleigh Bryant LSU 9.956 All America 8(t) Lauren Guerin Iowa 9.95 All-America 8(t) Sydney Soloski Utah 9.95 Second Team All-America 10(t) Alyssa Baumann Florida 9.944 Second Team All-America 10(t) Abbey Miner Alder BYU 9.944 Second Team All-America 10(t) Anastasia Webb Oklahoma 9.944 Second Team All-America 10(t) Jerquavia Henderson Iowa 9.944 Second Team All-America 10(t) Kyana George California 9.944 Second Team All-America 10(t) Ona Loper Minnesota 9.944 Second Team All-America 10(t) Nya Reed Florida 9.944 All-Around Status Place Name University NQS All America 1 Trinity Thomas Florida 39.788 All America 2(t) Lynnzee Brown Denver 39.756 All America 2(t) Lexy Ramler Minnesota 39.756 All America 4 Luisa Blanco Alabama 39.738 All America 5 Anastasia Webb Oklahoma 39.706 All America 6(t) Natalie Wojcik Michigan 39.625 All America 6(t) Maile O'Keefe Utah 39.625 All America 8 Kennedy Hambrick Arkansas 39.6 Second Team All-America 9 Haleigh Bryant LSU 39.594 Second Team All-America 10(t) Adnerys De Jesus Iowa State 39.575 Second Team All-America 10(t) Nevaeh DeSouza California 39.575 Second Team All-America 12 Megan Skaggs Florida 39.569 Second Team All-America 13 Ona Loper Minnesota 39.556 Second Team All-America 14 Raena Worley Kentucky 39.538 Second Team All-America 15 Sierra Brooks Michigan 39.531 Second Team All-America 16 Hannah Scharf Arizona State 39.506 The WCGA is the advocate for women’s collegiate gymnastics. This coaches’ association was known previously as the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches/Women.
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 Photo By: LSUsports.net 3/25/2021 LSU Sports Information By: Brandon Berrio BATON ROUGE – LSU gymnasts Haleigh Bryant and Kiya Johnson earned the league’s top honors, voted by the head coaches from each institution, the Southeastern Conference announced Wednesday. Bryant was named the SEC Freshman of the Year and Johnson was tabbed as the SEC Specialist of the Year. Bryant is the third gymnast in LSU history to be named the top freshman in the league, joining April Burkholder and Johnson. It is also the fourth time an LSU gymnast has been named the top specialist in the league. Ashleigh Gnat won the award in 2016 and 2017 and Lloimincia Hall was chosen in 2015. “We are so excited for both Haleigh and Kiya to be recognized at this level,” head coach Jay Clark said. “It is a tremendous accomplishment for our program and a glimpse of what is on the horizon for us all. We have a team full of great gymnasts and are proud of each and every one of them.” The Southeastern Conference also announced Bryant, Johnson, Elena Arenas and Alyona Shchennikova as All-SEC performers. Arenas captured the vault title with a 9.95 on her Yurchenko Full. Shchennikova finished with a 9.925 on vault for second overall. Arenas and Bryant were also named to the SEC All-Freshman team. Bryant earned a share of the vault title at the 2021 SEC Gymnastics Championships with a 9.95, the seventh LSU freshman to win an SEC title. Nationally, she finished the season third on vault (9.956 NQS), fourth on vault (9.956 NQS) and ninth in the all-around (39.594 NQS), the highest rankings by any freshman in the Southeastern Conference. She owns career highs of 10 on vault, 9.90 on bars, 9.9 on beam, 9.975 on floor and 39.625 in the all-around. Bryant is the only freshman in the SEC and just one of two in the country to score a 10 this season. In her debut season, she scored a 9.90 or better eight times on vault and seven times on floor. In nine meets, Bryant won 11 total titles with five on vault, four in the all-around and two on floor. She was also named the SEC Freshman of the Week six times and Gymnast of the Week once. Johnson captured the floor exercise title at the 2021 SEC Gymnastics Championships with a perfect 10.0 in her postseason debut. She became the 10th gymnast in conference history to score a 10.0 on the floor exercise at the SEC Championships. Johnson joined fellow LSU gymnasts Sarah Finnegan (2019) and Ashleigh Gnat (2017) as the only competitors to score a 10 at the SEC meet on floor in the past five years. She finished the season as the top performer in the country on floor, competing in four meets on the event and scoring a perfect 10.0 three times. Johnson is tied with Trinity Thomas of Florida and Anastasia Webb of Oklahoma for the most perfect scores in the country this season, with Johnson and Thomas the only gymnasts with multiple perfect scores on floor. She also has an NQS of 9.925 on vault, tying her for 12th place nationally, after scoring a 9.95 three times this season. Johnson has recorded season highs of 9.95 on vault, 9.925 on bars, 9.925 on beam and 10.0 on floor. 2021 SEC Gymnastics Awards Gymnast of the Year: Luisa Blanco, Alabama Co-Event Specialists of the Year: Derrian Gobourne, Auburn and Kiya Johnson, LSU Freshman of the Year: Haleigh Bryant, LSU Coach of the Year: Jenny Rowland, Florida All-SEC Shania Adams, Alabama Luisa Blanco, Alabama Makarri Doggette, Alabama Lexi Graber, Alabama Shallon Olsen, Alabama Kaylee Quinn, Alabama Sophia Carter. Arkansas Derrian Gobourne, Auburn Cassie Stevens, Auburn Drew Watson, Auburn Alyssa Baumann, Florida Leah Clapper, Florida Ellie Lazzari, Florida Megan Skaggs, Florida Josie Angeny, Kentucky Bailey Bunn, Kentucky Anna Haigis, Kentucky Arianna Patterson, Kentucky Raena Worley, Kentucky Elena Arenas, LSU Haleigh Bryant, LSU Kiya Johnson LSU Alyona Shchennikova, LSU Sienna Schreiber, Missouri All-Freshman Shania Adams. Alabama Ellie Lazzari, Florida Bailey Bunn, Kentucky Elena Arenas, LSU Haleigh Bryant, LSU Amaya Marshall, Missouri  Photo By: Brittney Achord 3/24/2021 LSU Sports Information By: Brandon Berrio BATON ROUGE – The third-ranked LSU gymnastics team has been selected as the top seed in the Salt Lake City Regional and will compete for a spot in the 2021 NCAA Gymnastics Championships April 2-3, the NCAA announced Monday. “We are really thankful to the SEC for the phenomenal job they have done to get us to this point given the circumstances surrounding this season,” head coach Jay Clark said. “They have been proactive and we would not be here without their leadership. “it has been a great year for us so far and we go into postseason as a top-four team. Any time you can be a one seed is a great thing from a perception and confidence standpoint. We are excited to continue training and compete for a spot at NCAA Championships.” The Salt Lake City Regional will be hosted at the Maverik Center by the University of Utah as one of four regional meets held nationally. It will feature No. 6 Utah, No. 11 Arizona State, No. 14 Kentucky, Boise State, Southern Utah, Utah State, Temple and Arizona. LSU’s will compete in session two of the second round against Kentucky, Utah State and the winner of Temple and Arizona. The meet will be at 8 p.m. CT on April 2. Session one features Utah, Arizona State, Iowa and Ohio State. It will begin at 2 p.m. As the No. 1 seed in the regional, LSU will begin the meet on beam. If the Tigers finish first in the meet they will start the regional final on vault and if they finish second they will open on floor. The top two teams from each second round session will advance to the Regional Final at 8 p.m. on April 3. The top two teams will advance to NCAA Championships April 16-17 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. All sessions of the Sale Lake City Regional will be streamed live on ESPN3.com. The NCAA Regional berth marks the 38th overall and 36th straight for the program. LSU owns 30 NCAA Championships appearances and 13 NCAA Regional championships, including seven straight. Athens Regional (University of Georgia, host) Florida Minnesota Denver Illinois *Georgia Oregon State Central Michigan NC State Western Michigan Morgantown Regional (West Virginia University, host) Teams Michigan Cal Brigham Young UCLA Ohio State Towson Kent State Penn State *West Virginia Salt Lake City Regional (University of Utah, host) LSU *Utah Arizona Sate Kentucky Boise State Southern Utah Utah State Temple Arizona Tuscaloosa Regional (University of Alabama, host) Oklahoma *Alabama Arkansas Auburn Iowa Iowa State Missouri Eastern Michigan Maryland * Denotes Regional Host.  Photo By: Brittney Achord 3/21/2021 By: Brittney Achord Da Boot Sports! HUNTSVILLE, AL - Two perfect scores, three event titles, and the third highest score in school history earned the LSU Tiger Gymnastics team 2nd place last night at the SEC Championships. While the Tigers faced some nerves the first two rotations, they made the comeback of the season. Unfortunately, they would fall short behind Alabama 197.775 - 197.875. Kyia Johnson wore her crown last night as it gleamed in the arena lights coming off the floor. Johnson joined Sarah Finnegan and Assistant Coach Ashleigh Gnat in the list of LSU gymnasts to earn a perfect 10 in the SEC Championships. This was Johnson’s third career 10 on the floor, fifth overall, and the 10th 10.0 earned in the SEC Championships. Johnson was not alone last night as two freshmen came in like fireworks, making an explosive statement that these Tigers were not backing down, and what a statement they made. Haleigh Bryant and Elena Arenas added their names to the list of Tigers who earned vault titles. Arenas would score her first perfect score of a 9.95 and Bryant was nearly perfect with a 9.95 taking the 13th and 14th vault titles for LSU. In the all-around, Johnson came in second with a 39.625 and Bryant in sixth with a 39.450. Post meet, head coach Jay Clark stated, “I am very proud of this team as a whole. I am proud of what they did tonight. They never lost their focus or got distracted. We showed a lot of guts and fought until the very end. They stayed true to everything we wanted them to be. I am pleased with where they are in their growth. We know where we can improve and we will keep grinding and get better. Our big goals are still out there.” The Tigers Hit Handstands and a Solid 49.350 on Uneven Bars to Start the Night Kyia Johnson started strong swinging with the ferocity that she has shown all season as she put up a 9.875 for the Tigers. Chase Brock showed determination as she put up a 9.825 for the Tigers. Olivia Dunne stepped up to the bars with a purpose and fulfilled it adding a 9.90 to the Tigers bar score. Alyona Shchnnikova took to the bars next with unshakeable handstands and high flying releases adding a 9.85 to the Tigers bar score. Anchoring for the Tigers, Sami Durante showed her grace, beauty, and experience finishing off the bar rotation with a 9.90. The Tigers made a huge statement with their opening 49.350. The Tigers Persevered Through Nerves with a 49.300 on the Balance Beam The Tigers were tied for second going into the second rotation. Christiana Desiderio got things started with a solid 9.80. Up next, Sami Durante and Bridget Dean followed with aggressive elegance that added matching scores of 9.875 for the Tigers beam team. Kyia Johnson continued to show strength and consistency adding a 9.90 beam score for the Tigers. Back in the anchor spot for the Tigers, Reagan Campbell finished with a strong 9.85. The Tigers scored a 49.300 on the balance beam, trailing in second place with a 98.650 to Alabama’s 99.000 going into the third rotation. The Perfect Comeback on Floor with a 49.500 Trailing by 0.35 going into Floor, the Tigers knew they had to make a statement. With the LSU Fight song blaring in the arena, the girls got motivated and the Tiger fans that filled the arena joined in with their excitement. Up first for the Tigers, Christina Desiderio set the stage with a fierce 9.85. Alyona Shchnnikova followed and built on that energy as she put up a huge 9.925 for the Tigers on floor. Sierra Ballard brought her energy and fight to the floor adding a 9.80 to the Tiger Floor score. Haleigh Bryant stepped out onto the floor with determination and drive scoring a 9.925 for the Tigers. All eyes were on Kyia Johnson as she anchored on the floor for the Tigers. Johnson exploded the arena with the comeback of the season scoring a perfect 10.0. With a 49.500 on floor, the Tigers now trail only by 0.275 with a 148.150 behind Alabama’s 148.425. Continued Perfection, Closing the Gap, and Clenching Vault Titles to Finish the Night Sami Durante not only brought her senior leadership in the fourth and final rotation, but she amplified the Tigers opening with a near perfect 9.90 yurchenko full. Alyona Shchennikoa continued to show how determined these Tigers were with another nearly perfect score of 9.925. Elena Arenas stepped up big for the Tigers, ran with a purpose, exploded off the vault, and landed with perfection adding a perfect 9.95 to the Tiger Vault score with her yurchenko full. Sarah Edwards brought all her energy to the vault matching Durante’s 9.90. Haleigh Bryant matched Arena's explosive determination and score of 9.95, both clenching the vault title for the Tigers. While the Tigers put up a relentless fight on vault with a 49.625, a one tenth gap remained as Alabama took first place at the SEC Championships 197.875 to LSU’s 197.775. The Tigers may have fallen short by one tenth, but they gained so much more than a SEC title. With seniors and juniors who have only experienced this championship one or two times, and sophomores and freshmen being here for the first time, these Tigers showed just how fierce they are and how dangerous they can be. The Tigers walked away with the floor title, two vault titles, and a raging roar from within their souls heading into the Regional Championship meet April 2nd and 3rd. The Tigers head back to Baton Rouge where they await the announcement of their NCAA Regional destination. NCAA Regional locations will be announced Monday, March 22 and these Tigers are ready.  Photo By: Brittney Archord 3/20/2021 LSU Sports Information By: Brandon Berrio HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The fourth-ranked LSU gymnastics team (5-3, 4-3 SEC) will compete for its fourth-straight SEC championship and the program’s fifth overall at 7 p.m. CT Saturday inside the Von Braun Center. The meet will be televised live on SEC Network with Bart Conner and Kathy Johnson Clarke on the call. It will also be streamed live on WatchESPN.com and the app with event specific links to each apparatus so that fans can enjoy all of the action. As the second seed in the meet, the Tigers will begin on bars and follow with beam, floor and vault. LSU will compete alongside No. 1 Florida, No. 8 Alabama and No. 9 Arkansas in the evening session. The meet will serve as a final score to count toward the squad’s NQS, which will serve as the seeding for NCAA Championships. “This is a really exciting opportunity for our team,” head coach Jay Clark said. “It is the healthiest we have been in a while going into postseason, so we are looking at our top lineup across the board. More than half of our lineup has never competed at SEC Championships so I know they are excited for the opportunity to show why they are the top team in the SEC.” LSU Goes for Four-Peat at SEC Championships in Huntsville The LSU Gymnastics program has won the last three SEC Championships as the premier team in the most difficult conference in the country. LSU won its second league title in school history and the first since the inaugural championship at the 2017 championships in Jacksonville. The squad then defended its crown in 2018 in St. Louis. The Tigers completed the three peat at SEC Championships in New Orleans in 2019.. With a win on Saturday night, it would mark the fourth time in SEC history that a team has win four league titles in a row: Georgia (2004-07); Georgia (1991-94); Florida (1982-85) LSU’s History at the SEC Championship LSU captured the SEC title when the Tigers hosted the first championship in 1981. Here is a breakdown of LSU’s finishes at the SEC Championship: 1st Place - 4 times (1981, 2017, 2018,2019); 2nd Place - 5 (1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2015); 3rd Place - 10 (1982, 1983, 1991, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2004, 2013, 2014, 2016); 4th Place - 17 (1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012); 5th Place - 3 (1992, 1996, 2011); 6th Place - 0; 7th Place - 0; 8th Place - 0 Gymnasts at the SEC Championships Twenty-two LSU gymnasts have combined to win 44 SEC titles since 1981. A total of 94 All-SEC honors have been earned over the years and 14 SEC All-Freshman team honors. Sarah Finnegan, Rheagan Courville and Sandra Smith own the record for most SEC titles with five. Finnegan captured back-to-back all-around titles in 2018 and 2019. She also won three event titles in 2019. A combined four perfect scores have been earned by Ashleigh Gnat, Finnegan, and Courville. Last Time Out LSU scored a 197.875 to finish the regular season with a victory over Missouri. Freshman Haleigh Bryant opened the night with a perfect 10 on vault, her first career 10. Sophomore Kiya Johnson punctuated the night with a 10 on floor. It marked her fourth career 10, second on floor and second this season. Johnson and Bryant shared the all-around title with a 39.625. Senior Sami Durante and sophomore Alyona Shchennikova also took home the bar title.  Photo By: Brittney Achord 3/8/2021 LSU Sports Information By: Brandon Berrio BATON ROUGE – The LSU gymnastics team remained at No. 3 in the National Qualifying Score (NQS) rankings at the end of the regular season and will be the second seed at the 2021 Southeastern Conference Championships, the league office announced Monday. The squad will go after their fourth-straight SEC Championship at 7 p.m. CT Saturday inside the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The Tigers will compete alongside top seeded Florida, third seeded Alabama and fourth seeded Arkansas in the fourth seed. The meet will be televised on SEC Network with Bart Conner and Kathy Johnson Clarke on the call. The Tigers own an NQS of 197.700 this season, which is third behind Florida and Oklahoma who sit in a tie for first. LSU’s NQS ranking is an average of the top two home scores of 198.050 and 197.875 and away scores of 197.550 and 197.325. LSU will start the meet on bars and move to beam and floor before finishing on vault. LSU owns top-five rankings on all four events. The Tigers are second on vault, third on bars and floor, and fourth on beam. The Tigers are the defending SEC meet champions. The 2017 squad captured the meet title for the first time since 1981. LSU defended its title in St. Louis in 2018 and New Orleans in 2019. Sarah Finnegan won the all-around title in 2018 and 2019. Twenty-two LSU gymnasts have combined to win 44 SEC titles since 1981. A total of 94 All-SEC honors have been earned over the years and 14 SEC All-Freshman team honors have been awarded since 2009. Fans can follow the Tigers on the team’s social media channels: @LSUgym on Instagram and Twitter and www.Facebook.com/lsugym. LSU Gymnastics Perseveres over Missouri in the Final 2021 PMAC Performance 197.875 - 196.1753/7/2021  Photo By: Brittney Achord 3/7/2021 By: Brittney Achord Da Boot Sports! BATON ROUGE, LA - The LSU Tiger Gymnastics team geared up ready to fight Tiger vs Tiger Friday night. It was a night dedicated to the Seniors. A senior class who has overcome so many obstacles in their four years at LSU. Physical and emotionally drained, torn but not broken. These girls have dominated every single second. It will soon be time for them to pass the torch as past gymnasts have. Each of the six seniors were honored before the night got started: Reagan Campell, Bridget Dean, Christina Desiderio, Sami Durante, Sarah Edwards, and Olivia Gunter. Also honored were last year's Senior Trio: Kennedi Edney, Ruby Harrold, and Ashlyn Kirby. What a night for these seniors. They were reassured that the legacy of what is LSU Gymnastics will continue on. The juniors, sophomores, and freshmen proved their strength and determination. The atmosphere was absolutely electrifying, and it was not coming just from the girls. The fans showed up and showed out for these seniors. Fans who have stood by their side whether at home in the PMAC, or through the TV while on the road. Fans who have shown their love and support with each competition no matter the outcome. These six seniors will be missed and forever will they be a LSU Tiger. Vault Amplified the Night with the Tigers First 10.0 in the 2021 Season Starting this meet with a 49.550 was huge. It set the tone for the rest of the night and showed just how persistent this LSU Tiger gymnastics team is. First up for the Tigers, Senior Sami Durante would take the runway in the PMAC for the last time. She would electrify the PMAC with her yurchenko full scoring 9.825. Elena Arenas would carry that spark and soar with a 9.875. Senior Sarah Edwards was like the Flash down the runway, flying high in the air with her yurchenko full and a half, finishing her vault career in the PMAC with a 9.90. The energy and determination only grew stronger as Kiya Johnson hit a nearly perfect yurchenko double full scoring 9.950. The flame that was growing exploded with Haleigh Bryant’s perfect 10.0 front handspring pike half. Bryant marks the 11th LSU gymnast to score a 10.0 on the vault. After Bryant, we got to see some depth the Tigers have with an exhibition vault from Kamryn Ryan who would show how powerful she is scoring a 9.95. Meanwhile on the uneven bars, the Missouri Tigers put up a 48.700 putting LSU in the lead going into the second rotation. Bars Continued to Swing Their Way in the Lead Kiya Johnson kicked things off for the Tigers with hit handstands and a stuck landing scoring a 9.85. After a fall by Chase Brock, Freshman Olivia Dunne would back her teammate up with a beautiful routine scoring 9.775. From there the Tigers only went up. Haleigh Bryant showed grace and power adding a 9.825 to the Tiger bar score. Alyona Shchennikova continued to show her consistency and beauty with a 9.90. Anchoring for the last time in the PMAC was Senior Sami Durante. With elegantly pointed toes, handstands stretched to the rafters, and a dismount that floated with grace, Durante added a 9.90 to give LSU a final 49.250 on Bars. With Missouri’s 48.950, LSU now leads 98.80 - 97.65. The Senior Trio Lead the Way on Balance Beam With three seniors on the Tiger Beam Team, it was their time to shine, and they shined bright. Christina Desiderio took the lead off spot for the last time in the PMAC with grace and determination. She would start the Tigers off matching her career high 9.95. Next, Senior Sami Durante would follow Desiderio elegantly working her routine to a stuck landing and a 9.875 to add to the Tiger beam score. Haleigh Bryant made a powerful statement with persistence and a dismount that did not move adding a 9.85 for the Tigers. Adding another matched career high of 9.925, senior Bridget Dean performed her final beam routine in the PMAC with poise and precision. The sophomore duo Kiya Johnson and Alyona Shchennikova closed out balance beam for the Tigers with matching 9.825 scores. LSU put up a 49.425 on the balance beam maintaining their lead with a 148.225. Over on floor, the Missouri Tiger’s put up a 49.10 bringing their running total to a 146.75. LSU Danced and Flipped Their Way to Perfection on Floor What a way to end this final night in the PMAC for the 2021 season. While senior Christina Desiderio’s 9.85 score would not be needed, her presence, statement, and energy definitely set the tone. Alyona Shchennikova continued to make her mark in the all-around with a dynamic floor score of 9.875. From there LSU would not count anything lower than a 9.90. Freshman Sierra Ballard would get the PMAC on their feet matching her career high of 9.925. Senior Sarah Edwards performed her final floor routine in the PMAC with energy and a smile that had the PMAC bursting at the seams. Edwards would add a 9.90 to the Tiger floor score. The freshman/sophomore dynamic duo has not given the one-two punch since January 15 and what a punch they gave. Up first, Haleigh Bryant dominated her tumbling, danced gracefully, and added a 9.95 score to the Tiger floor score. For the first time since January, Kiya Johnson anchored on the floor and had the crowd on their feet from start to finish. As Johnson landed her final tumbling pass like a statue, the roof exploded as 10.0 flashed from the judges tables. This would finish the Tigers with a 49.650 on floor. Over on the balance beam, the Missouri Tigers put up an impressive 49.425. The No. 3 LSU Tigers declared victory over the Missouri Tigers with a score of 197.875 to 196.175. This brings LSU to 5-3 overall and 4-3 in the conference. LSU will get a week off to rest and prepare for the SEC Championship in Huntsville, Alabama on March 20. LSU will take the No. 2 seed behind No. 1 Florida. |
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