Da Boot Sports
4/24/2024
By: Terrill J. Weil


   BATON ROUGE, LA - The LSU gymnastics team celebrated their national championship on Wednesday afternoon with a parade through campus before holding a ceremony in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. A huge congratulations to a very special group of young ladies who had an incredible, magical 2024 season! NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!!!  GEAUX TIGERS!!!!
   
​   Below are some incredible photos from the day's event taken by the fantastic Jonathan Mailhes.

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
4/20/2024
LSU Sports Communications
By: Alyssa Leal


   FORT WORTH, Texas – With one performance remaining, Aleah Finnegan delivered a 9.95 on beam to lift the LSU gymnastics team to the first NCAA Championship in program history Saturday afternoon at Dickies Arena.

  The Tigers claimed the title with a 198.225 to defeat California (197.850), Utah (197.800) and Florida (197.4375). The win marked just the eighth program in NCAA history to win the championship. In the final rotation, the LSU beam team delivered on the biggest stage with a 49.7625 for the highest in program history and an NCAA Championship record on the event. 

   Down by .0375 to Utah going into the fourth rotation, LSU had to fend off a feverous comeback from Cal to secure the crown. Sierra Ballard set the tone in the final rotation with a 9.95. After a fall by Savannah Schoneherr the Tigers didn’t blink. Freshman Konnor McClain scored a 9.9625 and seniors Kiya Johnson and Haleigh Bryant each posted a 9.95. With a hit routine needed to seal the historic victory, Finnegan left no doubt with her 9.95. 

   Bryant, the 2024 NCAA All-Around Champion cemented her legacy as one of the greatest gymnasts in history this weekend. In addition to her win on Thursday night, Bryant scored a 39.7125 in the all-around to win another title. 

   LSU set the tone from the start with five scores of 9.90 or higher for a 49.6125 on floor, its highest score in a championship final in school history. The freshmen in McClain and Amari Drayton delivered with scores of 9.925 and 9.9125 to open. Aleah Finnegan scored a 9.9125 and Bryant and Johnson ended the rotation with a 9.9.9375 and 9.925 respectively. 

   At the end of the second rotation, LSU led Utah by .100 after a 49.400 on vault. Drayton earned a 9.825 and Schoenherr followed with a 9.875. Finnegan scored a 9.8375 and Bryant and Kiya Johnson anchored with a 9.9125 and 9.95 respectively. 

   The Tigers held steady after three rotations but dropped to second behind Utah by a slim margin. Alexis Jeffrey opened the event with a 9.90 and Ashley Cowan put up a 9.8875 in the second spot. Kiya Johnson delivered a 9.8875 and McClain added a 9.90. Schoenherr delivered a 9.8625 and Bryant anchored with a 9.875.

The win marked the 52nd in the history of LSU Athletics. It comes on the cusp of both the LSU baseball and women’s basketball teams capturing NCAA titles in the last calendar year. 

LSU Gymnastics will host a welcome event for the NCAA Champions at 12:30 p.m. CT Sunday at the Gymnastics Training Facility. A celebration will be announced later this weekend.

​

​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
4/18/2024
LSU Sports Communications
By: Alyssa Leal


   FORT WORTH, Texas– The No. 2 LSU Gymnastics team (28-3, 5-2 SEC) advanced to the NCAA Championship finals for the 10th time in school history after finishing first in NCAA Semifinal I with a score of 198.1125, Thursday afternoon in Dickies Arena. 

The team score marked the second highest for the LSU Gymnastics program at NCAA Championships. LSU and California (197.7125) advanced out of the first semifinal of the day and will compete for the national championship at 3 p.m. CT Saturday on ABC. The Tigers will begin on floor in the final and take on the top two teams from semifinal II, which features Oklahoma, Utah, Florida and Alabama.

“We’re obviously thrilled to be back in the finals again for the second year in a row.  It never gets old to advance to this point. I’m proud of how this team has done all year long,” said head coach Jay Clark.

“They took the lessons learned and the attributes needed from last year and used them this year to be consistently successful. A lot of that has to do with just doing it for each other and staying focused on the bigger picture. There’s so many great stories and so many individuals on this team that have contributed in ways that aren’t seen.”

Senior Haleigh Bryant led the way in the meet for the Tigers with an all-around score of 39.7125 for the highest in a semifinal in school history. Bryant’s all around, bars and beam scores as well as Aleah Finnegan’s floor score sit at the top of the first semifinal and will be in contention for an individual NCAA title following semifinal II. 

The Tigers opened the meet with a 49.325 on vault. KJ Johnson and Chase Brock each scored a 9.825 in the first and second spots. Amari Drayton earned a 9.8125 in her NCAA Championships debut. Savannah Schoenherr and Haleigh Bryant each earned a 9.90 in the fourth and sixth spots and Kiya Johnson earned a 9.875 in the fifth spot of the lineup to put LSU in second behind California after one rotation. 

LSU posted their second highest nationals score on bars in the second rotation. Alexis Jeffrey led off with a 9.8125 while Ashley Cowan followed with a strong 9.875 routine. Kiya Johnson, a veteran in the bars lineup, held down the third spot with her 9.900. In her NCAA Championships debut, Konnor McClain scored a 9.9125 followed by Schoenherr’s 9.8625 in the fifth spot. Bryant anchored with a team high 9.925 to close out the Tigers’ 49.475 rotation and push the team to first at the halfway point. 

The LSU beam squad delivered with five scores of 9.900 or higher for a 49.5875 and the  program’s second-highest nationals score on the event. Sierra Ballard opened with a 9.90 followed by a career high 9.925 from Schoenherr. McClain scored a 9.925 and was followed by a 9.90 from Kiya Johnson. Bryant posted a 9.95, the third-highest score for an LSU gymnast at NCAA Championships and the best in a semifinal. Aleah Finnegan wrapped up the event for the Tigers with a 9.8875. 

The floor team set the LSU record for highest event score at NCAA Championships with a 49.725 to leave no doubt. McClain opened the final rotation with a 9.9375 and Drayton scored a 9.8875. KJ Johnson delivered a 9.95 in the third spot and Finnegan followed with a 9.9626 to match the best on the event at an NCAA Championship. Bryant and Kiya Johnson each ended the afternoon with a 9.9375. 
​

​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.