Da Boot Sports
12/13/2022
LSU Sports Communications
By: Alyssa Leal


   BATON ROUGE - The LSU Gymnastics team previewed the 2023 squad during its annual Gym 101 showcase on Monday night in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.


"I am really pleased with how we did," said head coach Jay Clark. "We did 37 routines tonight, and certainly there were some execution things that we need to work on, but that's to be expected the first time you get out here. You're going to look a little rough around the edges, but I feel really good about the hit ratio. That's what you want this time of year. As a coach, that's about all you can ask for in the middle of December."


Elena Arenas led off an impressive vault lineup for the Tigers. Nine girls competed in the rotation in front of a raucous crowd. Sophomores Aleah Finnegan and KJ Johnson vaulted in the fifth and sixth spots to start off their second year. All-Americans Kiya Johnson and Haleigh Bryant picked up where they left off and brought experience to the lineup. Freshman Bryce Wilson threw an impressive vault to show for her first routine in the PMAC.


Senior Kiya Johnson led things off for the bars squad and opened the event strong. Freshman Ashley Cowan performed her first routine in the PMAC on the event. Junior Haleigh Bryant showcased a new dismount. Arenas, Aleah Finnegan, Tori Tatum, Olivia Dunne and Kamryn Ryan all got a chance to showcase their skills as well.


After missing last season due to an injury, senior Kai Rivers returned to the beam lineup with an impressive leadoff routine to set the tone. Freshman Bryce Wilson followed and got her first beam routine under her belt. The beam squad hit every routine with Kiya Johnson, Alyona Shchennikova, Aleah Finnegan, Sierra Ballard, KJ Johnson and Elena Arenas performing nearly flawless routines as well.


Ballard brought the crowd to life and lead off the floor squad for the final rotation. Shchennikova, KJ Johnson, Finnegan, Bryant and Kiya Johnson all executed their routines in fashion. Chase Brock closed out the night with an exciting final routine.


The Tigers will officially kick off the 2023 season on January 6 against No. 3 Utah in Salt Lake City at 8 p.m. CT. The meet will be broadcast on ESPN2.
​

Photos Below By: Michael Bacigalupi

Da Boot Sports
​12/9/2022
LSU Sports Communications
By: Alyssa Leal


   BATON ROUGE – The LSU Gymnastics team ranked No. 6 in the WCGA Preseason Poll, the organization announced on Friday morning. 

The Tigers totaled 1,434 points amongst the top 36 teams. Members of the Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association voted the University of Oklahoma the top team heading into the 2023 season.

Oklahoma totaled 1,727 points and 22 first place votes. The Tigers will kick off the 2023 season against the Sooners in Baton Rouge for the squad’s home opener on January 16.

LSU heads into 2023 ranked in the top-10 for the eleventh straight season. The ranking also marks the 26th consecutive season that the Tigers were placed in the top-25.

The Tigers own one of the toughest and most exciting schedules for the upcoming season, meeting all but one ranked team in the regular season. 

The schedule includes 11 top-25 matchups and six top-10 matchups this season, with three of those being in the Maravich Center. Every team in the Southeastern Conference found a spot in the top-20. 

(1) Oklahoma, (2) Florida, (3) Utah, (5) Auburn, (7) Alabama, (8) California, (9) Missouri, (11) Kentucky, (15) Arkansas, (20) Georgia, and (21) Washington all own spots in the top-25. 

LSU continues to look for a new record as more than 7,100 season tickets have been sold. Season tickets are still available at $36 for adults and $18 for youth in the 300 level of the arena. Single-meet tickets are also available in sections 313-321 and 334-344 for all five home meets. 

For all ticket information visit lsutix.net. 

2022-23 WCGA Preseason Poll:

Rank, Team, Points (First Place Votes)
1. Oklahoma (1727 pts; 22 first place)
2. Florida (1724 points) (21 first place votes)
3. Utah (1648 points) (2 first place votes)
4. Michigan (1600 points) (4 first place votes)
5. Auburn (1509 points) 
6. LSU (1434 points)
7. Alabama (1395 points)
8. California (1325 points)
9. Missouri (1262 points)
10. UCLA (1242 points)
11. Kentucky (1154 points)
12. Michigan State (1129 points)
13. Denver (1119 points)
14. Oregon State (1066 points)
15. Arkansas (1043 points)
16. Minnesota (1042 points)
17. Stanford (1007 points)
18. Iowa (952 points)
19. Ohio State (844 points)
20. Georgia (794 points)
21. Washington (768 points)
22. BYU (674 points)
23. Illinois (674 points)
24. Arizona State (583 points)
25. Arizona (548 points)
26. Boise State (501 points)
27. North Carolina (497 points)
28. Southern Utah (455 points)
29. Maryland (424 points)
30. Iowa State (407 points)
31. North Carolina State (373 points)
32. Nebraska (295 points)
33. West Virginia (214 points)
34. Utah State (212 points)
35. Penn State (146 points)
36. San Jose State (144 points)

Also receiving votes: Towson (142), George Washington (94), Central Michigan (93), Temple (69), Western Michigan (60), Kent State (55), New Hampshire (51), Rutgers (50), Pittsburgh (16), Bowling Green (15), Sacramento State (14), UC Davis (8), Illinois State (5), Texas Woman’s (4), LIU (4), Northern Illinois (3), Ball State (2), Lindenwood (2), and Fisk (1)

Da Boot Sports
12/8/2022
By: Terrill J. Weil


   BATON ROUGE, LA - Head Gymnastics Coach Jay Clark met with the media to discuss the upcoming 2023 season on Thursday. 

   Video of the press conference is below..  GEUAX TIGERS!!!