Da Boot Sports 12/16/2023 LSU Sports Communications By; Alyssa Leal BATON ROUGE – The LSU Gymnastics program shined at its annual Gym 101 showcase on Saturday evening inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center as the Tigers showcased 50 routines ahead of the 2024 season. “It was extremely encouraging to see what we saw tonight. It takes incredible mental fortitude to do what they did tonight this early in the year, so I’m just proud of them,” said head coach Jay Clark. “We’re certainly pleased with what we did tonight, but not satisfied. We are going to continue to iron out the wrinkles and get better, but I’m excited about the potential.” The Gym 101 showcase had a different format this year compared to previous ones, with the team splitting into two groups and alternating between two events to help prepare the Tigers for meets in the spring that will feature more than two teams. The first rotation of the meet started with one group on the beam and the other on the floor. The night saw multiple debut’s with routines from freshmen Konnor McClain, Amari Drayton and Kylie Coen and newcomers Savannah Schoenherr and Jillian Hoffman. The veteran duo of Cammy Hall and Kiya Johnson also made their returns in the showcase after suffering injury last season. “I was so pleased to have them (Kiya & Cammy) back tonight. It’s so nice to see Kiya look like Kiya. Having her influence and consistency back is so great for us.” Ashley Cowan opened her second year with a solid floor routine in the first rotation as she stuck all passes and got the crowd energized. The rotation saw freshman Kylie Coen make her debut in front of the home audience in the second spot, followed by veteran senior Olivia Dunne in the third spot. In the fourth spot, sixth-year senior Cammy Hall made her debut as a Tiger after returning from injury last season followed by sophomore Bryce Wilson. Alexis Jeffrey had a good routine in the sixth spot and freshman Amari Drayton’s debut routine was a hit with the crowd. Fan favorite KJ Johnson ended the floor rotation by debuting a new opening pass. Sophomore Annie Beard continued the debuts on the night as she set the tone on beam with a poised routine. Veterans Alyona Schennikova and Sierra Ballard followed in the second and third spots with solid outings ahead of freshman Konnor McClain’s debut routine at spot four. Senior Haleigh Bryant competed in the fifth spot and was followed by Kiya Johnson, who stuck the landing in her first routine since her injury early in the 2023 season. The final routine went to newcomer Savannah Schoenherr, who dazzled the attending audience for the first time in Purple & Gold. The second rotation featured the first group move to the floor and the second group move to the vault. On floor, Ballard opened the rotation in the first spot and was followed by Schoenherr. The veteran pairing of Shchennikova and Chase Brock followed in the third and fourth spots ahead of McClain’s floor debut at five. The rotation ended with a tremendous routine from Haleigh Bryant at the sixth spot and was followed by a strong return to the floor from Kiya Johnson to wrap it up. On vault, Wilson opened and was followed by Hall. KJ Johnson stuck the landing in the third spot and was followed by an impressive vault from Tatum. Fifth-year transfer Jillian Hoffman competed in the fifth spot for her first routine as a Tiger and the rotation concluded with Drayton. The third rotation saw the first group move to the vault while the second group headed to bars. Shchennikova opened with a good routine on vault and was followed by McClain. Schoenherr stuck the landing in the third spot and was followed by Kiya Johnson at spot four. The fifth spot saw Brock give a veteran performance and stuck the landing with grace. The rotation concluded with Bryant executing on her routine in the sixth slot. At bars, Jeffrey opened the rotation and was followed by a tremendous routine from Tatum at the second spot. Dunne dazzled in the third spot with an impressive outing and was followed by a good performance from Cowan in the fourth spot. The fifth and final spot went to Drayton, who had a solid performance in her first bars routine as a Tiger. The final rotation saw the first group end the evening on bars and the second group on beam. Johnson’s opening routine on bars saw her stick the landing to conclude her all-around return and was followed by Shchenikova in the second spot. At the third spot, McClain’s first bar routine in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center was met with applause after a strong performance. The final two spots saw Schoenherr at the fifth spot and Bryant anchor at the sixth. On beam, Jeffrey’s leadoff routine was a solid tone setter and Cowan continued her impressive night in the second spot. Coen completed her first beam routine in the third spot and was followed by Dunne in the fourth set. KJ Johnson put in a strong performance at the fifth spot and the event concluded with a nearly flawless performance from Aleah Finnegan. “Some people that stuck out tonight were Chase’s vault and floor and obviously Haleigh and Kiya did their thing. I thought Ashley Cowan did pretty well on three events and she’s a good competitor. Savannah did a great job for us tonight. She’s a great addition to this team. There were so many out there to name,” said Clark. Following the conclusion of the event, fans stuck around for an autograph session with the team inside the legend’s club. The No. 3 Tigers officially kick off the 2024 season on Friday, January 5 at 7:30 p.m. CT when the No. 14 Ohio State Buckeyes come to Baton Rouge. The home opener meet will be broadcasted live on the SEC Network. Photos Below By: Michael Bacigalupi 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 A huge Thank You to Cardio Health Solutions owned by Ron Sancho for sponsoring and believing in our publication! CARDIO HEALTH SOLUTIONS The company who cares for your heart and what your heart cares for!! Cardio Health Solutions (CHS) utilizes PET and CPET technology to detect all forms of cardiovascular disease even in its earliest stage. We also provide financing, support, and management services to practices interested in exploring the functional capacity of their patients through detection and ancillary imaging. GEAUX to https://www.cardiohealthsolutions.net/ for more information, or call 1-800-578-0654 DA BOOT SPORTS SUPPORTS AUTISM AWARENESS
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Da Boot Sports 12/8/2023 LSU Sports Communications By: Alyssa Leal BATON ROUGE – The LSU Gymnastics team placed third in the 2024 Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) Preseason Poll, announced by the organization on Friday morning. The WCGA preseason poll is made up of the top-36 teams in the country, as voted on by members of the association. This year’s preseason ranking marks the 12th straight year that the Tigers will open the season ranked in the top-10 and the 27th year in the top-25. LSU totaled 1,628 points and five first place votes in the poll to place them in the top-five nationally, sitting only behind Florida and Oklahoma. Florida tallied 1,634 points while Oklahoma received 1,709 to make the Sooners the top team heading into the 2024 season. The Tigers will face the poll’s top-two ranked teams on the road in 2024, as they will compete against defending national champions and No. 1 Oklahoma in an early-season quad meet along with No. 4 Utah and No. 5 UCLA on Saturday, January 13. The squad will travel to Gainesville to take on No. 2 Florida on Friday, February 23. LSU will meet 12 opponents that earned a spot in the poll during the regular season, including four conference matchups at home against No. 8 Alabama, No. 9 Kentucky, No. 15 Arkansas, and No. 17 Auburn. Every team in the SEC earned a spot in the top-20 in this year’s poll. The Tigers will open the 2024 season against No. 14 Ohio State on January 5 in Baton Rouge and are also set to face No. 12 Missouri (Jan. 26), No. 16 Georgia (Feb. 9) and No. 32 North Carolina (March 15). This year’s roster is composed of 22 gymnasts with 11 seniors, four juniors, three sophomores and four freshmen. The Tigers welcomed two sixth year transfers this year in Savannah Schoenherr and Jillian Hoffman and four new freshmen as Konnor McClain, Amari Drayton, Kylie Coen and Leah Miller begin their first year in the Purple & Gold. Cammy Hall is a sixth year who is returning this year from injury, while fifth-year seniors Kiya Johnson, Alyona Shchennikova and Kai Rivers all returned for their final year of competition with the Tigers. Haleigh Bryant, Sierra Ballard, Chase Brock, Elena Arenas and Olivia Dunne all enter their senior year while Aleah Finnegan, Alexis Jeffrey, Tori Tatum, KJ Johnson enter their junior season. Ashley Cowan, Bryce Wilson and Annie Beard enter their second year as Tigers. Head Coach Jay Clark continues to lead the program to new heights as LSU set a new record with over 8,000 season tickets sold. The Tigers home schedule features six meets inside the PMAC as the program will look to set a new attendance record in 2024. Single-meet tickets are available at the general admission level with prices varying by meet, ranging from $10-$14 for adults and $5-$7 for youth (ages 3-12). Discounted group tickets for 15 or more are available by calling the ticket sales and services staff at 225-578-2184. For all ticket information visit lsutix.net. 2023-24 WCGA Preseason Coaches Poll: Rank, Team, Points (First Place Votes)
ohn 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. A huge Thank You to Cardio Health Solutions owned by Ron Sancho for sponsoring and believing in our publication! CARDIO HEALTH SOLUTIONS The company who cares for your heart and what your heart cares for!! Cardio Health Solutions (CHS) utilizes PET and CPET technology to detect all forms of cardiovascular disease even in its earliest stage. We also provide financing, support, and management services to practices interested in exploring the functional capacity of their patients through detection and ancillary imaging. GEAUX to https://www.cardiohealthsolutions.net/ for more information, or call 1-800-578-0654 DA BOOT SPORTS SUPPORTS AUTISM AWARENESS |