The LSU Tigers women's gymnastics team [n 1] represents Louisiana State University in NCAA Division I women's gymnastics.[4] The team competes in the Southeastern Conference and is currently coached by Jay Clark, who is coaching in his fifth season. The Pete Maravich Assembly Center serves as the home arena for the team.
| LSU Tigers women's gymnastics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 1975 (48 years ago) |
| University | Louisiana State University |
| Head coach | Jay Clark[1] (5th season) |
| Conference | SEC Division I Division |
| Location | Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
| Home arena | Pete Maravich Assembly Center (Capacity: 13,472) |
| Nickname | Tigers |
| Colors | Purple and gold[2] |
| National championships | |
| 2024 | |
| Four on the Floor appearances | |
| 2019, 2023, 2024 | |
| Super Six appearances | |
| 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 | |
| NCAA Tournament appearances | |
| 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 | |
| Conference championships | |
| 1981, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2024 | |
History
editThe gymnastics program was founded in 1970. In 2008, LSU made their first Super Six appearance. The team also made Super Six appearances in 2009, 2013 and 2014. In both the 2016 and 2017 seasons, the program made the Super Six and finished second at the 2016 and 2017 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships.[5][6] Also in 2017, LSU won back-to-back SEC Regular Season and SEC Championship Meet championships.[7] In 2018, LSU again won back-to-back SEC Regular Season and SEC Championship Meet championships and reached the Super Six.[7]
In 2019, LSU won the SEC Championship Meet in New Orleans and made an appearance in the first-ever Four on the Floor in NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship. The team finished second overall for the third time in school history.
In 2022, LSU placed fifth at the SEC Championships with a score of 196.725 despite entering the competition with the No. 2 seed.[8][9][10] No. 6 LSU placed third behind No. 11 Missouri and No. 22 Iowa in the first session of the semi-final of the Raleigh regional;[11] this eliminated them from the postseason, leading to an 18th-place finish nationally.[12]
At the 2024 NCAA women's gymnastics tournament LSU earned their first National Championship team title.[13]
Championships
editIndividual NCAA champions
edit| LSU Tigers Individual NCAA Championship Titles | |||||
| Gymnast | Vault | Balance Beam | Uneven Bars | Floor Exercise | All-Around |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeanie Beadle | 1977[n 2] | ||||
| Nicki Arnstad | 2002 (tie) | ||||
| April Burkholder | 2006 | ||||
| Susan Jackson | 2008 | 2010 | 2010 | ||
| Ashleigh Clare-Kearney | 2009 | 2009 (tie) | |||
| Rheagan Courville | 2013 (tie) & 2014 (tie) | ||||
| Ashleigh Gnat | 2017 (tie) | ||||
| Sarah Finnegan | 2017 (tie) & 2019 | ||||
| Kennedi Edney | 2017 & 2019 (tie) | ||||
| Haleigh Bryant | 2021 (tie) | 2024 | |||
| Aleah Finnegan | 2024 | ||||
Conference championships
edit- SEC Regular Season champions (5): 1981, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
- SEC Championship Meet champions (5): 1981, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2024
NCAA Championship appearances
editSuper Six appearances
edit| LSU Tigers Super Six Appearances | |
| Year | Finish |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 5th |
| 2009 | 6th |
| 2013 | 5th |
| 2014 | 2nd |
| 2016 | 2nd |
| 2017 | 2nd |
| 2018 | 4th |
Four on the Floor appearances
edit| LSU Tigers Four on the Floor Appearances | |
| Year | Finish |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 2nd |
| 2023 | 4th |
| 2024 | 1st |
Arena and facilities
editPete Maravich Assembly Center
edit.jpg)
The Pete Maravich Assembly Center is a 13,215-seat multi-purpose arena in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The arena opened in 1972 and is home of the LSU Tigers gymnastics team. It was originally known as the LSU Assembly Center, but was renamed in honor of Pete Maravich, a Tiger basketball legend, shortly after his death in 1988. The Maravich Center is known to locals as "The PMAC" or "The Palace that Pete Built," or by its more nationally known nickname, "The Deaf Dome," coined by Dick Vitale.[14]
The slightly oval building is located directly to the north of Tiger Stadium, and its bright-white roof can be seen in many telecasts of that stadium. The arena concourse is divided into four quadrants: Pete Maravich Pass, The Walk of Champions, Heroes Hall and Midway of Memories. The quadrants highlight former LSU Tiger athletes, individual and team awards and memorabilia pertaining to the history of the LSU Tigers gymnastics team.[15]
LSU Gymnastics Training Facility
edit_Gym_Area.jpg)
The LSU Gymnastics Training Facility is the practice venue for the LSU Tigers gymnastics team. The new facility opened in 2016 and provides 38,000 square feet of training and team space.
LSU Strength and Conditioning facility
editThe LSU Tigers basketball strength training and conditioning facility is located in the LSU Strength and Conditioning facility. Built in 1997, it is located adjacent to Tiger Stadium.[16] Measuring 10,000-square feet with a flat surface, it has 28 multi-purpose power stations, 36 assorted selectorized machines and 10 dumbbell stations along with a plyometric specific area, medicine balls, hurdles, plyometric boxes and assorted speed and agility equipment.[17] It also features 2 treadmills, 4 stationary bikes, 2 elliptical cross trainers, a stepper and stepmill.[18]
Head coaches
edit| Name | Seasons | All W/L/T | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackie Walker | 1974–1977 | 33–36–0 | .481 |
| D-D Breaux | 1978–2020 | 800–410–8 | .660 |
| Jay Clark | 2021–present |
Roster
edit| Name | Height | Year | Hometown | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sierra Ballard | 5-2 | GS | Mandeville, LA | North Shore Gymnastics |
| Annie Beard | 5-5 | JR | Alexandria, LA | Texas Dreams |
| Chase Brock | 5-4 | 5th | Atlanta, GA | Gymnastix Training Center |
| Haleigh Bryant | 5-5 | GS | Cornelius, NC | Everest Gymnastics |
| Kailin Chio | 5-4 | FR | Henderson, NV | Gym Cats |
| Kylie Coen | 5-6 | SO | Bedford, TX | Empire Gymnastics Academy |
| Ashley Cowan | 5-3 | JR | Hillsborough, NC | Bull City Gymnastics |
| Amari Drayton | 5-1 | SO | Spring, TX | World Champions Centre |
| Olivia Dunne | 5-6 | 5th | Hillsdale, NJ | ENA Paramus |
| Aleah Finnegan | 5-4 | SR | Lee's Summit, MO | GAGE |
| Alexis Jeffrey | 5-3 | SR | Warrensburg, MO | GAGE |
| KJ Johnson | 5-0 | SR | Dallas, TX | Texas Dreams |
| Kaliya Lincoln | 5-1 | FR | Frisco, TX | WOGA |
| Konnor McClain | 5-2 | SO | Las Vegas, NV | Gymcats Gymnastics |
| Leah Miller | 5-1 | SO | Raleigh, NC | Arizona Dynamics |
| Zoe Miller | 5-2 | FR | Spring, TX | World Champions Centre |
| Victoria Roberts | 5-3 | FR | Belle Chasse, LA | Edge Gymnastics |
| Alyona Shchennikova | 5-5 | GS | Evergreen, CO | 5280 Gymnastics |
| Tori Tatum | 5-6 | SR | Chanhassen, MN | Twin City Twisters |
| Kathryn Weilbacher | 5-6 | SR | Houston, TX | World Champions Centre |
| Bryce Wilson | 5-3 | JR | Pearland, TX | Pearland Elite |
| Lexi Zeiss | 5-2 | FR | Omaha, NE | Twin City Twisters |
Coaching staff
edit- Head coach: Jay Clark
- Assistant coach: Ashleigh Gnat
- Assistant coach: Garrett Griffeth
- Assistant coach: Courtney McCool Griffeth
- Director of Operations: Katie Copeland
- Special assistant to the head coach: Savannah Schoenherr
Past Olympians
edit- Shanyn MacEachern
(1996) - Sarah Finnegan (2012 alternate)
- Ruby Harrold
(2016) - Aleah Finnegan
(2024)
See also
editFootnotes
editReferences
edit- ^ "Jay Clark". June 2021.
- ^ "Brand Guidelines: Colors". LSUAthletics.LingoApp.com. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
- ^ Megargee, Steve (June 26, 2015). "Tennessee set to make move to a lone 'Lady Vols' team". Yahoo! Sports. Associated Press. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
An Associated Press survey of all 65 schools from the five major conferences found that at least 28 had separate nicknames for men's and women's teams at some point in their histories. Only seven continue that practice, and in most cases they only have separate nicknames for certain women's teams. Texas Tech uses the Lady Raiders for women's teams in sports that also have men's teams: basketball, tennis, golf, track and cross country. LSU uses a similar strategy.
- ^ "Gymnastics - News - LSUsports.net - The Official Web Site of LSU Tigers Athletics". lsusports.net.
- ^ "LSU gymnastics places 2nd in NCAA championships, the highest finish in school history | NOLA.com". Archived from the original on 2016-04-20.
- ^ "Second to none: LSU gymnastics team finishes second at NCAA's Super Six, the best finish in program history".
- ^ a b "No. 2 LSU claims first SEC regular-season title".
- ^ "Gymnastics Finishes Fifth at SEC Championships". LSU. 2022-03-19. Retrieved 2022-04-01.
- ^ "Florida wins 2022 SEC Gymnastics Championship". www.secsports.com. Retrieved 2022-04-01.
- ^ "Seeding Set for 2022 SEC Gymnastics Championship". www.secsports.com. Retrieved 2022-04-01.
- ^ Chrisman, Spencer (March 31, 2022). "No. 6 seed LSU gymnastics eliminated from Raleigh Regional". www.wafb.com. Retrieved 2022-04-01.
- ^ "Gymnastics Season Ends in Raleigh". LSU. 2022-03-31. Retrieved 2022-04-01.
- ^ "LSU women take home NCAA gymnastics title for first time". ESPN. April 20, 2024.
- ^ "Pete Maravich Assembly Center, United States : map, ticket booth, seat, parking, events, hotels near, photo, guided tours, entry fee, reviews". tvtrip.com.
- ^ "LSU Men's Basketball Facilities". LSUsports.net.
- ^ "LSU Strength and Conditioning". lsusports.net. September 29, 2009. Retrieved 2013-08-28.
- ^ "A Strength Training Legacy" (PDF). biggerfasterstronger.com. Retrieved 2016-01-26.
- ^ "LSU Tigers' Weight Room". ESPN The Magazine. November 14, 2012. Archived from the original on October 23, 2013. Retrieved 2014-02-11.