The No. 2 LSU Gymnastics team (4-1, 1-0 SEC) is gearing up for a tough road test against conference rival No. 14 Arkansas (2-4, 0-1 SEC) this Friday at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville.
Head Coach Jay Clark expressed the team’s readiness for the challenge, stating, “We have deep respect for their program and understand that we will face a real test; nothing can be taken for granted. Our primary focus is always on improving and focusing on our performance.”
LSU holds a commanding all-time record of 47-6-1 against Arkansas and has fared well on the road with an 8-2-1 record in Fayetteville. The last time these two teams met was in the 2024 NCAA Semifinals, where LSU came out victorious en route to reaching the Final Four.
Fans can catch all the action on SEC Network+ with commentators Brett Dolan and Sydney Lemmerhirt providing commentary.
In their last meet, the Tigers emerged victorious over No. 7 Florida with a tight score of 197.550-197.450 in front of a sellout crowd of 13,515 fans at PMAC. Senior Aleah Finnegan shined with a remarkable floor routine, scoring a 9.95 and clinching the win for LSU.
Finnegan shared the all-around title with Florida’s Selena Harris-Miranda, both posting scores of 39.500.
Freshman Lexi Zeiss kicked off bars with a solid routine while sophomore Konnor McClain finished strong, achieving a career-high score of 9.925 to boost LSU’s bar score to 49.300.
On beam, Haleigh Bryant hit a season-high 9.95 while Finnegan anchored with a 9.775, helping LSU achieve a season-best score of 49.525 on the event.
Heading into the final rotation, LSU held a narrow lead of 148.175-147.975 over Florida. Finnegan and Bryant came through with impressive routines on floor, earning scores of 9.95 and 9.90 respectively, securing the win for the Tigers.
LSU captured at least a share of every event title, with Finnegan winning floor and sharing honors in vault and all-around categories. McClain took first place on bars while Bryant shared the beam title.
Finnegan’s floor victory marked her third consecutive win this season and brings her career total to an impressive 14 wins on the event.
McClain and Bryant also celebrated their first event victories of the season, adding to their career totals of 10 and 95 wins respectively.
In their fourth week of competition, the Razorbacks come in strong at No. 14 with an average team score of 196.375 and a peak score of 197.000.
After dominating the Arkansas Tri-Meet, the Razorbacks soared to victory over No. 16 Denver and Texas Woman’s with a season-high score of 197.000. This surpasses last season’s record of 11 scores above 197. The team also boasts seven individual scores of 9.9 or higher, currently leading the nation for the 2025 season.
On floor, the Razorbacks achieved a remarkable high score of 49.525, placing them third in the country.
In this week’s Road to Nationals rankings, the Tigers hold their position at No. 2 with an average score of 197.500 after three competitions. They trail behind only No. 1 Oklahoma, who averages a score of 197.758.
In their most recent meet, LSU narrowly defeated No. 7 Florida in front of a sold-out crowd at PMAC, marking their first sellout of the season and third-largest audience in program history.
LSU continues to dominate in all events, ranking in the top five for each: first on vault, fourth on bars and beam, and number one on floor. Their event averages shine brightly at 49.383 on vault, 49.333 on bars, 49.317 on beam, and 49.467 on floor.
Finnegan remains one of the nation’s best all-arounders with an average score of 39.617, holding onto second place. Freshman Kailin Chio is making her mark as well, currently ranked at No.19 with an average score of 39.
Be the first to comment