FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The No. 2 LSU Gymnastics team (4-2, 1-1 SEC) faced a tough challenge on Friday night, falling to No. 14 Arkansas (3-4, 1-1 SEC) in their SEC road opener, with a final score of 196.875 to 196.600 at Bud Walton Arena.
The Tigers claimed event titles in three areas. Freshman Kailin Chio shined on vault with a stellar score of 9.95, sophomore Konnor McClain captured the bars title with a 9.925, and senior Aleah Finnegan dominated on beam, also posting a 9.925. Arkansas’ Joscelyn Roberson excelled in the all-around, finishing with an impressive 39.350 across four events.
“We let a couple of mistakes snowball this evening,” commented head coach Jay Clark. “The first two events went really well, showing some improvements from our previous weeks, but then we lost our focus.” He continued, “Our preparation wasn’t up to standard this week, and that reflected in our performance. Hopefully, we can turn this around and use it as motivation moving forward. Regardless of whether it’s a lesson or a wake-up call, it’s about what we do next.”
The Tigers began the evening on bars, with freshman Lexi Zeiss leading off with a season-high of 9.85. Junior Ashley Cowan followed strong with a score of 9.875, and senior Alexis Jeffrey matched that effort with her own 9.875. Freshman Kailin Chio contributed a 9.725 routine, while senior Aleah Finnegan scored 9.85. Konnor McClain anchored the rotation with an impressive 9.925, bringing LSU’s first rotation score to 49.375.
After the first rotation, LSU led with a score of 49.375 to Arkansas’s 49.250.
The vault highlighted the second rotation for the Tigers, beginning with Zeiss scoring 9.80 in the leadoff position. Senior Chase Brock hit a season-high of 9.90 next, followed by Finnegan’s 9.75. Freshman Kaliya Lincoln scored a career-best 9.85, and sophomore Amari Drayton matched that score in the fifth spot. Chio anchored the rotation perfectly, matching her career-high on vault with a stellar 9.95, yielding a second rotation score of 49.350.
With the halfway point concluded, LSU held a lead of 98.725-98.500.
Brock’s strong performance was crucial during this rotation, as her vault elevated the overall team effort.
As the third rotation took the stage, senior Olivia Dunne opened with a score of 9.70. Following her, Brock posted 9.825, while Drayton kept the momentum going with a score of 9.875. Chio scored 9.100 before Finnegan added 9.575 to the tally. Senior Haleigh Bryant capped the rotation with a commendable 9.875, resulting in an overall score of 48.850 for this round.
McClain continued to shine on bars, claiming her second consecutive title in that event, reaffirming her status as a formidable competitor.
Entering the final rotation, LSU maintained a narrow lead of 147.575 to 147.350.
The focus turned to the beam for the Tigers. Senior Sierra Ballard opened with a score of 9.80, followed by sophomore Kylie Coen’s 9.650. Chio nailed a strong 9.85, while McClain contributed 9.575. The Tigers ended impressively with Bryant scoring 9.800 and Finnegan anchoring with a brilliant 9.925, lifting their rotation score to 49.025.
Despite a strong effort, the Razorbacks closed out their final rotation with a 49.525, overtaking the Tigers to claim victory with a final score of 196.875 to 196.600.
Finnegan finished the meet on a high note, scoring 9.925 on beam and securing her second beam title, bringing her total this year to ten. With this performance, she now holds an impressive career total of 33 titles, nine of which are from beam alone.
Four Tigers participated in exhibition routines after each rotation as well. Senior Tori Tatum had her moment on bars, freshman Victoria Roberts dazzled on the vault, sophomore Leah Miller performed on floor, and Zeiss closed the evening with an exhibition on beam. No. 2 LSU will hit the mat again when they host No. 11 Missouri at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Friday, January 31, at 7:30 p.m. CT, live on SEC Network.
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