It’s time to get our first look at the defending champion! LSU has a lot to look forward to this season, and tonight will be our first chance to see what it has in the tank heading into 2025.
The biggest story with this team is the returns of five athletes for an extra year of eligibility, including reigning NCAA all-around champion Haleigh Bryant. Bryant will likely lead the team again this season, but with the graduation of Kiya Johnson, someone will need to step up to be the other part of the one-two punch that fans are so used to seeing in the lineups.
Elsewhere, the Tigers added quite a few new faces we’ll see make their PMAC debut tonight, including former U.S. elite Lexi Zeiss, as well as former five-star recruit Kailin Chio. All in all, this should be a fun night that brings us one step closer to the 2025 season!
You can watch tonight’s event on SECN+ here!
We have teams! Looks like we will not see Leah Miller, Zoe Miller (out for season), Kathryn Weilbacher, and Bryce Wilson tonight. There’s no KJ Johnson listed on these lineups either. Drayton, Finnegan, Zeiss are doing all-around for Team One while Bryant and Chio will do all-around for Team Two. Kaliya Lincoln, who had a redshirt rumor floating around, will only compete on vault.
We’re at introductions!! Love how Haleigh Bryant is just casually chilling while Mike Smith calls out all her accomplishments. No scores being handed out, so let’s just have some fun.
Rotation 1: Purple VT, Gold UB
Tatum (UB): toe handstand to Maloney to bail, looking really crisp thus far, little short on that last handstand, full-twisting double tuck with a step.
Zeiss (VT): Debut for the freshman!! Yurchenko 1.5, good block off the table, little bit of knee bend in the air, but got the landing.
Dunne (UB): Tkatchev to Pak salto, little rushed, but caught it nonetheless. Double layout dismount, small slide back on the landing.
Brock (VT): Yurchenko 1.5, better form in the knees than Zeiss’s, but underrotated and caused her to hop back.
Shchennikova (UB): First routine back! Short on the first handstand, but nails the Tkatchev to Pak combinations. Double layout dismount, a little whippy, small step on the landing
Finnegan (VT): Yurchenko 1.5, best distance out of the three so far. Slight knee bend in the air, side step on the landing.
Chio (UB): beautiful first handstand. Maloney to Bail combination, nice lines throughout. Full-twisting double tuck, deep knee bend on the landing, but otherwise a nicely done routine!
Drayton (VT): Yurchenko 1.5, lot of height and power, big bounce forward on the landing.
Bryant (UB): blind change to straddle Jaeger, her usual form on the landing. Double front half dismount, solid landing. Not a bad start for the 5th year senior.
After 1: Not a bad start for LSU. Lots of questions of the whereabouts of a few lineup staples, like Johnson and Alexis Jeffrey. Kailin Chio is going to be a star on bars, while Bryant looks to pick up where she left off last season. Next rotation brings us the return of Konnor McClain post-Achilles tear!
Rotation 2 – Gold VT, Purple UB
Zeiss (UB): Maloney to Pak salto, struggles a little on the handstand after the Pak, but saves it. Full twisting double tuck, no movement and nice high chest on the landing.
Roberts (VT): FHS tuck half, she trained a pike half at one point, so hopefully she can find a way to bring that into the lineup. Overall a solid vault!
Cowan (UB): Reigning SEC bars champ! Ray to overshoot connection, nice and smooth. Angle’s a little weird for the handstands, but they looked good. Just the double layout tonight, stuck. She was training a full twist into that layout this summer, so we’ll see if that appears during season.
Lincoln (VT): Yurchenko 1.5, little bit of elbow bend and leg separation on the preflight, hop forward on the landing.
Drayton (UB): blind to straddle Jaeger, some elbow bend on the catch, but beautiful on the toe point throughout! Double layout dismount, small hop backwards.
Chio (VT): Yurchenko 1.5, little off directionally since she landed off to the side, but NAILED the landing! She’s going to be amazing for this team.
McClain (UB): beautiful first handstand, Church to Pak combination, little bit of leg separation on the Pak, but clean otherwise. Spotted from Clark on her dismount, but after coming back from an Achilles tear, it was a great routine!
Bryant (VT): FHS pike half, usual stick. No big deal.
Finnegan (UB): Good first handstand, Deltchev release was good, wobbled on the low bar after the bail, full twisting double tuck, small step on the landing.
Looks like Roberts will go again, this time with the FHS pike half. Little bit of leg separation in the air.
After 2: One thing we’ve seen is that the Tigers are not lacking depth for sure. Every vaulter did a 10.0 start value, with Roberts hitting that mark on her 2nd attempt, which may put some vaulters into question if they only vault a full. Bars appears to be just as strong as before, but we will see what the Tigers bring on beam and floor in the 2nd half.
Rotation 3: Purple BB, Gold FX
Beard (BB): Issues with consistency in the past, let’s see how she does. Goes for the BHS LOSO series and completely missed the beam. Walks off on her own, but doesn’t finish the routine. Super sad because I truly love her beam.
Ballard (FX): Marks the first pass, typically her double layout. Back 1.5 to front layout for her 2nd pass. Nice extension on her leaps. Double pike to end it, steps out of bounds.
Zeiss (BB): Wolf turns to open, little bit of balance issue but gets it around. Front aerial to BHS series, little bit of knee bend on the back handspring. Switch leap to split jump, looked right around 180. Side aerial was good, 1.5 dismount, step back on the landing.
Coen (FX): FHS front double full to open, very nicely done! Beautiful artistry and choreography throughout. Front layout to front full 2nd pass, good punch into the full. Beautiful rotation on the leaps! That could easily see lineup time!
Drayton (BB): Front aerial to open, BHS LOSO series was clean. Switch leap switch leap looked a little below 180. Round off double full to close with a stick.
Dunne (FX): front tuck through to double tuck to open, small step out. Her leaps are absolutely flawless throughout this routine. Double pike to close, We normally saw her when Kiya Johnson needed a break last season, this could be the season she breaks through to top 6.
McClain (BB): switch leap to switch half, front leg was a little low on the switch half. Beautiful series. For coming back off an Achilles repair, she looks like she didn’t miss a beat. Side gainer full dismount with a small step.
Chio (FX): full twisting double tuck to open, small step back on the landing. Good extension and toe point on her leap series, 2.5 twist to punch front for her second pass, WOW WOW WOW!
Finnegan (BB): Last season’s anchor will close out this rotation on beam. Nails the BHS layout layout series, gets her leaps up to 180. Aerial was good, side gainer full to dismount. No major wobbles to report, she should be in the conversation for the anchor role once again.
Bryant (FX): Double front to open, her usual step forward out of it. Beautiful toe point on the leaps, does her layout step out to get the backwards tumbling element. Front layout to Rudi to close, looks like she’s going back to the two pass routine this year, but I honestly don’t hate it?
Ballard goes back on the floor to do her double layout, slight pike down on the end. Ballard is doing the only 3-pass routine this season?? Crazy. “I’m stubborn but I’m not stupid.” Same, Jay, same.
After 3: What have we learned so far? Well, first off, hopefully Beard is okay after that tumble on beam, but that was the only hiccup of this rotation. I think once the landings get cleaned up on floor, there’s no reason to think that the Tigers won’t be in the top 5 on floor once again, if not No. 1.
Rotation 4 – Gold BB, Purple FX
Ballard (BB): Last season’s perennial leadoff takes the beam. BHS LOSO, moves through the series well. Sissone to switch half, good extension. Little lean on the front toss, with a little “sassy hair flip” as my husband told me to put in my notes. Double twist to close, stuck.
Zeiss (FX): Final routine for the freshman tonight. FHS front double full to open, lacked a little bit of punch on the FHS and some form in the twist. Fun choreography throughout, back 1.5 to front full 2nd pass, small hop forward on the landing. Really love her gymnastics, but she has to clean up some of the form throughout to contend with some of these returners.
Dunne (BB): BHS LOSO to open, maybe a slight balance check? Front aerial was good, slight check between the leaps, but gets it back together. Gainer pike to close, no movement on the landing.
Drayton (FX): Double layout to open, slightest slide of the front foot on the landing. Switch ring to switch half leap series, good toe point. Puts her hands down on the front tuck through to double tuck pass, looked like she didn’t have enough power from the jump.
Just spotted Beard on the sidelines, no visible sign of an injury.
Coen (BB): She really impressed me on floor, let’s see how she does on beam. Alicia Keys music on the beam, yes ma’am. Front aerial was good, BHS LOSO series right after was on point. Switch leap lacked a little 180 but series afterwards was better. Double twist dismount, slight step back on the landing. She may be a fantasy gym sleeper pick, y’all.
Brock (FX): Griffeth spots Brock on her first pass, but she didn’t really need it, it was very clean. Good toe point on the leap element. Very floaty back 1.5 to front layout, small step out of it. Switch side to straddle full, much improved on that routine from years past!
Chio (BB): Small wobble on the mount, but gets it back on her series. Her fluidity on this event is really nice. Front aerial to split jump, great toe point on the leap. Is it weird to say I prefer the beam choreo to the floor this year? Maybe? BHS 1.5 to close, little lean on the landing.
Finnegan (FX): Her signature head nod before her first pass, double arabian to stag jump, nicely done. Switch leap to tour jete half, toe point was great. 2.5 twist to punch front to close. Great routine from the reigning floor champ.
Bryant (BB): Final routine of the night (unless someone wants to go again)! Front aerial to BHS and…I don’t even know how to describe what happened but I think she lost her grip on the beam and fell. Leaps were good, gets her confidence back quickly. Front 1.5 to close. Repeats her series and nails it that time.
After 4: The national champions are ready to protect the crown, as they have so aptly proclaim. Even with some lineup staples missing, the Tigers still put out 37 routines and most of the falls were flukes that we likely won’t see again. Buckle up guys, this season is going to be a wild ride.
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Live blog by Savanna Wellman
