No. 2 LSU will be without one of its strongest competitors as it opens its 2025 season. Haleigh Bryant is out for at least the first week, and potentially longer, after she suffered a UCL strain in her elbow during Gymnastics 101.
Per a local news article, Bryant’s injury came while competing on vault in the Tigers’ exhibition meet prior to the holiday break. LSU head coach Jay Clark stated that nothing appeared to be fractured and the injury will not require surgery, but he has shut her down from practicing and competing to help the strain heal.
Bryant is the reigning SEC and NCAA all-around champion and AAI and Honda award winner for women’s gymnastics. She announced she would return for her fifth and final season after the Tigers won their first national title in 2024.
With Bryant’s injury, Clark expects former five-star recruit Kailin Chio and reigning NCAA floor champion Aleah Finnegan to compete in the all-around in the season opener versus Iowa State. Finnegan only competed all four events once last season after a wrist injury flared up but was a consistent all-arounder in 2023. Chio showed all four events at Gymnastics 101 and will be highly relied upon to help fill the void in Bryant’s absence.
READ THIS NEXT: CGN Roundtable: Big Matchups, Schedules, and Underrated Meets in 2025
Article by Savanna Wellman
