Early into the 2026 season, LSU’s lineups have been an interesting puzzle to put together.
Out of 21 athletes on the roster, 14 have made an appearance four meets into the season. Of those 14, nine have appeared in every meet on at least one event.
According to head coach Jay Clark, an overwhelming amount of depth is the best kind of issue to have. “I’d much rather have too many [routines] than not enough. They all want to compete, and they all want to be out there all the time, and that’s not possible,” he stated.
Clark’s current strategy is to pick a spot or two in the lineup to test out different people. This helps find the best combination of scores, but doesn’t categorically change the lineups so much that it disrupts the athletes’ rhythm. He noted that, except when there were mistakes, the score fluctuation hasn’t changed from one meet to the next due to the lineup combinations, which is a testament to the team’s consistency and its competitiveness in intrasquads.
“Every week is a new competition,” freshman Nina Ballou explained. Ballou is one who’s been tested in lineup spots early on in her career, earning three appearances on floor and one on vault so far. “Every week, I feel like I’m fighting for my life, but in the best way,” said Ballou.
While most of the consistent performers are returning veterans, the Tigers’ transfer portal class of Courtney Blackson, Emily Innes, and Madison Ulrich has impressed in its new environment. All three have competed in every meet so far this season in various events. Blackson currently holds the highest average score on the team on bars, while Ulrich is in the top 20 nationally in the all-around. Clark spoke highly of them, stating that they’ve assimilated to the team well due to the culture at LSU. “They accept people coming into their program, they don’t view it as a threat, they willingly embrace people coming in with different perspectives and the ideas they bring to the table,” he added.
Ulrich echoed Clark’s statement, saying that one of the things she was looking for when she entered the portal was healthy competition between her and her teammates. Despite the competition, she noted how the supportive environment at LSU has helped her in the short time she’s been a part of the team. “I feel like I’ve grown being here, and the people here are just one of a kind,” she said.
Heading into its fifth meet of the season, Clark hopes to have his top six, particularly beam, settled soon. With around 40 routines run at its last intrasquad and only 24 lineup spots, it won’t be an easy task, but this weekend gives him an opportunity to test out some additional routines as Penn State comes to Baton Rouge in a contest exclusively streamed on SEC Network Plus.
“[Not being on TV] gives us an opportunity to do some exhibitions, and that’ll give us a greater variety of experience and get some people out there under the lights and in front of the judges, so we’ll see how that goes,” he said. Ballou anticipates the depth giving the Tigers an advantage as they inch closer to returning to nationals. “[Having] this depth and amount of healthy people and everyone being on the same page is a beautiful thing [and] I think it’s going to take us really far this year,” said Ballou.
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Article by Savanna Wellman
