After dismounting the beam against No. 3 Alabama on Friday night, the only thing LSU junior Konnor McClain could do was cry.
Her confidence had taken a hit since the beginning of 2026. After finishing the 2025 season as one of the top-20 beam workers in the country, she hadn’t scored a 9.900 or higher on beam since January 23; rather, she’d tallied four scores 9.800 or lower in six appearances and had missed last week’s meet against No. 1 Oklahoma in an abundance of caution after a forearm injury on bars.
But heading into her third routine of the night, McClain had some momentum going. She had gone 9.900 on both vault and bars earlier in the meet. She was also in a pressure situation as her teammate Amari Drayton had fallen earlier in the rotation, and Alabama was closing in with a high score on floor to keep them within tenths of LSU heading to the fourth rotation.
But through the pressure, McClain delivered. She tallied a season-high 9.975, the second-highest individual score of the night on the event behind her teammate Kailin Chio’s second consecutive perfect 10, and led No. 2 LSU to a key SEC victory over the Crimson Tide, 197.975 to 197.600.
Recalling the routine after the meet almost made McClain emotional again because of how hard she had prepared for this moment. “I’ve messed up so many times this year. I was over it and so frustrated, and I just put my head down in the gym, and I have worked so hard, so to finally do what I’ve been doing in practice just meant so much to me,” she said.
Despite missing the previous meet due to her injury, McClain was determined to compete this week despite the results of an X-ray she was given. Her injury history dating back to elite gave cause for concern, but it never swayed McClain’s decision. “I told the coaches, I do not want to sit out another meet. I’m ready to go. I love competing for this team and for the girls. For them to have my back…no matter how I feel in practice, I knew [competing] was what I was going to do,” said McClain.
Her determination was no surprise to her teammates. “[McClain is] the definition of a hard worker,” Chio said postmeet. “I knew she was so frustrated, but we heard zero complaining. To see her go out there and do that beam routine was so special.”
LSU head coach Jay Clark echoed his athletes’ sentiments, saying that more than anything, he wanted McClain to get a taste of success again. “It was nice to see her rebound and execute exceptionally on all three events. Hopefully, it builds her confidence and reminds her of who she is,” he stated.
Despite the victory, Clark acknowledged that the meet was a grinder and that his team never was able to capture any momentum, but the team worked through the mistakes to avoid counting a fall, which Clark said showed the guts and grit the Tigers have.
“You don’t want to put yourself in those situations, but those things are going to happen,” said Clark. “It’s when it gets away from you [and] causes everybody else to get tight that you have a problem, [so] they are fighters, but it doesn’t get any easier for us as we go, so we got to make sure that we maintain that mindset and eliminate any mistakes.”
As the Tigers look ahead to Sunday, they will face Arizona, North Carolina, and Alabama for the second time in three days at the Purple and Gold Podium Challenge. Clark’s goal is for his team to hit 24 clean routines without any major breaks. Chio and McClain will look to carry their grit over from Friday’s meet into Sunday’s competition and show that LSU is continuing to build confidence headed into the postseason.
“We’re called the Fighting Tigers for a reason,” Chio said. “No matter what mistakes are made, each meet is a new meet, so we celebrate tonight, and then it’s move on to Sunday.”
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Article by Savanna Wellman
