For LSU, the opening night of the 2025 season was full of emotions.
The 2024 national championship banner rose to the top of the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, with Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb” playing in the background. Tears were shed among the athletes on the floor, lights flashed as the smoke began to billow, and the popping of purple and gold streamers could be heard amongst the screams of the crowds.
Then, head coach Jay Clark had to quickly turn his team’s attention to the present.
“Once that banner went up, I pulled them together and said ‘okay, let’s go’,” Clark recalled. “It’s about the business at hand, and that’s the five minutes in front of our face.”
Focusing on the five minutes in front of the Tigers led the team to a victory over No. 32 Iowa State, 197.300 to 194.100, in front of a program-record season-opening crowd in Baton Rouge.
In the absence of fifth-year senior Haleigh Bryant due to a UCL strain, senior Aleah Finnegan and freshman Kailin Chio competed in the all-around, the former not having done so consistently since 2023. While Finnegan won the all-around with a 39.725, Chio made her presence known early with a nearly-stuck Yurchenko one-and-a-half vault to anchor the Tigers lineup. She then scored 9.900 or better on the remaining three events to score a 39.575 in the all-around, a school-record score for a freshman debut.
“That kid’s a killer,” Clark commented after the meet. “She’s got an edge to her that you don’t often see. In [Bryant’s] absence, we had to have people step up, and she was one of the ones that really stepped in and filled the void.”
Chio is just beginning her journey as a collegiate gymnast, but the hype of Friday Night Heights more than lived up to her expectations.
“I was telling [the team] if I start crying, don’t say anything!” She exclaimed with a laugh. “I was just amazed about how many fans come out and knowing that people do love gymnastics just like we do.”
For Finnegan, winning the all-around on opening night was an accomplishment, but she echoed that the team would need to remain focused on the five minutes in front of them. “We have a long season, [so] we turn the page next week, and we focus on what the next meet is about. As long as we keep that same mentality week in and week out, I think we’re going to be just fine.”
Article by Savanna Wellman
