Gymnastics Host No. 2 Florida In Primetime Matchup

Aleah Finnegan recorded her first career perfect score on vault, marking her first title at the event. The sophomore also clinched her second all-around title against Auburn with a career-high 39,800. She now owns 11 titles a year, including four on floor and beam, one on vault and two in all-around.

LSU started with bars in Auburn. Freshman Ashley Cowan made her college debut Friday night when she scored a 9.775 in second place. Sophomore Tori Tatum added 9,850 while Finnegan himself added 9,875. Senior Alyona Shchennikova posted a 9.825 before junior Haleigh Bryant anchored with a 9.950. The Tigers recorded a 49.275 on the bar to end the first rotation.

Vault was highlighted by Finnegan’s perfect 10 in fifth place. Junior Elena Arenas led with a 9.800 and Shchennikova followed with a stalled 9.925 routine. Bryant added a 9.900 at anchor. Finnegan hit a perfect Omelianchik to record her first career perfect 10 on vault and push LSU’s score to 49,350 in the second rotation.

It was a 98.825-98.625 Auburn lead at halftime at Neville Arena.

Junior Sierra Ballard led things in her usual energetic way on the floor, scoring a 9.825. Shchennikova followed and set a career high of 9.925. Finnegan continued her dominant night, scoring a 9.975 to take the event co-title alongside Auburn’s Sunisa Lee and Derrian Gobourne. KJ Johnson also added a 9.875 as the Tigers went into the final rotation of the night.

Arenas took the lead against Auburn where she earned 9,750. Shchennikova capped her night with a 9,850 before senior Kai Rivers posted a season-high 9,900 in third place. Ballard scored a 9.850 as she continues to show consistency in her performances. Bryant added 9,900 and Finnegan anchored with another 9,950 to set her career high in the event and take the co-title with Lee. LSU scored a 49.425 on beam to set a season-high in this event.

Auburn retained the lead in the end as the meeting ended 197,500-197,750 in favor of the home Tigers.

It was another career night for LSU as the team continues to rise. With a total of 197,500 points and 49,425 points in the high beam, the team achieved a best performance of the season on the road. Individually, Shchennikova equaled her career all-around best of 39.525 with her performance against Auburn, as well as a new career all-around best for Finnegan.

The group

Shchennikova, Bryant and Finnegan are expected to be the mainstays in the all-around as the team prepares to face Florida for a much-anticipated conference game. Elena Arenas also has the potential to make an all-around appearance for the Tigers.

Shchennikova made her all-around debut against Missouri this season, setting a career-high 39.525 against Auburn. The senior owns season highs of 9.925 on vault, 9.875 on beam, 9.800 on beam and 9.925 on floor.

An eight-time All-American, Bryant has taken on a bigger role this season, winning 17 titles so far in the Tiger’s six encounters, including six straight all-around titles. She has six perfect 10s on the vault in her career, as her front handspring front pike half is considered one of the best vaults in all of NCAA gymnastics. The junior is currently the No. 2 vaulter and No. 8 gymnast in the nation.

Bryant has posted season-highs of 9.950 on beam, beam and floor, and hit a career-high 10 on vault against Missouri. In the same game against Missouri, she had a career-best all-around score of 39,750.

Finnegan made her all-around debut in the team’s season opener against Utah and now has a career high of 39,800 after her career night in Auburn. The sophomore scored her first perfect on floor against the Bulldogs and followed that up with another perfect 10 on vault against Auburn to equal those two of her career. She also has career highs this season of 9.850 on vault, 9.925 on beam, and 9.950 on beam.

Arenas has been a constant competitor in the vault, beam and beam lineups. The Athens, Georgia-born junior won the 2021 SEC Vault title and has a season-best 9.850 at the event. She also posted a career high of 9.925 on beam in Kentucky and owns a season high of 9.875 on parallel bars.

Kai Rivers brings experience and leadership to the team. After struggling with injuries throughout her career, the senior is a fixture on the beam roster and owns a season-high 9,900.

Junior Chase Brock made her vault and floor debuts against Oklahoma and has consistently made her mark on the lineups. Brock has a season-high 9.825 on the floor and posted a career-high vault with her routine 9.950 against the Bulldogs.

Ballard brought the energy to the floor leadoff spot and owns a season-high 9,900 in the event. The Louisiana native made her debut on beam against Oklahoma, where she posted a career-high 9.825, matching that result against AUBURN.

A native of Dallas, Texas, KJ Johnson continues to show consistency in the vault and floor where she has season highs of 9,950.

Tori Tatum, a sophomore from Chanhassen, Minnesota, made her parallel bars debut against Oklahoma after suffering from an injury last year. Tatum posted a 9.875 in her very first collegiate routine and posted a career-high 9.900 against Missouri.

Freshman Ashley Cowan, a native of Hillsborough, North Carolina, trains on the uneven bars and has the potential to make the lineup, while fellow student and Louisiana-born Bryce Wilson made her collegiate debut on beam in the season opener against Utah.

Wilson posted a career-high 9.775 against the Utes and has the potential to return to Beam formation in the coming weeks.

Fans can follow the Tigers on the team’s social media channels @LSUgym on Instagram and Twitter and www.facebook.com/lsugym.

Ranking of the sixth week