Tag: Jay Clark

Olympic gold medalist Hezly Rivera commits to LSU gymnastics

The future of LSU’s gymnastics program is in good hands.

The defending national champion LSU gymnastics team could be poised for a repeat with the top gymnast in the nation, [autotag]Haleigh Bryant[/autotag], returning for one final season in 2025.

But even when Bryant and other stars move on, the future of the program seems to be in very good hands.

On Thursday, coach [autotag]Jay Clark[/autotag] and the Tigers picked up a massive commitment from Olympic gold medalist [autotag]Hezly Rivera[/autotag], a current high school junior who competed as a member of the Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics this past summer.

Rivera ultimately did not compete as part of the team final, where the United States won gold, but she still received a gold medal as a member of the team while competing individually in the bars and beam.

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“I am so blessed & excited to announce that I have verbally committed to Louisiana State University (LSU) on a full athletic scholarship,” she wrote in a post on Instagram. “thank you Jesus for this wonderful blessing! thank you to my family, coaches, and teammates for helping me throughout this process. I also want to thank all the girls, coaches, and staff at LSU for everything”

Rivera is only 16 and has her sights set on a return to the Olympics when they’re hosted in Los Angeles in 2028. In the meantime, she will look to keep LSU among the ranks of elite gymnastics programs.

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LSU extends national champion gymnastics coach Jay Clark through 2031

After leading LSU to its first national title in program history, Jay Clark is sticking around for the foreseeable future.

The head coach of the defending national champion LSU Tigers gymnastics team is sticking around for the foreseeable future.

On Tuesday, LSU announced that it had agreed to a contract extension with gymnastics coach [autotag]Jay Clark[/autotag] that will run through the 2031 season. Further details surrounding the contract are not known at this time.

“Jay achieved a new standard of excellence in our gymnastics program with the first team national championship this spring,” LSU Athletics Director [autotag]Scott Woodward[/autotag] said in a release. “I am pleased he will continue to lead our program and mentor our student-athletes to new heights.”

Clark has been the head coach of the Tigers since 2020 and was on staff since 2013 prior to that as an assistant under coach [autotag]D-D Breaux[/autotag]. Since taking over as the head man, Clark led the Tigers to the Four on the Floor in each of the past two seasons, winning the program’s first national title this past spring.

“This extension and our success is not about one person. This is validating for our entire staff who works hard to do things the right way. We value our relationships with each other and with the student athletes we coach,” Clark said.

“We are blessed to all be here together and to work with the level of student athletes we do. I’m grateful to them, this staff, Athletic Director Scott Woodward, Keli Zinn, President Tate, and the LSU Board for this vote of confidence. This is a special place for student athletes to achieve their dreams, and I’m so fortunate to be a part of this institution! Geaux Tigers!”

LSU could be poised to compete for another national championship in 2025 as [autotag]Haleigh Bryant[/autotag], the top gymnast in the nation, returns for a fifth season along with other stars like [autotag]Aleah Finnegan[/autotag]. Clark has turned the Tigers into a national powerhouse, and that success should continue in the coming years.

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LSU gymnastics’ Jay Clark named Louisiana Collegiate Coach of the Year

Jay Clark was honored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl after leading LSU to its lone NCAA title in 2023-24.

After leading the LSU gymnastics team to its first national title in program history this spring, coach [autotag]Jay Clark[/autotag] is unsurprisingly bringing home some state-level honors.

On Friday, Clark was named the Louisiana Collegiate Coach of the Year by the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

Clark, who previously served as the head coach at Georgia from 2009-12 and an assistant at LSU from 2013-19, has been the Tigers coach since he replaced [autotag]D-D Breaux[/autotag]. Under Clark, LSU has reached the Four on the Floor in the last two seasons and won its first national title this year.

The gymnastics championship was LSU’s lone national title from the 2023-24 athletic calendar.

Though the Tigers are set to lose several of the bulwarks from this year’s team, most notably star [autotag]Haleigh Bryant[/autotag], they should be nationally competitive once again as they bring back some young talent, as well.

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LSU gymnastics’ Jay Clark and Haleigh Bryant named finalists for prestigious Louisiana sports award

Haleigh Bryant and Jay Clark were. both nominated by the Sugar Bowl for prestigious Louisiana awards.

Waves of awards and nominations continue to roll in for LSU’s [autotag]Haleigh Bryant[/autotag] after she was the best gymnast in the country and led LSU to a national title in 2024. This time it was the James J. Corbett award, presented annually by the Allstate Sugar Bowl to the top male and female amateur athletes in the state of Louisiana.

Bryant was joined by her coach, [autotag]Jay Clark[/autotag], who received a nomination for the Collegiate Coach of the Year award, given to the top college coach in the state.

The winner of the coaches award will be announced on Friday, June 28 with the Corbett announcement coming not long after on Monday, July 8.

Bryant wouldn’t be the first Tiger to win the Corbett Award. She’d join the likes of [autotag]Susan Jackson[/autotag], [autotag]Ashleigh Gnat[/autotag], and [autotag]Sarah Finnegan[/autotag].

If Clark takes home the coaches award, he’d be the second LSU gymnastics coach to do so after [autotag]DD Breaux[/autotag] won in 2017 and 2019.

Also on the Coach of the Year list is former LSU men’s basketball coach [autotag]Will Wade[/autotag], who led McNeese State to a resurgent season and an NCAA Tournament appearance.

Former LSU QB and Heisman Trophy winner [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] was named a finalist for the male Corbett Award.

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LSU gymnast Sierra Ballard returning for final season of eligibility

The Tigers are getting at least one key piece back from the 2024 national title squad.

Though LSU is set to lose quite a bit of talent from its 2024 national champion gymnastics squad, it’s getting at least one key piece back.

On Monday, [autotag]Sierra Ballard[/autotag] announced that she will be returning to the Tigers for her fifth and final season of eligibility. A four-time SEC Academic Honor Roll selection and two-time SEC Community Service Team member, Ballard has appeared in every meet for LSU over the last two years in at least one event.

She played a major role in leading the Tigers to their first national title in program history, leading off the final rotation in the national championship with a career-high 9.500 on the beam, an event in which she was named an All-American this season.

“There’s just something different about LSU,” Ballard said in a release. “You can’t put it into words until you come here. If I have an opportunity to continue making history with my best friends, in the best place in this world, then I’m going to do that.”

The Tigers are set to lose some major talent this offseason, including the top gymnast in the nation, [autotag]Haleigh Bryant[/autotag]. But with pieces like Ballard, coach Jay Clark’s team could be set to contend once again.

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LSU gymnastics’ Haleigh Bryant wins major national award

LSU’s Haleigh Bryant added to her long list of accolades and took home the Honda Sport Award for gymnastics.

LSU gymnast [autotag]Haleigh Bryant[/autotag] continued to add to her endless list of accolades this week.

The senior won the 2024 Honda Sport Award for gymnastics. For 48 years, the award has been presented to the top female athlete in 12 NCAA sports. Each winner becomes a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the 2024 Honda Cup, which will be awarded in June.

For the gymnastics award, Bryant was accompanied by a finalists list that included Oklahoma’s Jordan Bowers, Oregon State’s Jade Carey, and Florida’s Leanne Wong.

“(Bryant’s) leadership and example have been exemplary and I am so very proud of her earning this award. It’s richly deserved,” LSU head coach [autotag]Jay Clark[/autotag] said in a release.

After leading LSU to a national championship this spring, Bryant announced her return to LSU in 2025, electing to use her fifth year of eligibility. Along with the team title, Bryant won the individual all-around national title and SEC Gymnast of The Year.

Bryant’s 94 career titles rank fifth in program history. Thanks to the extra year granted following COVID, she’ll get a chance to chase the top spot next year.

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LSU’s Jay Clark is optimistic about future of gymnastics program despite incoming loss of talent

Despite the incoming exodus of talent, Jay Clark is optimistic about next year’s gymnastics squad.

The LSU gymnastics team finally got over the hump in 2024, winning the first national championship in program history with an absolutely loaded roster.

There will be some changes next season, however. The Tigers have 11 gymnasts on the roster who are either seniors or graduate students, including the nation’s top gymnast [autotag]Haleigh Bryant[/autotag] as well as [autotag]Kiya Johnson[/autotag] and others.

The cupboard won’t be completely bare in 2025, however, with gymnasts like [autotag]Aleah Finnegan[/autotag], a junior, and [autotag]Konnor McClain[/autotag], a true freshman, set to return. With those pieces, coach [autotag]Jay Clark[/autotag] remains optimistic about the future despite what this team is set to lose.

“I feel really good about the team we have coming back next year,” Clark said, per On3. “Their role will continue to increase and get more and more. I think they’re tremendous, but I feel incredibly optimistic about what we have coming back and the freshman class that’s coming in. I’m excited.”

LSU has reached the final round of the NCAA tournament three times since 2019, and it seems fair to assume this program isn’t going away any time soon even though it has to retool this offseason.

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What LSU gymnastics’ 1st national title means for program

LSU gymnastics won its first national title on Saturday. Here’s what it means for the program.

[autotag]DD Breaux[/autotag] took over LSU gymnastics in 1978.

In the years that followed, LSU became one of the country’s top programs, often finishing top 10 nationally. Year after year, All-Americans came through the program, making LSU a destination for the top up-and-coming gymnasts.

Despite the superstars and LSU competing at the top of the SEC every year, one thing remained elusive — a national title.

Breaux retired in 2019, finishing her career with three straight SEC titles. But after 40+ years at the top of the sport, LSU still lacked a national title. Breaux gave way to her successor, [autotag]Jay Clark[/autotag], and the chase continued.

Long story short, the Tigers’ relentless pursuit of a national title was rewarded on Saturday, and for the first time in program history, LSU gymnastics won a national title.

It may have come a few years after Breaux’s retirement, but this is her title as much as it is Clark’s. Yes, Clark is the one who closed it out, but Breaux built this program and remained a prominent figure in the LSU community even as she stepped away from coaching.

You could see it in Clark and Breaux’s embrace. Clark, who was an assistant on Breaux’s staff for eight years, knows the role Breaux played in this.

Following the competition, Clark said Breaux gave him “an opportunity to join her when I needed one.”

“I felt it was important that when this program won its first national title, that it be hers as well,” he said.

This title cements the legacy of a program that’s always known it can compete at this level, despite the grand prize proving elusive. No longer is that the case.

Winning a national title is hard. Years of coming up just short can take a toll on a program. We’ve seen programs across sports come close, say, “We’ll be back next year” and never get back.

LSU had to say that a lot over the years. Except this program kept coming back. As stars left, new ones shuffled in and LSU stayed in the fight, finally winning it all. This title belongs to all of the ones who have come and gone.

Perhaps the brightest of all those stars is [autotag]Haleigh Bryant[/autotag], who was already one of the best athletes in LSU history entering the weekend. Following a national title, she leaves no doubt about her LSU legacy.

There might be some recency bias here, but Bryant is the best gymnast in LSU history. She’s been the heart and soul of this team for four years. Her personal resume grew longer over the weekend, winning the individual all-around title.

LSU athletics has become accustomed to national titles in recent years. Football took home the title in 2019 before baseball and women’s basketball grabbed trophies of their own in 2023. Gymnastics has arguably been this athletic department’s most consistent product over the last 40 or so years. Now, it has the national title to back it up.

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LSU gymnastics wins 1st national championship in program history

The Tigers finally reached the gymnastics mountaintop.

At long last, the LSU gymnastics program stands atop the mountain as national champions.

The Tigers, led by coach [autotag]Jay Clark[/autotag], captured the 2024 NCAA gymnastics championship on Saturday in what was their second consecutive Four on the Floor appearance. Unlike last year’s trip, which ended in disappointment, LSU has finally shrugged off the moniker of “best team to never win a championship.”

The Tigers finished with a score of 198.2250, edging out No. 3 California (silver), No. 5 Utah (bronze) and No. 4 Florida. [autotag]Haleigh Bryant[/autotag] took home individual titles in the vault, while [autotag]Konnor McClain[/autotag] had the high score on the beam.

“They did everything we asked them to all year long,” Clark said on the broadcast. “It feels fantastic and I’m just so happy for them. I’m speechless.”

LSU ultimately clinched the win in the final rotation on the beam, in which it set a school record.

It took 10 appearances in the finals, but the Tigers are finally bringing the gymnastics trophy to Baton Rouge.

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How to watch LSU gymnastics in the NCAA semifinal on Thursday afternoon

The Tigers are looking to get back to their second-straight Four on the Floor.

After taking victory in the Fayetteville Regional, LSU is moving on to the 2024 NCAA Gymnastics Championship semifinal in Fort Worth.

The Tigers will compete in the first semifinal, which is set for Thursday afternoon at Dickies Arena. Eight total teams are competing for a spot in the Four on the Floor, and LSU will go head-to-head against No. 3 California, No. 12 Arkansas and Stanford.

The top two teams from each semifinal will advance with No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 4 Florida, No. 5 Utah and No. 8 Alabama competing on the other side of the bracket.

“I’m proud of our group,” coach [autotag]Jay Clark[/autotag] said in a release. “We’re one step closer to where we’re trying to go and we’re ready to keep the train rolling. This team has done a good job of staying present and doing it for each other. That’s been a huge key for our success this year and we just want to continue to stay true to ourselves.

“It doesn’t get any easier now that we’re headed to the semifinals. That in itself is certainly a great accomplishment, but we want to continue to move forward and stay in the same mindset we have all year. We are grateful for each step of this journey and we’re excited to get out there and do what we’ve done all year.”

The Tigers are looking to get back to the Four on the Floor for the second year in a row, and that will be held Saturday at 3 p.m. In the meantime, here’s how to watch LSU gymnastics in the NCAA semifinal on Thursday.

How to Watch

  • Date: Thursday, April 18
  • Location: Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas
  • Time: 3:30 p.m. CT
  • Live Stream: ESPN2 (Additional coverage on ESPN+)
  • Live Stats: Click here

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