Tag: Jay Clark

LSU gymnastics claims Fayetteville Regional title, advances to NCAA semis

The Tigers are regional champions for the 14th time in program history.

With a score of 198.250, the LSU gymnastics team was the top performer at the Fayetteville Regional final on Sunday, beating out No. 7 Kentucky, No. 10 Arkansas and No. 15 Minnesota.

The Tigers captured their 14th regional title and first since 2019. Their score also was the second-highest in program history in a regional final. Now, coach Jay Clark’s team advances to the NCAA Championship Semifinals in Forth Worth, Texas.

“I’m proud of the girls. They had a consistent and steady mindset from start to finish. We had that one mishap to start on bars, but I think in the long run that makes us better. We’re battle tested,” Clark said in a release. “This thing was as tough an environment as it could’ve been, and we had to bring our A game because everyone else did. Any four of these teams could have claimed their spot in Fort Worth and I’m just glad that we’re one of them.”

LSU and Arkansas will move on to face the top two teams from the Berkeley Regional, which features California, Denver, Arizona State and Stanford.

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Haleigh Bryant, Jay Clark headline postseason SEC awards for LSU gymnastics

The SEC champions dominate the postseason awards, and five Tigers made the All-SEC team.

LSU gymnastics captured its first SEC title since 2019 over the weekend, and now the Tigers head into their NCAA regional in Fayetteville, Arkansas, as a No. 1 national seed.

The Tigers have a program-best National Qualifying Score of 198.215, and that’s in large part thanks to superstar [autotag]Haleigh Bryant[/autotag]. She set the program record for Perfect 10s this season, and she’s been named the SEC Gymnast of the Year.

She’s joined as a postseason award winner by her head coach, [autotag]Jay Clark[/autotag], who was named the Co-SEC Coach of the Year alongside Kentucky’s Tim Garrison.

Further, five total Tigers were named to the All-SEC team, including Bryant as well as [autotag]Ashley Cowan[/autotag], [autotag]Kiya Johnson[/autotag], [autotag]KJ Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Konnor McClain[/autotag].

McClain was also named a member of the All-Freshman team.

 

LSU begins its postseason run in Fayetteville next Thursday, April 4, at 7 p.m. CT.

 

 

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PHOTOS: LSU gymnastics wins SEC Championship, ties program’s highest score

The Tigers captured their first SEC title since 2019 by matching the program’s highest score at the conference championships.

For the first time since 2019 and the fifth time overall, the LSU gymnastics team is the champion of the SEC.

The Tigers captured a conference title on Saturday night at the SEC Championships in New Orleans by posting a team score of 198.075, which matched the program’s highest score in the history of the championships.

“It means everything to be able to bring this home. This is a great group and I’m very proud of how they’ve gone about their business all year long,” head coach [autotag]Jay Clark[/autotag] said in a release. “The SEC is a gauntlet, and to come in here and be able to do it at home in front of our fans was pretty special. LSU is a special place.”

Five Tigers won individual conference titles, as well. Here are the photos from Saturday night as LSU became champions of the SEC.

LSU gymnastics led nation in attendance in 2024

The No. 3 Tigers led the nation in average attendance for the second time in program history.

It’s been another special season for LSU gymnastics, which ranks third in the nation and is the top seed heading into the SEC Championships in New Orleans this weekend.

The Tigers are looking to return to the Four on the Floor this season, and they put themselves in a position to do so by defending their home arena in Baton Rouge. They’re 6-0 at home on the season, and the support from the LSU faithful is a major reason for that.

The team led the nation in average attendance in 2024 for the second time in program history, averaging 12,950 people per meet with over 75,000 total fans attending home meets this season.

“Our fan base continues to show why this is the best place in the country to be a collegiate athlete,” coach [autotag]Jay Clark[/autotag] said in a release. “We are so grateful to our fan base for their loyalty and for the enthusiasm in which they come out. The PMAC is truly a unique environment unlike anything else in college gymnastics.”

The Tigers had a program record three home sellouts this season with the largest crowd coming in last Friday’s regular season finale against North Carolina with 13,283. The team also set a record entering the season with 8,000 season tickets sold.

“We continue to break records with our attendance and create an environment that’s second to none,” Clark said.

The Tigers enter the SEC Championships this weekend looking for their fifth conference title overall and first since 2019.

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PHOTOS: No. 5 LSU gymnastics sets program record in win over No. 7 Arkansas

The Tigers put up the highest score in program history and matched the highest score in the nation this season on Friday night.

The LSU gymnastics team delivered its most impressive performance yet this season in a win over No. 7 Arkansas on Friday night.

The No. 5 Tigers won 198.475-196.200 at home against the Razorbacks, marking the highest score in program history and the highest score posted in the country this season. It also ties for the 14th-highest score in NCAA history.

LSU matched its season highs on vault and beam scores, and the performance was anchored by a program-best 49.775 floor score thanks to Haleigh Bryant’s school-record 12th career perfect 10.

“Well, we got better. That’s what this week was about. The focus and the main goal was to get a good performance, a complete performance,” coach [autotag]Jay Clark[/autotag] said in a release. “I know everyone wants to talk about the score tonight and that’s great. I do not focus on whether we get a low or high score. It’s about our performance. We did our job tonight and we can do that same performance somewhere else. For us it’s about keeping our eye on the next step ahead of us and just taking it one step at a time.”

LSU will be back in action on Friday night when it hits the road to take on Georgia. In the meantime, here are the photos from the win over the Razorbacks.

LSU gymnastics notches win in SEC opener against No. 6 Kentucky

The Tigers recorded the highest team score in the country so far this season.

LSU gymnastics began conference competition on Friday, hosting No. 6 Kentucky in the PMAC.

It couldn’t have gone much better for LSU with the Tigers posting a score of 198.125, the highest score we’ve seen around the country this year. LSU had a strong performance on vault, headlined by a 9.975 from [autotag]Haleigh Bryant[/autotag] and a 9.925 from [autotag]Savannah Schoenherr[/autotag].

But it was the floor that pushed LSU’s score into the upper echelon. The Tigers’ floor score would have been a season-high for any team in the country and was the third-highest in program history.

[autotag]Kiya Johnson[/autotag] stole the show and anchored the rotation with a perfect 10. Johnson finished with a 39.650 in the all-around, a season-high for her.

The win was Jay Clark’s 50th career victory at LSU after taking over the program in 2021.

Next up for the Tigers is a trip to Missouri on Friday. Missouri, which is coming off a win against No. 20 Georgia and has just one loss to No. 4 Alabama, will be another tough test for LSU.

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LSU gymnastics takes 2nd place in star-studded national meet

LSU beat out No. 2 Utah and No. 12 UCLA, falling short of only No. 1 Oklahoma.

It’s been a nice start to the 2024 season for LSU gymnastics.

The No. 5 Tigers began the year with a ranked victory over Ohio State, and in their first big test on Saturday at the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad Meet in West Valley City, Utah.

LSU took second place at the meet with a score of 197.150, beating out No. 2 Utah (196.975) and No. 12 UCLA (197.100). The meet was ultimately won by Oklahoma, the two-time defending national champion which ranks No. 1 in the nation. The Sooners finished with a team score of 197.900.

“I’m just proud of the way we fought back and finished second to beat two very strong teams,” head coach [autotag]Jay Clark[/autotag] said in a release. “We learned how to fight our way out of holes, but we have to stop digging them in the first place. That’s where we just need to get tougher. Our team knows the expectation and we have to be able to handle success as well as we handle adversity.”

A big part of LSU’s finish was thanks to the bars team, which had a 49.650 score in their final roation, matching the program’s third-highest bars score in history. It was also the best score ever recorded on the road.

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LSU gymnastics sets season ticket record

LSU gymnastics set another season-ticket record.

In preparation for the 2024 gymnastics season, LSU sold out season tickets for the first time in program history, setting a new record and selling over 8,000 tickets.

“Our fan base continues to show why this is the best place in the country to be a collegiate athlete. Our team is doing well and our fans see that,” head coach Jay Clark said in a release.

The 8,000 total is up from 7,400 last year, which also set a record at the time. LSU will look to lead the SEC in attendance again after averaging over 12,000 fans per meet last year.

Fans will get their first look at the 2024 team on Dec. 16, when the Tigers take to the PMAC for an intrasquad exhibition. The season begins in earnest on Jan. 5 with LSU hosting Ohio State.

Clark’s crew hopes to build on the success from last year, when LSU went all the way to Four on the Floor, but fell just short of a national title.

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LSU gymnastics adds All-American transfer from Florida

Jay Clark continued his transfer portal success this week, adding Savannah Schoenherr from the Gators.

Tigers gymnastics coach [autotag]Jay Clark[/autotag] proved his worth as a recruiter again this week with the addition of a former All-American.

[autotag]Savannah Schoenherr[/autotag], who spent the last several years with the Florida Gators, will transfer to LSU.

Originally from Athens, Georgia, Schoenherr was a freshman All-SEC selection in 2019. Her vault performance that year earned her Second Team All-American honors.

Schoenherr hasn’t competed since 2022 and missed all of 2023 with a foot injury.

Competing in the All-Around at one of the SEC’s premier programs in Florida, she brings a veteran presence to a team already returning a lot.

Schoenherr wasn’t LSU’s only recent portal addition. [autotag]Jillian Hoffman[/autotag] is also slated to join the Tigers after transferring from powerhouse Utah.

LSU faced plenty of adversity last year with injuries to key contributors. Despite that, the Tigers marched all the way to a national title appearance.

Next year, LSU should be healthier and more experienced. It has the chance to be one of Clark’s best teams.

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How to watch LSU gymnastics at the NCAA championships on Saturday

The Tigers are looking for their first national title on Saturday.

The Tigers have advanced to the NCAA championships for the ninth time, and on Saturday, LSU will try to earn its first national championship in program history inside Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.

Coach Jay Clark’s team is joined by Florida, who also advanced out of the Tigers’ semifinal, as well as Oklahoma and Utah, which advanced out of the other. LSU will begin on bars while Oklahoma starts on vault, Florida starts on beam and Utah on floor.

“The message stays the same. My challenge to them is to stay true to who they’ve been all season,” Clark said in a release. “I want to go out there and just do our 24 routines. We know we’re not the favorites, but we’re going to go out there and compete hard. We’ve proven that’s what we do. This year has been incredibly rewarding with such a special group, and I just want them to enjoy it.”

This is the second time LSU has advanced to the final round since it moved to the “Four on the Floor” format in 2019 after it made the championship in that season. The Tigers ultimately finished second behind UCLA.

Here’s what you need to know to watch as LSU looks for its second national championship in as many weeks.

How to Watch

  • Date: Saturday, April 15
  • Location: Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas
  • Time: 3 p.m. CT
  • TV: ABC
  • App: Watch ESPN
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (try it free)

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