Tag: LSU Gymnastics

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 gymnast Aleah Finnegan has ‘no regrets’ following Olympic debut

Though it didn’t end exactly how she hoped, Aleah Finnegan’s dream of becoming an Olympian came true this weekend in Paris.

Aleah Finnegan’s dreams came true this week in Paris as the LSU gymnast made her Olympic debut at 21 years old, representing the Philippines as an individual.

Though things didn’t exactly go as she hoped as she failed to qualify for the women’s all-around final with a finish of 32nd in the qualifying event on Sunday, she said she’s proud of what she accomplished and to have been able to represent the Philippines, according to One Sports.

“We finished all the way through and on the back side, being really proud of myself for how I did today. But on the other side, a little disappointment in myself because I know what I’m capable of,” Finnegans said. “No matter what, I’m walking here with my head held high; I have no regrets, and I’m just proud to represent the Philippines on the stage.”

Finnegan is a rising senior at LSU and played a major role in leading the program to its first national title this past spring. As she returns for her final year fresh off an Olympics appearance, she’ll look to help the Tigers defend that crown.

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LSU gymnast Aleah Finnegan makes Olympic debut with the Philippines

Aleah Finnegan made her Olympic debut representing the Philippines on Sunday.

Rising senior LSU gymnast [autotag]Aleah Finnegan[/autotag] will hope to lead the Tigers to back-to-back national titles next spring, but first, she’s representing the Philippines in international competition as she made her Olympic debut in Paris on Sunday in the artistic women’s gymnastics qualifying round.

She was the first Filipina gymnast to compete at the Olympics since 1964, and she was one of three individual gymnasts competing for the Philippines. She finished with an all-around score of 50.498 in subdivision three with her highest score coming on the vault at 13.733.

Unfortunately, her qualifying score finished with a rank of 38, meaning she will not qualify for the final on Aug. 1.

Finnegan won an individual national title this season on the floor and helped clinch LSU’s national title by anchoring the team on bars in the final rotation at the NCAA championships.

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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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Livvy Dunne confirmed her return to LSU for a fifth season in an emotional video

Livvy Dunne will return to LSU gymnastics for a fifth season.

LSU gymnastics star Livvy Dunne will return to the school for a fifth season, and she confirmed the news in an emotional video on Monday.

Reading a letter to the LSU community over a highlight reel of her greatest accomplishments on the mat, Dunne talked about how she wanted to continue her career with the program.

“I’m not Dunne yet,” she says in the announcement video released by the LSU gymnastics Twitter (X) account.

Dunne won an national championship with LSU in 2024 and will now return to defend the gold as one of the most popular gymnasts in the country.

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LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne announces return for fifth season

One of the biggest names in college sports is back for another year at LSU.

One of the biggest names in college sports will be back at LSU for her fifth and final season.

On Monday, LSU gymnast [autotag]Livvy Dunne[/autotag] announced that she’ll be coming back for her last season of eligibility in 2025 in a video posted to social media by the official Tigers account.

“Dear LSU,” Dunne said in the video, “these past four years have changed my life. There’s something about putting on a purple and gold leotard. There’s something about competing in front of 13,000 screaming Tiger fans. There’s something about being pushed by your coaches to be your very best. And there’s something about being part of a team that made school history.

“And no matter how many opportunities come my way off the mat, there’s just something about LSU. And that’s why I’m here to say, I’m not done yet.”

The Hillsdale, New Jersey, native wasn’t a regular starter in the rotation for the Tigers this season, but she appeared in nine meets on the bars and floor, turning in a season-best 9.875 on bars at the Podium Challenge in March. She was also named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll for the fourth time.

Dunne has also developed a massive social media following while at LSU, garnering more than five million followers on Instagram and nearly eight million on TikTok. She’s the second highest-valued NIL athlete according to On3 at $3.9 million per year.

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LSU gymnast Haleigh Bryant named top female athlete in Louisiana

Haleigh Bryant won the Corbett Award as the top female athlete in the state of Louisiana.

LSU gymnastics captured its first national title in program history this spring, and star [autotag]Haleigh Bryant[/autotag], arguably the best gymnast in the entire country, was a big reason for it.

As a senior in 2024, she became just the second LSU gymnast in program history to win the NCAA individual all-around title, joining Susan Jackson in 2010. For her efforts, she won the James J. Corbett Award as the top female athlete in the state of Louisiana.

Bryant becomes the fourth LSU gymnast to win the award, joining Jackson, [autotag]Sarah Finnegan[/autotag] (2019) and [autotag]Ashleigh Gnat[/autotag] (2017), who is currently on the coaching staff.

“My main goals this year were to win an SEC Championship and a national championship,” Bryant said in a release. “It was good for me to focus on those things, and when that happened, the individual honors followed. This year exceeded my dreams; I’m so thankful for my teammates and coaches. I couldn’t have done any of this without all of them.”

Bryant will attempt to run it back as she plans to return to LSU for her fifth and final season of collegiate eligibility as she works toward a Master’s degree.

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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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