LSU gymnastics secure first national title at NCAA Championship Final
FORT WORTH, Tx. (WAFB) - The LSU gymnastics team was victorious in their bid for their first national title in program history, breaking records along the way. The Tigers won it all at the NCAA Championship final at Dickie Arena in Fort Worth, Texas on Saturday, April 20.
This was the 10th time in school history that the Tigers have advanced to the NCAA Championship and their 2nd straight appearance in the final. The win made them just the eighth program in NCAA history to win the championship.
The Tigers had a strong start, leading at the end of the first event. With five scores of 9.90 or higher for a score of 49.6125 on floor, it marks the highest score in a championship final in school history.
They continued that lead after vault, with Kiya Johnson scoring a 9.9125 and Haleigh Bryant scoring a 9.950 to keep the Tigers ahead.
Kiya Johnson's first stick then Haleigh Bryant's 9.95 save the day on vault. Tigers still lead through the halfway point.
— Kevin Batiste (@KBatisteJr) April 20, 2024
LSU: 99.0125
Utah: 98.9125
Cal: 98.8500
Florida: 98.7250
The stakes were high going into the final event as Utah took the lead with the Tigers moving down to second.
High drama going into the final rotation. Utah takes the lead heading to vault.
— Kevin Batiste (@KBatisteJr) April 20, 2024
LSU highest totals on bars were a 9.9. Now they have to go win it on beam.
Down by .0375, LSU was able to start off strong in the final event with Sierra Ballard setting the Tigers up for success.
Sierra Ballard starts off beam with a 9.95
— Kevin Batiste (@KBatisteJr) April 20, 2024
Meanwhile, Utah opens vault with two straight falls.
Drama.
In this final rotation, the LSU beam team ended with a score of 49.7625, the highest in program history and an NCAA Championship record on the event.
Freshman Konnor McClain scored a 9.9625 while seniors Johnson and Bryant each scored a 9.95.
To close it out for the LSU gymnastics team, Aleah Finnegan delivered a 9.95 on beam to lift the team to their first NCAA Championship in program history. The Tigers claimed the national title with a final score of 198.225.
The win marked LSU’s 52nd in the history of LSU Athletics.
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