BATON ROUGE — The LSU gymnastics team had only reached the elusive 197.000 mark once in its history heading into the 2002 season. Now the Tigers have reached the mark twice in the last three weeks, as they broke the school for the second time in as many home meets, blowing out Rhode Island and Centenary Friday night before a season-high 2,101 fans at the Maravich Assembly Center.
LSU won with school record total of 197.675, while Rhode Island finished second with 191.700 and Centenary finished third with a 189.750.
The mark by the Tigers broke the previous record of 197.500 set on March 1 in a victory over Kentucky.
“We really pushed them this week to not slide because we’ve been pretty sharp the past couple of outings,” said LSU head coach D-D Breaux. “I wanted us to be really sharp heading into the SEC Championships next week and I really couldn’t have gotten more out of the lineup.
“Our seniors were unbelievable tonight. This was the culmination of four years of hard work and they deserved this night.”
The Tigers got off to a strong start, opening with a season best score of 49.325 on vault behind a victorious performance from Marina Degteva. The senior co-captain came up with a near perfect effort of 9.975 to win the title in what was the start of a great night.
Kristin Uranksy finished second with a score of 9.925, while Nicki Arnstad added a 9.85 to help the Tigers to their highest score in the event since 2000.
As the Tigers moved to bars, they continued to sizzle and posted a very high 49.500, their third highest score of the season. Beth Boudreaux came up with a near-perfect 9.975 for the second time in three weeks to pick up the win, while Degteva added a 9.95 and Sharene Mamby a 9.925.
The Tigers grabbed a commanding lead with a two-event total of 98.850 and the race for the school record was on.
The high scores continued to mount for the Tigers as they added a 49.275 on beam behind a winning score of 9.95 from Boudreaux. With two titles on the evening, the senior moved her career total to 21, the highest of any current Tiger.
The Tigers nailed six perfect routines and also counted scores of 9.90 from Rebecca Lightsey and a 9.85 from Arnstad. The score on beam was the Tigers’ third highest as a team this season. All three of the Tigers’ top scores in the event this season have come in the last four weeks.
As the Tigers headed to the floor, they knew they needed only a 48.875 on floor to reach the 197-point barrier and a 49.400 to break the school record. LSU more than answered the call, posting a season high of 49.550 to push the Tigers’ total well over the previous mark.
Degteva won her second event of the evening, leading the way with a 9.95.
Boudreaux and Arnstad capped another near-flawless rotation with identical 9.90s to finish tied for second. Brooke Cazeaux came up with a 9.925 while Rachel Franzella added a 9.875 to help the effort.
The LSU gymnastics team returns to action on Saturday when the Tigers travel to the SEC Championships at the Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Ala. LSU finished fourth a year ago but finished 3-2 in conference action this season including a victory over then-No. 4 Alabama.