BATON ROUGE — D-D Breaux and her LSU gymnastics team will have their hands full once again in 2003 as the Tigers take on four teams that finished in the top-five in the nation last season, Breaux announced Friday upon releasing the season’s 2003 schedule.
“We have a very challenging schedule,” said Breaux. “However, I feel the design of the schedule is going to be beneficial for the talented, but young team we have this season. The quality of the teams that we’ll face in the regular season will only help prepare us for the postseason and a return trip to the NCAA Championships.”
This season’s schedule will feature just four regular season home dates and seven road meets. The Tigers will be featured on ESPN twice during the year on a tape delay basis, as both LSU’s meet at Auburn on Jan. 24 and its home contest with Florida Feb. 7 will be broadcast.
LSU will begin the season with three straight road meets. The Tigers start things off Jan. 10 at the Bahamas Breeze Invitational in Nassau and then travel to SEC foes Kentucky and Auburn the following two weekends.
LSU will then return home to the friendly confines of the Pete Maravich Assembly Center to open up the 2003 home schedule with Denver, Jan. 31 and No. 10 Florida, Feb. 7.
After taking on the Gators, LSU begins the most difficult part of its schedule as the Tigers face four of 2002’s top-five teams in a five-week span. LSU will take on 2002 NCAA National Champion, Alabama Feb. 14 and No. 5 Nebraska Feb. 21, both on the road. The Tigers will then return home for their final home stretch of the season, as first-year team Arkansas comes to town Feb. 28 and SEC rival and second-ranked Georgia follows on March 7.
The Tigers then travel to fourth-ranked Utah on March 14 before closing out the regular season with a tri-meet against Centenary and Texas Woman’s on March 21.
For the third straight year the SEC Championships, scheduled for Sat., March 28, will take place at the Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Ala. The NCAA Regionals will follow two weeks later on April 12 and the gymnastics season will come to a conclusion Apr. 24-26, as Nebraska plays host to the NCAA Championships in Lincoln.
Season tickets for the Tigers’ 2003 gymnastics season will go on sale Oct. 14. They can be purchased for $30 at the LSU ticket office, or by calling (225) 578-2184.