LEXINGTON, Ky. — An all-around win by junior April Burkholder spearheaded the third-ranked LSU gymnastics team to its fourth consecutive victory Friday night at Memorial Coliseum as it defeated No. 20 Kentucky, 196.925-195.500.
“I though tonight was a breakthrough night,” said LSU head coach D-D Breaux. “They were tired and they came out and just competed. They were asked to overcome adversity and they did. I think that shows the real character of this team.”
Burkholder led all gymnasts, notching a 39.400 to claim her third all-around title of the season. UK’s Michelle Gales and Lucy Burgin finished second and third, respectively, with scores of 38.850 and 38.400.
LSU got off to an early lead in the first rotation, scoring a 49.200 on the bars to Kentucky’s 49.100 on the vault. Sophomore Lisa Rennie won the first individual event title of her career on the event with a season-high 9.875. Burkholder and All-American Annie Gagnon followed with identical marks of 9.800.
The Tigers extended their lead to .375 points in the second rotation, notching a 49.150 on the vault, while the Wildcats tallied a 48.875 on the bars. Freshman Ashleigh Clare-Kearney won her second vault title of the season, turning in a 9.925 for the third consecutive week. Burkholder added a 9.875, while sophomores Nicki Butler and Kelly Phelan each notched 9.800s.
An electrifying 49.325 performance by LSU on the floor gave the Tigers a 147.675-146.675 advantage after three rotations. Burkholder was near perfect with her score of 9.925, while a 9.875 by Clare-Kearney, a pair of 9.850s by Butler and Terin Martinjak and a 9.825 by Rennie rounded out the scoring for the Tigers on the event.
LSU capped the meet with 49.250 on the beam. Rennie won her fourth consecutive beam title, tallying a career-high tying 9.950 to finish in first. Gagnon posted a career-high of her own, notching a 9.925 to finish second. Phelan rounded out the medal count on the event finishing third with a 9.900.
The Tigers will have just a days rest before returning to action Sunday against No. 22 Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio.
TEAM RESULTS
1. LSU – 196.925 (VT – 49.150, UB – 49.200, BB – 49.250, FX – 49.325)
2. Kentucky – 195.550 (VT – 49.100, UB – 48.925, BB – 48.650, FX – 48.875)
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS (Winner plus all LSU competitors)
All-Around – 1, April Burkholder, 39.400.
Vault – 1, Ashleigh Clare-Kearney, 9.925. 3, April Burkholder, 9.875. t5, Nicki Butler, 9.800. t5, Kelly Phelan, 9.800. 10, Rikki L’Heureux, 9.750. 12, Terin Martinjak, 9.700.
Bars – 1, Lisa Rennie, 9.875. t2, April Burkholder, 9.850. t2, Annie Gagnon, 9.850. t4, Nicki Butler, 9.825. t6, Katherine Hilton, 9.800. 9, Kelly Lea, 9.775.
Beam – 1, Lisa Rennie, 9.950. 2, Annie Gagnon, 9.925. 3, Kelly Phelan, 9.900. 7, Terin Martinjak, 9.725. 7, April Burkholder, 9.750. 10, Lauren Companioni, 9.600.
Floor – 1, April Burkholder, 9.975. 2, Ashleigh Clare-Kearney, 9.875. t3, Nicki Butler, 9.850. t3, Terin Martinjak, 9.850. t5, Lisa Rennie, 9.825. 12, Kelly Phelan, 9.475.