COLUMBUS, Ohio — After just one day of rest the third-ranked LSU gymnastics team will return to the floor of competition when it travels to Columbus, Ohio, Sunday for a dual meet with No. 22 Ohio State.
The meet will begin at 1 p.m. from St. John Arena.
“With two meets in three days we plan on changing the lineup a little bit,” said LSU head coach D-D Breaux. “We want to give some other people the opportunity to compete in order to help develop our depth, but at the same time we don’t want to lose any of our consistency.”
All-American April Burkholder will take a break from the all-around for the first time this season, likely sitting out on the floor exercise. Sophomore Nicki Butler, who has been a solid three event contributor for the Tigers this season, will sit out on both the beam and floor.
Junior Kelly Lea and senior Jade Jenkins are expected to fill in on the floor, while freshman Ashleigh Clare-Kearney will likely make her collegiate debut on the beam.
The Tigers (6-3, 4-1 SEC) enter Sunday’s meet on the heels of outstanding 196.925-195.550 road win over No. 20 Kentucky Friday. The Tigers extended their current win streak to four meets while taking home top individual event honors on each of the four apparatuses and in the all-around.
Ohio State is 3-5 on the season and coming off a 195.225-191.550 win over Pittsburgh last Saturday in Columbus.
LSU, who will be making its first ever appearance in Columbus, is a perfect 7-0 all-time against the Buckeyes. The two teams last met during the 2004 season with the Tigers winning 197.525-195.600 in Baton Rouge.
Following the Ohio State contest, LSU will close out its regular season SEC schedule when it travels to No. 19 Auburn on Feb. 25.