BATON ROUGE — The 10th-ranked LSU gymnastics squad used a combination of veteran leadership and youthful energy to defeat the Iowa GymHawks by a score of 195.550-191.525 Friday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney, a junior from Manchester, Conn., continued her dominant season, winning three event titles and capturing the top spot in the all-around. The three event titles gives Kearney six individual event titles this season to go along with her two all-around titles.
“I feel real good about our team,” said LSU head coach D-D Breaux. “We didn’t dig ourselves into a hole. We didn’t have to come back from anything. We are competing with new lineups and with a lot of difficulty. We aren’t watering anything down to be cautious. I don’t think we could have done any better or worse tonight.”
LSU began their home opener on the vault posting a 49.125. Kearney’s score of 9.950, the top score in the meet, and sophomore Susan Jackson‘s 9.875 vaulted the Tigers to an early lead. They were followed by freshmen Nicole Lyons and Staci Schwitkis who tied for third with scores of 9.775. Jennifer Simbhudas of Iowa also scored a 9.775 on the vault.
In the second rotation, the Tigers matched their season high on the bars with a score of 48.875. Sabrina Franceschelli, a sophomore from Roslindale, Mass., led the meet with a score of 9.825. The event title was the first in her career. Lyons and Schwitkis, attempting to make their home debuts memorable, tied once again with scores of 9.800, good enough for second place.
LSU led 98.000-96.300 after the first two rotations, with the GymHawks stumbling out of the gate with scores of 48.200 and 48.100 on the bars and vault, respectively.
The third rotation showcased the Tigers on the beam, scoring a 48.450, their lowest score of the meet. It was good enough to top Iowa’s beam score of 47.375, with Kearney’s score of 9.850 leading the way for the Tigers. Senior Kristi Esposito placed second with a score of 9.800.
LSU’s sensational performance on the floor in the final rotation capped an overall solid performance by the Tigers. The Tigers held the top five individual scores in the event, with Kearney leading the pack with a score of 9.875.
The Tigers will travel to Fayetteville, Ark., on Friday, Jan. 18, for a dual meet against No. 14 Arkansas. The meet, which begins at 7 p.m. from Arkansas’ Barnhill Arena, will be LSU’s first against an SEC opponent this season.
TEAM RESULTS
1. LSU ? (VT – 49.125; UB – 48.875; BB – 48.450; FX – 49.100 )
2. Iowa ? (VT – 48.200; UB – 48.100; BB – 47.375; FX – 47.850 )
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS (Winner plus all LSU competitors)
All-Around ? 1. Ashleigh Clare-Kearney ? 39.425; 2. Susan Jackson ? 39.075
Vault ? 1. Ashleigh Clare-Kearney ? 9.950; 2. Susan Jackson ? 9.875; t3. Nicole Lyons ? 9.775; t3. Staci Schwitkis ? 9.775; 6. Lauren Klein ? 9.750; 7. Kayla Rogers ? 9.700
Bars ? 1. Sabrina Franceschelli ? 9.825; t2. Nicole Lyons ? 9.800; t2 Staci Schwitkis ? 9.800; 4. Ashleigh Clare-Kearney ? 9.750; 6. Susan Jackson ? 9.700; 11. Kayla Rogers ? 9.175
Beam ? 1. Ashleigh Clare-Kearney ? 9.850; 2. Kristi Esposito ? 9.825; 4. Samantha Engle ? 9.775; 6. Susan Jackson ? 9.700; 8. Lauren Klein ? 9.300; 10. Sabrina Franceschelli ? 9.075
Floor ? 1. Ashleigh Clare-Kearney ? 9.875; 2. Lauren Klein ? 9.850; t3. Susan Jackson ? 9.800; t3. Kristi Esposito ? 9.800; 5. Samantha Engle ? 9.775; t6 ? Sabrina Franceschelli ? 9.675