BATON ROUGE — Junior Ashleigh Clare-Kearney of the eighth-ranked LSU gymnastics team posted two perfect 10.0 scores to highlight LSU’s dominating 197.775-196.200 win over 19th-ranked Michigan State Friday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
LSU’s 197.775 is the second-highest score in school history.
Clare-Kearney captured her seventh all-around title of the season with a career and SEC-season best 39.80. Her all-around score is tied for third in school history.
Clare-Kearney is only the second Lady Tiger to post two perfect scores in a meet. Former All-American Lady Tiger April Burkholder was the first Lady Tiger to do it against Oklahoma in 2005 when LSU posted the program’s highest score of 197.850.
“It was great,” said Clare-Kearney. “It was something I had been working for. I had been working to be perfect. I try to work on the little things in practice, get motivated, and get determined. I didn’t do it by myself, that’s for sure. My teammates built it up and had a great start.”
The win improves LSU’s overall record to 9-3 and drops Michigan State’s season mark to 8-4.
“We were relaxed,” said LSU head coach D-D Breaux. “I think they were relaxed because we felt prepared. We did things a little bit differently in practice this week.”
Clare-Kearney started off the night with a bang by capturing the second perfect 10.0 vault performance of her career. The Manchester, Conn., native is the first SEC gymnast to post a perfect score in any event this season.
The first-team All-SEC selection claimed her first perfect mark in the season-opening Super Six Challenge last season. Clare-Kearney is only the fourth Lady Tiger to ever post a 10.0 vault score and only the third to own multiple perfect marks in the event.
Clare-Kearney’s perfect score was just one of many strong vault performances for the Lady Tigers. Sophomore Susan Jackson and freshman Nicole Lyons each posted 9.90 scores. Freshman Paige Cipolloni scored a personal best score of 9.875.
LSU’s 49.525 vault total is a season-high and is tied for third in school history.
LSU jumped out to a 98.950-98.000 advantage in the second rotation behind a season-best 49.425 performance on the bars. Sophomore Summer Hubbard and freshman Staci Schwitkis each scored a meet-best 9.950.
On the beam, LSU increased its lead in the third rotation with a solid 49.275 on the beam. Clare-Kearney highlighted the event for LSU with a career-best 9.95. Lyon’s 9.90 and Kristi Esposito‘s 9.850 rounded out LSU’s top three scores.
Clare-Kearney finished the night the same way she started by posting another perfect 10.0 on the floor. Jackson posted a career-best score of 9.975 to add to LSU’s outstanding 49.550 score in the event. LSU’s score is tied for fourth in school history.
LSU has little time to celebrate as it travels to Centenary on Sunday for a 2 p.m. meet.
Team
1. LSU ? 197.775 (VT ? 49.525 , UB ? 49.425 , BB ? 49.275 , FX ? 49.550 )
2. Michigan State ? 196.200 (VT ? 49.100 , UB ? 48.900 , BB ? 49.225 , FX ? 48.975 )
Individual (winner plus all LSU competitors)
All-Around ? 1. Ashleigh Clare-Kearney, 39.800
Vault ? 1. Ashleigh Clare-Kearney, 10.000; t-3. Susan Jackson, 9.900; t-3. Nicole Lyons, 9.900; 5. Paige Cipolloni, 9.875; t-6. Staci Schwitkis, 9.850; t-10. Kayla Rogers, 9.700
Bars ? t-1. Staci Schwitkis, 9.950; t-1. Summer Hubbard, 9.950; t-4. Ashleigh Clare-Kearney, 9.850; t-4. Sabrina Franceschelli, 9.850; t-6. Nicole Lyons, 9.825; t-6. Kristi Esposito, 9.825
Beam ? 1. Ashleigh Clare Kearney, 9.950; 3. Nicole Lyons, 9.900; t-4. Kristi Esposito, 9.850; t-8. Sabrina Franceschelli, 9.800; t-10. Susan Jackson, 9.775; t-10. Samantha Engle, 9.775
Floor ? 1. Ashleigh Clare-Kearney, 10.000; 2. Susan Jackson, 9.975; 3. Kristi Esposito, 9.925; 4. Kayla Rogers, 9.900; t-8. Sabrina Franceschelli, 9.750; 11. Samantha Engle, 9.675