RALEIGH, N.C. — The No. 5 gymnastics squad placed first in a quad-meet against North Carolina State, North Carolina and George Washington Friday night at N.C. State.
The Tigers scored a 196.500, followed by N.C. State (194.850), UNC (193.500) and GWU (192.550).
LSU was without three key performers on the night. Freshmen Paige Cipolloni and Nicole Lyons did not compete because of leg injuries. Tonight marks the first meet missed by Lyons this season. Cipolloni missed last week’s meet against Washington because of her injury.
Additionally, junior Lauren Klein was inactive for the seventh-straight meet nursing a severe ankle sprain.
“Overall, I felt like we did a good job,” said LSU head coach D-D Breaux. “The freshmen did a super job. This kind of format is what we are going to see at the SEC Championships. I think the fact that we had to use a different lineup because of injuries gives us depth for future meets.”
Despite being hundreds of miles from Baton Rouge, a slew of Tiger fans were in the stands, and they made their presence felt.
The Tigers started on the bars, posting a 48.925. They were led by Staci Schwitkis and Sabrina Franceschelli, who each scored a 9.825. They both tied with Taylor Seaman of N.C. State for the event title.
Kristi Esposito and Summer Hubbard notched 9.775s. Ashleigh Clare-Kearney scored a 9.725 to round out the top five scores for the Tigers. The Tigers held a slight lead over N.C. State after the first rotation.
Susan Jackson kicked things off on the beam in the second rotation, scoring a 9.850, a new season high. Summer Hubbard posted a season high as well with a 9.800. Esposito scored an impressive 9.825, nearly falling but keeping her balance.
However, the highest-scoring routine was saved for last, with Clare-Kearney posting a team-leading 9.875 on the beam. Overall, the Tigers posted a 49.125 beam score.
The Tigers lead grew after the second rotation, notching a 98.050. N.C. State placed second with a 97.575 after two rotations, with North Carolina (96.500) and George Washington (95.925) placing third and fourth, respectively.
Moving to the floor in the third rotation, the Tigers scored a 49.075. Jackson led the team with a 9.850. Esposito opened the event strong by posting a 9.800. Kayla Rogers followed with an excellent routine, scoring a 9.825.
Franceschelli and Engle also had impressive floor routines as they both scored a 9.800. The Tigers lead over the Wolfpack extended to over an entire point moving to the fourth rotation.
The Tar Heels, decimated by injuries over the past few weeks, slipped to fourth in the meet after only using five performers on both the vault and bars.
The Tigers scored a 49.375, led by Clare-Kearney’s meet high of 9.950. Rogers posted a new season-high with a 9.900, and Jackson followed with a 9.900 of her own. They finished second and third, respectively, in the event. Schwitkis scored a 9.875, and Franceschelli scored a respectable 9.750.
The Tigers will return to Baton Rouge for a few weeks of practice. They will be off next weekend. The Tigers will compete next at the SEC Championships in Duluth, Ga. on March 29.
MEET RESULTS
Team
1. LSU ? 196.500 (VT ? 49.375, UB ? 48.925, BB ? 49.125, FX ? 49.075)
2. N.C. State ? 194.850 (VT ? 48.875, UB ? 48.700, BB ? 48.500, FX ? 48.775)
3. UNC ? 193.500 (VT ? 48.875, UB ? 47.775, BB ? 49.225, FX ? 47.925)
4. GWU ? 192.550 (VT?48.475, UB ? 48.100, BB ? 47.700, FX ? 48.225)
Individual (winner plus all LSU competitors)
All-Around ? 1. Leigha Hancock (NCST), 39.200; 2. Sabrina Franceschelli, 39.150; t-4. Susan Jackson, 39.050; 6. Ashleigh Clare-Kearney, 38.775
Vault ? 1. Ashleigh Clare-Kearney, 9.950; t-2. Susan Jackson, 9.900; t-2. Kayla Rogers, 9.900; 4. Staci Schwitkis, 9.875; 10. Sabrina Franceschelli, 9.750; 22. Yvette Triay, 9.275
Bars ? t-1. Staci Schwitkis, 9.825; t-1. Sabrina Franceschelli, 9.825; t-4. Summer Hubbard, 9.775; t-4. Kristi Esposito, 9.775; t-8. Ashleigh Clare-Kearney, 9.725; 21. Susan Jackson, 9.450
Beam ? 1. Christine Nguyen (UNC), 9.925; 3. Ashleigh Clare-Kearney, 9.875; t-5. Susan Jackson, 9.850; 9. Kristi Esposito, 9.825; t-10. Summer Hubbard, 9.800; t-13. Sabrina Franceschelli, 9.775; 20. Samantha Engle, 9.325
Floor ? 1. Leigha Hancock (NCST), 9.875; 2. Susan Jackson, 9.850; 3. Kayla Rogers, 9.825; t-4. Kristi Esposito, 9.800; t-4. Samantha Engle, 9.800; t-4. Sabrina Franceschelli, 9.800; 22. Ashleigh Clare-Kearney, 9.325