IOWA CITY, Iowa — Despite a rough start in the first two rotations of the meet the LSU gymnastics team rebounded with strong performances in the final two rotations to defeat Iowa and Southeast Missouri State in Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Friday night.
The Tigers improved their record to 5-0 by posting a 194.175 to beat Southeast Missouri State (191.675) and host Iowa (191.375).
“We couldn’t get a step ahead of someone having a miss,” LSU head coach D-D Breaux said. “It was very uncharacteristic and not at all what we see at practice. We are going to hit the gym really hard Sunday evening and fix what is broken.”
LSU led off on bars with a 48.225 and took a slim lead after the first rotation as Iowa scored a 48.220 on vault. Southeast Missouri posted a 46.975 on beam in the first rotation. The Tigers struggled on beam as they scored a 47.675 but held the lead over Iowa after two, 95.900-95.300. LSU scored a 48.850 on floor before turning in a fantastic 49.425 on vault as the Tigers posted five scores of 9.825 or better.
Individually, LSU was superb as the Tigers claimed all four individual titles and the all-around. Senior Ashleigh Clare-Kearney won two events, taking the title on bars (9.850) and floor (9.875). Sophomore Samantha Engle posted a 9.825 on beam to take the title while junior Susan Jackson won vault with a near-flawless 9.950 and captured the all-around with a 39.350 total.
Jackson also finished second on two events, posting a 9.825 on bars and a 9.800 on beam to round out a spectacular night for the Spring, Texas native. Clare-Kearney finished second in the all-around with a 39.000 score while Iowa’s Jenifer Simbhudas tallied a 39.200 to take second in the all-around.
The Tigers will face a giant test next week as LSU will have its home opener next Friday against No. 1 Georgia, which posted a 195.425-194.075 victory over West Virginia in Athens, Ga. LSU and the Bulldogs will meet at 7 p.m. in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center as the Tigers will put their perfect record on the line against the four-time defending national champions.
Team Results
1. LSU ? 194.175 (VT ? 49.425; UB ? 48.225; BB ? 47.675; FX ? 48.850)
2. Southeast Missouri ? 191.675 (VT ? 48.300; UB ? 48.475; BB ? 46.975; FX ? 47.925)
3. Iowa ? 191.375 (VT ? 48.200; UB ? 47.100; BB ? 48.425; FX ? 47.650)