BATON ROUGE — Coming off a season-high 197.400 score a week ago, the sixth-ranked LSU gymnastics squad will play host to No. 9 Arkansas in a top 10 showdown Friday at 7 p.m. CT in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
Tickets for the meet are only $3 for youth and $5 for adults and can be purchased online at LSUtix.net or over the phone by contacting the LSU Athletics Ticket Office at 225-578-8124.
The meet will feature several great promotions and will serve as this season’s Kids Night and Autograph Night. Dora the Explorer will be on hand, and kids are invited to take a picture with the animated star. The event is presented by Team LSU Partner Verizon Wireless.
The first 200 kids at the meet will receive a Swirl Whirly Pop, and there will be an autograph session with the team following the meet so Tiger fans can get signatures from their favorite gymnasts. There will also be a student handstand contest, and the winner will receive $100 in Tiger Cash.
Both teams enter the meet with high expectations as the Tigers (10-2, 3-2 SEC) have won three straight meets, including the program’s second win at Alabama. LSU has also scored the nation’s second-highest team total this season with the 197.400 against Illinois-Chicago and North Carolina last week. Arkansas (6-3, 3-2) has had arguably the best season in the program’s young history as the Razorbacks have posted first-ever wins over Oklahoma, Florida and Alabama.
“What we have been able to do as a team is create consistency, and we have been able to enhance our depth and create confidence up and down our lineup,” LSU head coach D-D Breaux said. “Arkansas is a very strong team, and they have been tremendous all season. They stick their landings and do everything they are supposed to do to get the big scores, and they are doing it consistently.”
The Tigers are riding a wave of momentum coming into the meet after scoring a 196.800 against Florida, a 196.625 versus Alabama and the 197.400 last week. Not only has LSU jumped up to No. 6 in the national rankings, but the Tigers have moved into the top 10 in three events. LSU ranks fourth on vault, sixth on bars and seventh on beam.
Senior Ashleigh Clare-Kearney has continued to shine in her final season as she now ranks third nationally in the all-around standings and has increased her career individual titles to 104. Junior Susan Jackson has also been a steady leader for the Tigers as she ranks fifth in the all-around standings, and she continues to provide the 1-2 punch with her and Clare-Kearney at the end of the lineup.
LSU has also received outstanding contributions from the rest of the lineup as showcased by freshman Gloria Johnson‘s back-to-back SEC Freshman of the Week honors. Johnson posted two 9.90’s last week in the tri-meet, and she also captured her first career individual title with a victory on vault.
Sophomore Staci Schwitkis was phenomenal last week in only her second all-around competition. The San Diego, Calif., native posted career-highs on beam (9.825) and floor (9.85), and she finished with an all-around score of 39.350 ? good for third place in the meet behind Clare-Kearney and Jackson.
Arkansas has been led by steady performances from several gymnasts. Junior Casey Jo Magee won five-straight all-around titles to open the season for the Razorbacks, but freshman Jaime Pisani has been equally impressive as she has captured two of the last three all-around titles for Arkansas ? including last week against No. 1 Georgia. Magee, Pisani, junior Michelle Stout and junior Sarah Nagashima are all ranked in the top 25 of the all-around standings.
In the meet against Georgia, Arkansas set a school-record with a 49.450 on vault. The Razorbacks are just behind LSU in the rankings in several events. Arkansas is three spots behind LSU on vault at No. 7, one behind the Tigers on bars at No. 7 and four behind on beam at No. 11. The Razorbacks are also ranked No. 3 nationally on floor.
“The key for us will be having a nice start at the beginning of our lineup, and then Susan and Ashleigh have to be awesome. If we do that, we will have a great score and a great competition,” Breaux said.
Live video will be offered in the Geaux Zone on LSUsports.net, and live stats will also be available when the meet starts.
After the meet LSU will gear up for the final home meet of the season against North Carolina State March 7 at 6 p.m. in the Second Annual Etta James Memorial Meet.