by Molly Clark
LSU Sports Information
In the past few years, the LSU gymnastics team has had a number of firsts in its 35-year program history.
The Tigers brought 7,717 fans to set the home attendance record against Alabama in the inaugural Etta James Memorial Meet on Feb. 22, 2008 one season ago.
The team reached the Super Six last season, a success that no other team in LSU gymnastics history has ever accomplished.
More recently in February the LSU gymnasts watched the Alabama Crimson Tide fans leave the meet early with frustration as the Tigers defeated the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa for the first time since 1976.
Setting records and creating legacies for future gymnasts is not just a team effort; it takes the personal effort of team work and leadership.
That effort and leadership comes with senior All-American Ashleigh Clare-Kearney.
Clare-Kearney, a Manchester, Conn. native, knew she wanted to compete as a collegiate gymnast in the Southeastern Conference throughout high school. She made many college visits, but for Clare-Kearney, LSU was the obvious choice.
“When I arrived at LSU, I loved it,” said Clare-Kearney. “It felt like I could call it home, and it would become my second home.”
Clare-Kearney opened her college career in 2005 with a phenomenal freshman season. She finished the regular season ranked sixth nationally on the floor and ninth on the vault and recorded the Tigers’ top season average on floor.
In 2006 as a sophomore, Clare-Kearney injured her foot and was granted a medical redshirt for the remainder of the season.
That injury did not slow her down.
During her redshirt sophomore season, the 5-4 gymnast scored a perfect 10.0 on the vault at the season-opening Super Six Challenge. The perfect score was the first of her career and the first for an LSU gymnast since 2005. With the mark, Clare-Kearney became the fourth athlete in LSU history to earn a 10.0 on vault.
Clare-Kearney pushed harder to improve and go further in her junior season. She did just that ? earning All-America honors on the floor and beam and becoming a First-Team All-SEC selection. More than that, Clare-Kearney earned the prestigious title of All-Around Champion in the SEC as well as SEC Co-Gymnast of the Year as she finished second nationally in the all-around rankings. She also placed in the top 25 in each of the four events ? No. 2 on vault, No. 5 on floor, No. 12 on beam and tied for No. 14 on bars.
All of these contributions helped lead the Tigers to their first Super Six appearance.
“Making it to the Super Six was my biggest accomplishment. Not many people, only 12 of us, can say that we were the first team to make it to the Super Six,” Clare-Kearney said. “It was a great experience. I hope we can do it again, and I’m sure we will.”
As a senior, Clare-Kearney has laid the foundation of excellence not only for gymnasts but for all athletes in the future.
When Clare-Kearney competed against Alabama, she claimed her 100th career individual title, a feat that has never been tackled by any gymnast in the historic program at LSU, and the potential for the rest of the season is unimaginable.
Being as humble as she is, Clare-Kearney will be the first to admit that her successes were not achieved alone. She has reached the point she is at today because of the love and support of her teammates.
“I know on this team, and most of the teams I’ve been part of, any girl could count on each other to be behind them 100 percent. Your teammates really are behind you. I’ve had a great experience with them,” said Clare-Kearney.
Clare-Kearney has not only used her talents in the gym, but she has also used them with her teammates as she gives advice often and helps in any way she can.
“I love being able to share experiences in hopes that my teammates won’t make mistakes in the future or so they will know what to expect in the future,” she said.
With her outstanding athletic abilities, strong determination and amiable personality, Clare-Kearney has molded herself into an irreplaceable leader that will forever be part of the LSU gymnastics program.
“I love being a leader. I love the fact that people count on me. I think it’s great that I was able to come to LSU and make an impact.”
Although Saturday quickly approaches, the realization that it will be her last home meet as an LSU Tiger has not hit home yet.
“I’m really excited about the meet this weekend. It hasn’t quite hit me yet. I feel like it’s going to be another meet. I can’t imagine myself not doing gymnastics anymore,” she said. “I really don’t know what I’m going to do when 2 p.m. rolls around every afternoon and I’m not at practice.”
Clare-Kearney has not only made an impact on her teammates, but she has also made a lasting impression on head coach D-D Breaux.
“She’s had a huge impact. She will definitely leave a mark in records that will be a benchmark for future student-athletes to try to reach,” said Breaux. “The thing about her mark is that it’s gotten bigger and bigger each year. The impact she makes isn’t only in the athletic arena. She’s become a much better, more disciplined student-athlete.
“It’s been a thrill to watch her develop as a person. To go from this young, wide-eyed freshman where gymnastics was out of control for her and then to bring her in and see her respond to the program and respond to everything LSU has to offer has just been really gratifying,” Breaux said.
Clare-Kearney is not your typical gymnast. Her height and muscular build are so unique to the sport of gymnastics, but that is not the only thing that makes her unique. She is an inspiration inside and outside the gym. She has always and will continue to be a trademark for LSU gymnastics.
“I’ve had a great five years, and I wouldn’t replace any of it,” Clare-Kearney said. “If I could do it all over again, I would do the exact same thing.”