LINCOLN, Neb. — Shortly after the completion of Session II of the NCAA Gymnastics Championships Thursday night, the fourth-ranked LSU gymnastics squad learned they will begin the Super Six on a bye and end on beam.
The Super Six will begin at 6 p.m. CDT Friday in the Bob Devaney Sports Center and will be broadcast on a tape delay basis by CBS. The meet will air on CBS May 9 from 1-3 p.m.
LSU will once again provide a live audiocast of the meet in the Geaux Zone on www.LSUsports.net, and a live stats link is available as well on LSUsports.net.
LSU (24-7) will compete in the Super Six as follows – bye before floor, floor, vault, bye before bars, bars and beam.
The Tigers are competing to win the program’s first national championship, and they will go up against No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Utah, No. 3 Alabama, No. 5 Florida and No. 10 Arkansas.
Georgia and Florida took first and second in the afternoon session Thursday, as the Gym Dogs recorded an NCAA prelims high score of 197.450 and the Gators posted a 196.375. LSU advanced by finishing third with a 196.300.
In Session II, Alabama took first with a 197.025, and Arkansas advanced to its first Super Six by finishing second with a 196.950. Utah tied for third with UCLA at 196.625, but the Utes advanced to the Super Six with a higher overall total score. In the event of a tie, the sixth score from every event that is normally thrown out is added to the team score, so Utah narrowly advanced 234.650-234.575.
After not making the Super Six in the first 13 times LSU advanced to the NCAA Championships since 1993 when the Super Six format was created, the Tigers have earned back-to-back Super Six berths and will look to build upon last season’s fifth-place finish.
Georgia and Utah will be competing for their record 10th national title as each program sits with nine, while Alabama will fight for its fifth crown. Florida and Arkansas along with the Tigers have never won a championship.
Heading into the Super Six, LSU has faced four of its five opponents this season multiple times. LSU is 0-3 against Georgia as the Gym Dogs defeated the Tigers in Baton Rouge on Jan. 16, 196.850-195.950. Georgia also finished ahead of LSU at the SEC Championships on March 21, 196.925-196.550, and the Gym Dogs took first in the prelims Thursday.
LSU is 1-2 against Florida this season, beating the Gators at home on Feb. 6, 196.800-195.825. Florida finished just ahead of the Tigers at the SEC Championships, 196.750-196.550, and the Gators took second ahead of LSU in the prelims.
The Tigers are 1-1 against Alabama on the year, beating the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa for the first time since 1976 with a 196.625-195.750 victory on Feb. 13. Alabama defeated LSU with a first-place finish at the SEC Championships with a 197.300 score.
LSU is 2-0 against Arkansas this season with a victory at home on Feb. 27 (196.150-195.800) and a higher finish at the SEC Championships (196.550-195.650).
Four LSU gymnasts will compete in the individual event finals Saturday, and the NCAA released the order of competition for the individual championships Thursday night.
In the Individual Championships Saturday, senior Ashleigh Clare-Kearney, junior Susan Jackson, junior Summer Hubbard and sophomore Staci Schwitkis will represent LSU in the quest for an individual national title.
Schwitkis will compete as the sixth gymnast in flight one on vault, while Jackson will be the first competitor in the second flight as the eighth overall gymnast to vie for a vault title. Clare-Kearney will be the 11th out of 13 gymnasts in the event.
The Tigers will waste no time in competing for a bars title as Clare-Kearney is first out of 16 to compete, and Hubbard will go fourth.
In her last appearance as a Tiger, Clare-Kearney will wrap up competition on floor as the 10th and final gymnast to compete in the event.
Last season, Jackson earned LSU’s fourth individual national title as she was the Vault Champion with a 9.8563 average between her two vaults. It marked the first national title for an LSU gymnast on vault.
Jeanie Beadle won LSU’s first individual event national title on beam at the 1977 AIAW Championships. Nicki Arnstad captured LSU’s second title as she was the NCAA Floor Champion in 2002, and April Burkholder became LSU’s second Beam Champion in 2006.
The individual event finals will begin Saturday at 6 p.m. in the Devaney Center, and a live audiocast will be available in the Geaux Zone on www.LSUsports.net.