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Gymnastics Ranked No. 12 in Preseason Poll

by Jake Terry (@LSUjake)
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Gymnastics Ranked No. 12 in Preseason Poll

BATON ROUGE – With the 2011 season opener only one month away, the LSU gymnastics team checked in at No. 12 in the GymInfo preseason coaches poll Wednesday.

It marks the 14th straight year that LSU has been preseason ranked in the top 15, dating back to GymInfo’s first preseason rankings released in 1998.

The Tigers received 647 points to earn the 12th spot.

Defending national champion UCLA took the top spot with 1,035 points and 32 of 42 first place votes, while Alabama and Florida ranked a very close second and third, respectively, as Alabama picked up 950 points to Florida’s 948.

Oklahoma checked in at No. 4 with 881, and Utah rounded out the top five with 853 points.

Stanford is sixth (818 points), Georgia seventh (749), Oregon State eighth (702), Michigan ninth (696) and Nebraska 10th (691).

LSU will face a challenging schedule this season as the Tigers compete against five teams ranked in the top 10 and nine teams in the top 25, including home meets against third-ranked Florida, seventh-ranked Georgia and 11th-ranked Arkansas.

The Tigers return six letterwinners and two All-Americans in Samantha Engle and Ashley Lee, and LSU will feature a young lineup that includes six newcomers and only one senior in Engle.

LSU will open the season Jan. 7 at No. 8 Oregon State, and the Tigers will open the home slate Jan. 21 against Florida. Season tickets are on sale now, and fans can purchase tickets by calling the LSU Athletics Ticket Office at (225) 578-2184 or by logging on to www.LSUtix.net.

Fans are also encouraged to get connected with LSU gymnastics on www.Facebook.com/lsugym and Twitter @lsugym.

2011 Gymnastics Preseason Coaches Poll

Rank, Team, Points (First Place Votes)
1. UCLA, 1,035 (32)
2. Alabama, 950 (3)
3. Florida, 948 (3)
4. Oklahoma, 881 (2)
5. Utah, 853 (1)
6. Stanford, 818 (1)
7. Georgia, 749
8. Oregon State, 702
9. Michigan, 696
10. Nebraska, 691
11. Arkansas, 648
12. LSU, 647
13. Missouri, 479
14. Penn State, 456
15. Auburn, 415
16. Denver, 361
17. Illinois, 333
18. Boise State, 311
19. Arizona, 274
20. Southern Utah 195
21. Washington, 191
22. Iowa State, 114
23. Minnesota, 109
24. Kentucky, 102
25. Arizona State, 100