BATON ROUGE – The LSU gymnastics team checked in at No. 12 in the 2012 GymInfo Preseason Coaches Poll released Thursday.
It is the second straight season LSU earned the preseason No. 12 ranking, and it marks the 15th straight year that LSU has been ranked in the top 15 in the preseason poll.
The Tigers return 10 letterwinners from the 2011 team that finished No. 20 in the final standings, including All-America selections Ashley Lee and Kaleigh Dickson and All-Southeastern Conference gymnast Sarie Morrison.
2012 Schedule | Season Tickets for $15-25
LSU will face a challenging schedule in 2012, including stiff tests in home meets against No. 2 Alabama, No. 17 Auburn and No. 23 Kentucky. The Tigers will compete on the road at No. 3 Florida, No. 9 Georgia, No. 11 Arkansas, No. 16 Washington and 25th-ranked Iowa.
Season tickets are on sale now to catch all the exciting home action, and tickets can be purchased by calling the LSU Ticket Office at 225-578-2184 or by visiting www.LSUtix.net. Season tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for youth ages 3-12.
UCLA is ranked No. 1 with 932 points and eight first-place votes, while defending national champion Alabama is No. 2 with 926 points and 17 first-place votes. Florida is third with 903 points and eight first-place votes, followed by Oklahoma at No. 4 with 879 points and two first-place votes and Utah at No. 5 with 806 points and one first-place vote.
Nebraska checked in at No. 6, followed by Oregon State, Stanford, Georgia and Michigan to round out the top 10.
All seven SEC squads are ranked in the preseason top 25 for the second consecutive season.
2012 GymInfo Gymnastics Preseason Coaches Poll
Rank, Team, Points (First-Place Votes)
1. UCLA 932 (8)
2. Alabama 926 (17)
3. Florida 903 (8)
4. Oklahoma 879 (2)
5. Utah 806 (1)
6. Nebraska 741
7. Oregon State 725 (1)
8. Stanford 702 (1)
9. Georgia 687
10. Michigan 641 (2)
11. Arkansas 617
12. LSU 539
13. Penn State 496
14. Boise State 449
15. Illinois 371
16. Washington 343
17. Auburn 324
18. Ohio State 246
19. Arizona 233
20. Denver 214
21. Kent State 202
22. Minnesota 154
23. Kentucky 144
24. Iowa State 122
25. Iowa 120
Others receiving votes:
Missouri, Central Michigan, North Carolina State, Arizona State, Southern Utah, West Virginia, North Carolina, BYU, Western Michigan, Michigan State, Utah State, Illinois State, New Hampshire, Maryland, San Jose State, Pittsburgh, California, UIC, Northern Illinois, Rutgers