BATON ROUGE – The LSU gymnastics team held its annual team banquet Friday night at L’Auberge resort to honor the accomplishments of the squad during the 2014 season.
Head coach D-D Breaux, along with associate head coach Jay Clark, assistant coach Bob Moore and volunteer assistant coach Ashleigh Clare-Kearney opened the evening by handing out the letter awards to each gymnast while also introducing the freshman class for the 2015 campaign.
Kaleigh Dickson, Casey Duvall, Lainie Fleming, Mckenzie Fox, Maliah Mathis and Sarie Morrison received their senior collage, and Dickson and Morrison were honored as L-Club Captains as individuals who demonstrated leadership and commitment to team excellence.
Dickson was also the recipient of the Eye of the Tiger Award. Coach Breaux said the award is not given out each year and is only earned when a gymnast displays extraordinary effort to positively impact the team. Breaux noted that Dickson overcame a torn plantar fascia during the NCAA regional to score a career-high 9.90 on bars at the NCAA Championships during the Super Six.
Dickson also earned the Community Service Award for her leadership efforts and involvement in service projects.
The coaching staff honored the team for winning the LSU Tiger Cup Award that recognizes the LSU team that has the highest total achievement in the areas of academics, community service and athletics.
The staff honored Rheagan Courville, Dickson, Duvall, Sydney Ewing, Fleming, Michelle Gauthier, Ashleigh Gnat, Lloimincia Hall, Jessie Jordan, Morrison, Shonacee Oliva, Jessica Savona and Randii Wyrick for earning SEC Academic Honor Roll recognition.
Courville, Dickson, Duvall, Ewing, Fleming, Gauthier, Hall, Jordan and Morrison received certificates and a crystal bowl for earning Scholastic All-America honors this season.
Fleming was recognized for winning LSU’s Wally Pontiff Jr. Academic Excellence Award for having the highest cumulative GPA of all undergraduate student-athletes at LSU.
Clark presented Britney Ranzy with the Most Improved Award. Ranzy recorded a fantastic junior season in 2014 in which she earned career highs on vault (9.925) and bars (9.925).
Courville was the recipient of the prestigious Dee Dee Fulmer Gilbert Coaches Award. The award is given annually to the gymnast who consistently demonstrates a strong commitment to academic and athletic excellence. The award is named after the late Dee Dee Fulmer Gilbert who was an advocate for women’s sports at LSU and a caring supporter of the LSU gymnastics program for many years until she passed away in 1999.
Clare-Kearney presented Courville, Hall and Jordan with an SEC medallion for earning All-SEC honors. Hall also received another SEC championship ring by winning the SEC floor exercise title for the third-straight season.
Courville, Dickson, Ewing, Gnat, Hall, Jordan, Morrison and Savona were honored for earning All-America status during the 2014 season, and each gymnast received a framed certificate and crystal vase.
After Courville was recognized for winning her second national title on vault, all 17 squad members and support staff were presented 2014 Super Six rings.
LSU resumes fall practice Saturday as the Tigers continue preparations for the 2015 season.
Season ticket deposits are available online at http://lsul.su/15gymtix, and season tickets cost $25 for adults and $15 for youth ages 3-12.
LSU will offer a free preview of the 2015 team by hosting Gymnastics 101 in the Maravich Center on Dec. 17.
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